another update -- operation thyroid

*begin playing mission impossible theme now*

okay -- so if you don't laugh, you cry, right??

Anyhoo -- here's the latest on what's happening:

I went on Tuesday to see the endocrinologist -- Dr. Polly Reddy (based in Dublin, off Sawmill Rd) and she was very nice. I really really liked her and felt very comfortable with her. She put me at ease right away and answered all my questions.

She didn't know that I had been to see the surgeon and that he'd done a needle biopsy, so I told her all that I knew. She told me that the person who had read my ultrasound and made notes on it didn't write the typical blurb on it -- basically it's just one massively overgrown nodule or mass or something, rather than multiple nodules. That's probably why the doctor said it was an "odd looking thing". She also told me that there are three nodules on the left side of my thyroid -- each about .6cm big. She mentioned that if a person is a nodule-builder they will always be a nodule-builder. When I told her the surgery was scheduled to be a partial thyroidectomy, she said she would contact Dr. Pomerants (who is not the surgeon that she usually uses, she hadn't heard of Dr. Pomerants) and let him know that she is recommending a full thyroidectomy for a couple of reasons -- one is because of the nodules on the left side, she said that there is no point in leaving the left side only to have to take it out at a later date; two, I am already on the synthroid and would be even if I only had the right side taken out, so there is no benefit to saving the other half -- it will not prevent me taking synthroid the rest of my life. To be honest I was relieved, because the thought of a second surgery just really depressed me.

So she is contacting the surgeon. She had blood drawn on Tuesday to check my TSH levels and other things and I should be getting the results of that today. She said she wouldn't increase my daily dosage between now and the surgery but what she would recommend (based on the results of the TSH) me taking an extra 125 tablet once a week to kind of boost the levels leading up to the surgery.

I have my pre-op appointment with the doctor next week on the 11th.

That's pretty much all I know at the moment -- she did talk to me about a plan of action should the thyroid be determined as cancerous. I'd have to do an intake scan (be off the synthroid for about 4 weeks) and they'd see if there were any thyroid cells left in me, then if there were, I'd be connected to nuclear medicine and go that route -- which would involve me swallowing one or two radiated capsules (Dr. Reddy told me it's not the typical chemotherapy, that this kind doesn't have the side effects of hair loss or illness etc.) to kill off any remaining cells. Then six months from then I'd have another intake scan and if necessary another one or two capsules.

She was very reassuring -- said that even if it was cancerous, that more than 80%of the cases are the type of thyroid cancer with a high cure rate. So I am not worried -- more relieved to get this over with.

Thanks so much for your prayers and good wishes -- they help me so much.

Posted by kristen at April 5, 2007 4:57 PM