3.22.2012

Time Goes So Slowly…

…when you are waiting to find out if you have cancer again.ticking-clock1

I’m anxiously awaiting the biopsy of “Jo” and the days seem agonizingly long. As of today there are 18 more days of waiting until the biopsy and who knows how long after that to hear results.  We *might* know something preliminary that same day – I really hope so.

So in the meantime, my imagination is left to run wild with all the things it could be. Based on my latest thyroid tumor marker labs, a recurrence of that is not likely to be the culprit. That leaves things like an infection, cyst, lipoma, and of course a second primary cancer as possibilities. 

While cancer is probably the lowest possibility on the list, its hard to ignore. Since I’ve had cancer once, I have about a 20% higher chance than the rest of the population of getting a second type.  If you look at studies on my specific type of cancer & its treatment, you find that I have a 30-40% chance of getting a second primary cancer at some point. mr.handsome

To get my mind off things for a while, I’m heading to Michigan to see my new nephew so I know at least the next 6 days will fly by!  Then its back to work in St. Louis for 8 days and then home to Tennessee for Easter weekend before B-Day.

3.19.2012

Happy Day!

Welcome to the world Collin Alan!  Your aunt is so very excited to meet you on Friday!  Oh yeah… and congrats to my sister & brother-in-law!

3.15.2012

Meet Jo

Once upon a time I had a visitor named “Bob”… 

“Bob” {for the short story} had invaded a space formerly occupied by my unassuming thyroid, carotid artery, trachea & esophagus so I had to evict himtwice. And then I had to clean up the mess he left behind.

I’ve been “Bob” free for *almost* 3 years now.  Three wonderful, visitor-free years… until I found “Jo.”

“Jo” as it were, happens to be a new resident in one of my axillary lymph nodes.  Well, maybe not quite so new… I first noticed somethingjo around Christmas and thought it would just go away, you know just a short visit over the holidays and then gone?  Three months later and my visitor is still hanging around so I hired a Physician Investigator to help me get to the bottom of it.

I am terrified of the various possibilities of just whom “Jo” might be.  A relative of “Bob” perhaps?  A stranger just passing through?

My PI has big plans to do a biopsy to get to the bottom of that one soon… like April 9th soon.  So until then I’m on pins and needles wondering just what “Jo’s” intentions are…