My thyroid cancer journey, so far......

It was back to the drawing board last week so to speak with another surgery for thyroid cancer (thyca). The last year has been a big blur from finding the lump, to biopsy surgery, then the shock of the diagnosis and the further shock of what type of surgery would be required. The time for that to sink in, surgery and recovery, then discovery of more nodes and resigning to the fact of more surgery.
Friends and family have been so supportive throughout this saga. I'm sure sometimes I don't express my appreciation enough, often because I get choked up so easily when I start talking about the good things people do for me. It amazes me how fast that kind of emotion can jump up my throat and choke off my words while the tears start to flow so I can't talk without bawling. Blogging (though infrequently) and interacting with others with thyca on the Thyroid Cancer Awareness page on FB have been great outlets. I can keep on typing while the tears flow.
I've experienced so much as a patient these last 15 months. I hope I can use some of it as a positive in my practice or at the very least in understanding why patients act the way they do sometimes. It has really been an emotional rollercoaster,and I know I've gotten very wrapped up in those emotions at times, so it's hard to step back and find those positive spots in all this. I think that's part of what this does for me. I'd be lying if I didn't admit that this is also an escape for me from those emotions. As I think thru it and type it, I'm often not feeling it. Same thing when I talk about it in a factual, probably almost journalistic way, when friends ask about it. As long as I stick to the facts and just relay the info I'm ok, but start talking about how I feel about it and I'm thru.

the first photo is after my initial excisional biopsy, July 2009 and the next photo is how well it had healed by October, before the big surgery.

8. the third is after the thyroidectomy with neck dissection, Oct 2009 followed by one showing, fortunately, how well I healed (a point both consulted surgeons pointed out, which I found curious since either of them would potentially be undoing that soon) before having to start all over again with the most recent neck dissection, same side. I hope I'll be as blessed to heal nearly that well this time around. You can be sure I'll show you down the road.
   

It's late and I think I've wandered off course, but I will be back to this, hopefully sooner than later, to talk more about the steps along the way. Hopefully I can help someone else that is starting down the same road while helping myself, and without making my friends listen to me repeat myself :)