You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby!

Four years.  Four years.

It’s been exactly four years since I took my I-131 radioactive iodine treatment for my papillary thyroid cancer. My oh my, how my life has changed since then!

I’d like to say I haven’t given cancer another thought since that day, but truth is, I think about it every day. Every morning I wake up and take my thyroid replacement pill first thing and wait an hour before eating or drinking anything that might affect the absorption.  During my pregnancy my daily dose was changed 5 times to meet the increasing demands from my body and from Maddie. Since her birth 2 months ago, my dose has been changed twice as my body readjusts to my “new normal.” Without this one little daily pill, I would slowly go more and more hypothyroid and eventually my mind and body would shut down.  I would be so screwed in a zombie apocalypse scenario.

I have just one more year until I can say I’ve been cancer free for the magical five years = cured mark.  In this upcoming year, I have plans to undergo a whole body scan once my daughter is weaned.  Once again I will have to go hypo on purpose.  Once again I will have to take some RAI and go into isolation for a short time – this time from my husband and daughter – to protect them from my radioactive self.  Hopefully this time nothing shows up on the scan in my thyroid bed or in my lungs.

If I think on it too long, it terrifies me. So I try not to let my mind go there.  I have a long life ahead of me – including seeing my great-grandkids grow up – and I'm positive there are many adventures awaiting me!

World Cancer Day

Every year 12 million people receive a cancer diagnosis.  Of those, 7.6 million will die of their disease. 

I am one of 12 million who heard those words in 2009.    It’s amazing how isolated you feel when you hear those words yet there are 12 million others that have heard the same thing within that year. 

Reading the statistics above, I feel extra lucky today that I am a survivor.  Did you do the math?  Those numbers mean that over 60% who have cancer die of cancer. But it is estimated that 30-40% of those deaths could be prevented and as many as one third could be cured through early diagnosis and treatment.

It’s time for us to fight this global epidemic. Click on the logo above and sign the declaration urging our global leaders to come to action.

A cancer patient will thank you.  I thank you.

Top 15 Things NOT to Say to a Cancer Patient

We know that people mean well, but more often than not it becomes open mouth, insert foot. Don't try to think of the "right" thing to say, just try to be normal. In my case, my cancer is about all I can think about and I am more than willing to talk about it and answer any questions... but this isn't true for everyone. If you know someone going through this just be open, we appreciate that! If you have said one of these things below, don't worry, we forgive you! And remember, this list is supposed to be humerous :)

1. "Other than that, how are things?" [uhm....]
2. "Oh, my aunt/cousin/grandfather died of that same cancer!" [i was having a good day]
3. "My (fill in blank here) had (fill in type here) cancer and that was (fill in number) years ago. You'll be fine!" [all cancer is not created equal]
4. "Just think of all the money you'll save on shampoo!" [yeah it will really help with the $10,000 I just dropped on my chemo bill for the week!]
5. "You just have to stay positive" [ok, i'm positive i want to give this cancer back]
6. "You'll be fine" or "So, your fine now... right?" [if fine means i'm not dying, then yes]
7. "God gives you only what you can handle" [i wish i had known that sooner, i would have worked harder on being a weaker person]
8. "Every cloud has a silver lining" [oh yeah, well my radiation therapy room is lead lined!]
9. "Its just a bump in the road" [living with a cancer diagnosis, having multiple surgeries, gaining weight, ingesting radioactive iodine for scans, insomnia, being depressed and anxious, being hypo, going on the LID, being isolated, ingesting really high doses of radioactive iodine for radioablative therapy, lifelong daily replacement TSH, labwork, yearly follow-up labs and scans...its more like a long and winding mountain road!]
10. "Don't worry" [be happy.. don't worry, be happy now...do dodo dodo dodododo dododo...sorry must be the lack of concentration symptom shining through]
11. "Lance beat cancer" [uhm do i look like a 40yr old MAN?]
12. "At least you got a good kind of cancer" [yeah, i was going for prostate cancer but this one is WAY better!]
13. "You'll be fine, you have a great attitude" or "If anyone can beat it, it's you" [I don't have cancer, I don't have cancer, I don't have cancer...ah the power of positive thinking!]
14. "Don't worry, your hair will grow back" or "You look good bald!" [Its the newest fashion, let's do your hair next!]
15. "If there's anything I can do..." [ok so this one isn't really something not to say, just make sure that you really would do anything. Better yet, don't wait for them to ask (most of us are used to taking care of others, not being the ones taken care of) - send flowers, cards, visit, make a meal without being asked because its always welcome!]