Clinical vs Empathetic

thxmiker
thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
in Colorectal Cancer #1

So, we go to visit my Wife's prospect Endocrine Surgeon. She has a cyst or tumor on her thyroid gland.  We speak with the surgeon and he tells us from the pathology report it may or not be a cyst, and could be a tumor. If he had the actual pictures he could instantly tell the difference. My wife says I am sure it is cancer, but would love for it not to be cancer.

 

The Surgeon says let's take a current picture and we will know right away. He leads us to another room and they have the latest Ultrasound technology. They prep my wife and she has the ultrasound within a couple of minutes. He scans her entire neck to see the thyroid and all of the quadrants of possible Lymph nodes. We all sit down and he talks to us about the pictures. He tells us most definitely she has a cancerous tumor, most likely in the very early stage. My wife looks at me and says, “I told you I had cancer. We just could not have any other luck.” We nod at each other knowing she has been caught early and it should be OK.

 

The surgeon then tells us about the surgery and how it will procede. Then he tells us about the her stay in the hospital, just 24 hours, and 48 hours of observation, then she can go home. He then stops his matter of fact speech and says, “Oh Yeah, …. There there.” We all paused for a second, and started laughing. The Irony of the moment was just funny. We all got each other. An engineer, an Analyst and a Doctor are all matter of fact personalities and all have a tweaked sense of humor.

 

We have a surgery scheduled for her next week. My Chemo will be delayed a week so, I can take care of her for a few days. What a crazy day!

 

Best Always, mike

Comments

  • wolfen
    wolfen Member Posts: 1,324 Member
    #2
    Say What?

    I guess she missed her cue for crying. Or maybe, she's like me, in the respect that she's all cried out. Maybe you can only cry for so many years, then.....

    Is the surgery here in the valley or in your little town? We should be nearby if you need anything. This week, so far, we only have a Nephrologist, a Wound Surgeon, and an Oncologist scheduled. Of course, it's early yet. LOL

    Take Care,

    Luv,

    Wolfen

  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
    #3
    wolfen said:

    Say What?

    I guess she missed her cue for crying. Or maybe, she's like me, in the respect that she's all cried out. Maybe you can only cry for so many years, then.....

    Is the surgery here in the valley or in your little town? We should be nearby if you need anything. This week, so far, we only have a Nephrologist, a Wound Surgeon, and an Oncologist scheduled. Of course, it's early yet. LOL

    Take Care,

    Luv,

    Wolfen

    We will be in your neck of

    We will be in your neck of the woods the 16th and 17th.  We would love to meet you in person.  I will send you a note n the morning.  (Saint Josephs, 3rd Ave)

     

    Best Always,  mike

  • janie1
    janie1 Member Posts: 753 Member
    #4
    thxmiker said:

    We will be in your neck of

    We will be in your neck of the woods the 16th and 17th.  We would love to meet you in person.  I will send you a note n the morning.  (Saint Josephs, 3rd Ave)

     

    Best Always,  mike

    OMG - Mike, sorry about this,

    OMG - Mike, sorry about this, but sooooooooo glad this has been caught early.  See, there you have some luck for a change.

  • Sundanceh
    Sundanceh Member Posts: 4,392 Member
    #5
    Good Mike

    Good luck, I resarched thyroid when we thought my wife had it...all in all, prognosis and recovery sound pretty amazing from what I've read, especially so early.

    As you say, "best always."

  • johnnybegood
    johnnybegood Member Posts: 1,117 Member
    #6
    Sundanceh said:

    Good Mike

    Good luck, I resarched thyroid when we thought my wife had it...all in all, prognosis and recovery sound pretty amazing from what I've read, especially so early.

    As you say, "best always."

    sorry

    about this news it seems cancer has no feelings,when your down it just kicks you a little bit harder to try to keep you down.glad she found it early and please keep us updated....Godbless....johnnybegood

  • smokeyjoe
    smokeyjoe Member Posts: 1,425 Member
    #7
    johnnybegood said:

    sorry

    about this news it seems cancer has no feelings,when your down it just kicks you a little bit harder to try to keep you down.glad she found it early and please keep us updated....Godbless....johnnybegood

    Good thing it's caught

    Good thing it's caught early,  sorry she's having to go through this at all.    Wishing her and you all the best. 

  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #8
    Wow

    So sorry that you found out this information, but glad you caught it early.  Praying for the best outcome in surgery and hope she is out of hospital as soon as possible.

    Kim

  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
    #9
    Annabelle41415 said:

    Wow

    So sorry that you found out this information, but glad you caught it early.  Praying for the best outcome in surgery and hope she is out of hospital as soon as possible.

    Kim

    Thanks All!

    Laurie is going into this with good spirits. We liked the Surgeon and have confidence in him. He did 200 thyroid surgeries in 2012.

     

    Laurie asked me how I handeled the news of cancer. I told her it is OK to cry, and then concetrate on the problem. We had a quiet dinner and watched a movie cuddled together. Now it is making the arrangements of whom is taking care of the dogs, getting a room, etc...  I pretty much got that done this morning.

     

    Thanks All for your support!

    Best Always, mike

    PS We have a bet on when we will blow our insurance deductable. She said by April, I said by February. lol  

  • janie1
    janie1 Member Posts: 753 Member
    #10
    thxmiker said:

    Thanks All!

    Laurie is going into this with good spirits. We liked the Surgeon and have confidence in him. He did 200 thyroid surgeries in 2012.

     

    Laurie asked me how I handeled the news of cancer. I told her it is OK to cry, and then concetrate on the problem. We had a quiet dinner and watched a movie cuddled together. Now it is making the arrangements of whom is taking care of the dogs, getting a room, etc...  I pretty much got that done this morning.

     

    Thanks All for your support!

    Best Always, mike

    PS We have a bet on when we will blow our insurance deductable. She said by April, I said by February. lol  

    Mike, let me make you feel

    Mike, let me make you feel better about the deductible.  I reach mine by mid-January.....and it's a $10,000 deductible.  Gone are the days when a deductible was 1000 bucks.

  • dmj101
    dmj101 Member Posts: 527 Member
    #11
    thxmiker said:

    Thanks All!

    Laurie is going into this with good spirits. We liked the Surgeon and have confidence in him. He did 200 thyroid surgeries in 2012.

     

    Laurie asked me how I handeled the news of cancer. I told her it is OK to cry, and then concetrate on the problem. We had a quiet dinner and watched a movie cuddled together. Now it is making the arrangements of whom is taking care of the dogs, getting a room, etc...  I pretty much got that done this morning.

     

    Thanks All for your support!

    Best Always, mike

    PS We have a bet on when we will blow our insurance deductable. She said by April, I said by February. lol  

    OK... one I can provide some

    OK... one I can provide some insight on.... yea me!!!!!!

    I am a thyroid cancer survivor... 5 1/2 yrs now...  check out Mary Shomon: Thyroid Patient Advocate, Author either on the web or FB... she is a great resource.

    How he determined it to be cancer without a biopsy which is rather a simple needles in neck.. done in my dr's office with Litocane... I am not sure...

    But yes the surgery takes about maybe 2 hrs and they keep you for 23 hrs 59 mins other wise insurance won't pay... so it is considered same day surgery..

    For me it was not payfull  it was as if i had been hit by a ball in my neck... unconfortable but not painfull.. Get a good Endocronologist.... Thyroid cancer is a slow growing cancer they claim it has a 98 percent cure rate.. after you have the thyroid removed you are on synthroid the rest of your life.. you need a thyroid to regulate your metabolism...and supress the natural thyroid hormones that carried the cancer.... so get a dr you like as you will be seeing them at least twice a yr...  Did you get that great speech they give about thyroid cancer being the good cancer(I hate this speach) - NO CANCER is a good cancer... about 6 weeks after the removal they usually do a radioactive Iodine abalation... If you want more info about that inbox me.. I will be glad to fill you in... Please don't let them talk you into just removeing 1/2 the thyroid that is the hot thing to do now.. everyone I know who did that wound up 6 months to a yr removing the other 1/2... btw.. they will be following up every year or so with an ultra sound at minimum to see that nothing is growing back..

    If I can be of any further help please let me know.. Wink

  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
    #12
    janie1 said:

    Mike, let me make you feel

    Mike, let me make you feel better about the deductible.  I reach mine by mid-January.....and it's a $10,000 deductible.  Gone are the days when a deductible was 1000 bucks.

    Ours is only $4000K.  
     
    We

    Ours is only $4000K.  

     

    We tell friends jokingly, we each could have purchased a new car every year since I have had cancer.  Especially to the fools whom have little or no insurance. Cancer sneaks up on us and is an unpexceted life change and expense.

     

    Best Always, mike

    PS You are in our thoughts Janie1.  We hope you are doing well. 

  • Annabelle41415
    Annabelle41415 Member Posts: 6,742 Member
    #13
    thxmiker said:

    Thanks All!

    Laurie is going into this with good spirits. We liked the Surgeon and have confidence in him. He did 200 thyroid surgeries in 2012.

     

    Laurie asked me how I handeled the news of cancer. I told her it is OK to cry, and then concetrate on the problem. We had a quiet dinner and watched a movie cuddled together. Now it is making the arrangements of whom is taking care of the dogs, getting a room, etc...  I pretty much got that done this morning.

     

    Thanks All for your support!

    Best Always, mike

    PS We have a bet on when we will blow our insurance deductable. She said by April, I said by February. lol  

    Deductible

    Heck our deductible and copayment gets bigger and bigger - so much for lower premium costs due to the AFC which never happened.  It's hard when the insurance companies keep going up because of Obamacare, but who knew.  Glad that she has such a great attitude.  She is lucky to have such a support system as you by her side :)

    Kim

  • mukamom
    mukamom Member Posts: 402
    #14
    Annabelle41415 said:

    Deductible

    Heck our deductible and copayment gets bigger and bigger - so much for lower premium costs due to the AFC which never happened.  It's hard when the insurance companies keep going up because of Obamacare, but who knew.  Glad that she has such a great attitude.  She is lucky to have such a support system as you by her side :)

    Kim

    My sister had

    thyroid cancer back in the early 2000s, and still kicking.  She did the surgery, iodine treatment, and takes synthroid.  No issues (except for a scar on her neck).  I think she sees her endocrinologist once a year.

  • thxmiker
    thxmiker Member Posts: 1,278 Member
    #15
    dmj101 said:

    OK... one I can provide some

    OK... one I can provide some insight on.... yea me!!!!!!

    I am a thyroid cancer survivor... 5 1/2 yrs now...  check out Mary Shomon: Thyroid Patient Advocate, Author either on the web or FB... she is a great resource.

    How he determined it to be cancer without a biopsy which is rather a simple needles in neck.. done in my dr's office with Litocane... I am not sure...

    But yes the surgery takes about maybe 2 hrs and they keep you for 23 hrs 59 mins other wise insurance won't pay... so it is considered same day surgery..

    For me it was not payfull  it was as if i had been hit by a ball in my neck... unconfortable but not painfull.. Get a good Endocronologist.... Thyroid cancer is a slow growing cancer they claim it has a 98 percent cure rate.. after you have the thyroid removed you are on synthroid the rest of your life.. you need a thyroid to regulate your metabolism...and supress the natural thyroid hormones that carried the cancer.... so get a dr you like as you will be seeing them at least twice a yr...  Did you get that great speech they give about thyroid cancer being the good cancer(I hate this speach) - NO CANCER is a good cancer... about 6 weeks after the removal they usually do a radioactive Iodine abalation... If you want more info about that inbox me.. I will be glad to fill you in... Please don't let them talk you into just removeing 1/2 the thyroid that is the hot thing to do now.. everyone I know who did that wound up 6 months to a yr removing the other 1/2... btw.. they will be following up every year or so with an ultra sound at minimum to see that nothing is growing back..

    If I can be of any further help please let me know.. Wink

    Thanks for the Info!  I will

    Thanks for the Info!  I will defintely pass it on.  If Laurie has any questions, she may contact you. Her Biopsy was undetermined, but 20% chance of cancer. The Surgeon had the latest technology ultrasound, and did it right after we met, and showed us the results. He said the "Cyst" had calcified walls and that showed cancer vs uncertain. He said the correct way to do the the surgery was to remove the entire thyroid, else he would be doing the surgery again in the future to remove the other half, which puts her at additional cancer risks.

     

    I was told the Good Cancer story when I was first diagnosed. She got it to. Laurie said, "Woo Hoo, lucky me.", with enough sarcasm to stop the story.

     

    We also tell the Doctors, it is a 200 mile trp for us to see you.  They seem to be able to get us tested immdiately to save us a drive.

     

    Best Always, mike

  • Chelsea71
    Chelsea71 Member Posts: 1,169 Member
    #16
    mukamom said:

    My sister had

    thyroid cancer back in the early 2000s, and still kicking.  She did the surgery, iodine treatment, and takes synthroid.  No issues (except for a scar on her neck).  I think she sees her endocrinologist once a year.

    Great that it was caught
    Great that it was caught early. Must be discouraging since you and your wife have adapted such a healthy lifestyle. You must feel as though your lives revolve around cancer, right now. I really hope you and your wife will be able to put cancer behind you in 2013.

    Chelsea
  • k44454445
    k44454445 Member Posts: 494
    #17
    Mike

    good luck with her surg!

    hugs

    judy

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