Good news on the thyroid front, I think

snommintj

I finally had my thyroid biopsied today. The doctor says the cancer is fully contained in the left lobe of the thyroid. So i will get to keep the right lobe and not have to take a hormone supplement the rest of my life. Some bad news is that the tumors (two tumors have grown into one large one) are larger than previously thought. The left lobe of my thyroid is actually constraining both the carotid artery and jugular vein, so something will have to be done soon. The surgeon says this should be a straight forward and completely successful surgery. So I should be thyroid cancer free soon, maybe next week. Now, if that 2mm blip on my last CT scan turns out to be just an anomoly then all of my tumors both colon and thyroid should be gone. How crazy would that be? For all you folks out there newly diagnosed and worried take some solace in knowing that there is hope. My 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Drs all agreed I had 2-3 months and should just go home and die. Two primary cancers eliminated any chance of clinical trials, too many and too large liver tumors eliminated me from resection. Cancer so advanced many oncologist said chemo wouldn't act quick enough to prevent death. Here I am, over one year later, on the cusp of being disease free.

Annabelle41415

Some good news
Sounds like some good news even though you have to go through surgery at least the doctor feels that it will be successful. You have an amazing story of courage and hope.

Kim

CherylHutch

Unbelievable!!
Your story is truly amazing, JT!! And in hindsight, I bet it's too much to think/hope that you kept a journal/diary of this incredible journey you've been on?? To be able to read this story from what led you to going and being tested, to the fears you experienced, to the fears your family experienced, the shock/mindgames being told you had a couple of months to live and finding that very believable considering what they found... then the path of treatments, surgeries, more treatments, more surgeries, etc... to the spring of 2009 where you are soon to be declared cancer-free... well, seriously, this would be a fantastic book to tell other newbies to this disease to RUN out and BUY the book! Or get a sponsor who would pay for the printing and just have the book on hand at every colorectal oncologists office! I know that would be a huge undertaking, but I remember to this day how scared and terrified I was when I was told "the prognosis is not good. 2 month - 2 years MAX. You have advanced colon cancer and "statistics" say, that the prognosis is never good with advanced colon cancer"

I am not ready to die. I don't think I've really met anyone who is ready to throw in the towel and give up on this life when they are feeling fine but have just been given the death sentence . When the "authorities" tell you to put your affairs in orders... it's stories like YOURS that people need to hear!!

Thank you... your persistence and refusal to accept the "statistics", or the doctors' prognosis is the weapon we all need to continue on with the battle! Absolutely amazing what you have been through in the last year!!

You go, boy!!!

Huggggggs,

Cheryl

dorookie

That give me so much hope
Thanks for sharing and congradulatons. Your story is amazing and brings so much hope for the rest of us. You are one strong person to have endured all that you have. God Bless you buddy, but like buzzard would say seems he already has.

Really wonderful news!

Beth

PhillieG

That's Great News
I guess...
;-)

You have a great attitude John(?). I've always felt that doctors should NEVER tell you how much longer you have unless they cut you open and see worms crawling around and everything loaded with cancer. Like many things in life, no one knows the answer. People/doctors who claim to know the answer do not know. They can't know. We each have our own fight and circumstances so we are going to behave differently. I never had a doctor tell me how much longer I had except the first guy who caught it, and I use that term VERY loosely. I had gone for yearly checkups for over 10 years with that idiot who was an oncologist too and he didn't pick it up until I was Stage IV??? Come on now, then he had the nerve to tell me we didn't have to hurry with getting a port and starting chemo since I had it for a while. What a Bozo. Glad I fired him.
Anyway, sorry to get off topic. That really is great news, you are a fighter dude.
Keep it up
-phil

betina61

Congratulations on the good
Congratulations on the good news that probably you will be cancer free soon, your story is so amazing, you always bring so much hope to this board.

jsabol

sounds good to me
What a story you have to tell....I was stage III, 6 months of chemo and out...nearly 5 years ago.
I had my multinodular, still benign but very enlarged thyroid out 3 weeks after completing chemo. During chemo, I developed a clot in a neck vein and the subsequent swelling made breathing a little dicey for a bit. The thyroid surgery was pretty easy, especially compared to a hemicolectomy! I have none of my thyroid remaining; they diced up my parathyroids and replanted them. Recovery was fine; bandage made it look pretty dramatic, though.
Will you have surgery that permits enervating your vocal chords during surgery? apparantly a way to avoid any surgical damage to the chords...Good news is that encapsulated thyroid cancer is usually considered a surgical cure. All the best on the road to NED.
Judy

Kathleen808

on your way
John,
Glad to hear they can get the thyroid cancer out of you soon. I love the idea that you could be cancer free in a few weeks. You are a fighter and you have kept such a great sense of humor. Thanks for the laughs! Will keep you in my prayers as your surgery gets closer.
Aloha,
Kathleen

krystiesq

similar story
My mom has s 4 colon cancer and was diagnosed in Jan 09 with thyroid cancer, papillary to be exact. She had her entire thyroid removed in February. The recovery wasn't too bad.

chynabear

Inspiration
Your story is so inspirational. This is a perfect example of how doctors can give us a "best guess" scenario regarding our death, but you still have a fighting chance as long as you can still draw a breath. Don't give up! Don't back down! Expiration dates are for dairy products and odds are for Vegas. Let's keep them where they belong.

I pray that they are able to take out the rest of your tumors. That will be amazing.

Tricia

Shayenne

chynabear said:

Inspiration
Your story is so inspirational. This is a perfect example of how doctors can give us a "best guess" scenario regarding our death, but you still have a fighting chance as long as you can still draw a breath. Don't give up! Don't back down! Expiration dates are for dairy products and odds are for Vegas. Let's keep them where they belong.

I pray that they are able to take out the rest of your tumors. That will be amazing.

Tricia

I agree!!
You give me alot of hope JT! many of you on here do, and I thank each and every one of you for even staying here to post and encourage us new ones on moving on, if I didn't see this board, I don't know what I would be like today...probably a basket case!!

Hugsss to you all!
~Donna

tootsie1

Wonderful!
That's just fabulous! I'm so very happy for you!

*Hugs*
Gail

snommintj

tootsie1 said:

Wonderful!
That's just fabulous! I'm so very happy for you!

*Hugs*
Gail

Funny thought
It's funny the way cancer changes your perspective. I was happy to have cancer in only one lobe of my thyroid, and I've gotten lots of support and cheers for my not so terrible prognosis. Most people would be sweating bullets if they found out they had thyroid cancer. We see that diagnosis as good news.