right before i started my unexpected journey with breast cancer, i was anticipating my six month check up for thyroid cancer. i am a five year survivor from that, but still have to go every six months for ultrasounds, blood work,etc. because my thyroid cancer was the "aggressive type" and two of the tumors had spilled out into my lymphatic system. my big thyroid cancer check ups occur every april and october like clockwork, that is until this year. in march of this year, i had the infamous screening mammogram, then the 3d mammogram, then of course, my cascading domino path to breast cancer.
so, i did not get to have my april thyroid cancer check up this year. i have the one for october already scheduled, but i have to work in another surgery to finish my breast reconstruction in october as well. around the first of this year, i noticed a change in my overall health. i was exhausted- and i do not have to tell anyone with thyroid issues, much less those of us who are missing a thyroid, how exhausted we get. but this was somewhat beyond that. also, i had begun to lose a little weight without trying( for a change). my allergy to sulfite preservatives had gotten a little bit better for a while, but was now back with a vengeance. in other words, i knew something was wrong, but i honestly thought that my thyroid cancer had returned somewhere. to say my socks were knocked off when i got my breast cancer diagnosis is putting it mildly.
one of the first things that i asked the surgeon after my operations was if there were any thyroid cancer cells in my breasts. this is how thyroid cancer spreads. some rogue, or sarah palin if you will, cells migrate to another place in your body to cause mayhem, and well, cancer. he said no, that all of the cells were breast cancer cells. i suppose that is good news. if the thyroid cancer cells did not move to my breasts, i can probably assume that they have not taken up residence somewhere else in my body. of course i will not know for sure until my check up next month, but i am hoping for the best.
i have personally known of three people who have had thyroid cancer, then had breast cancer. is this a coincidence? are they somehow related? a bogo, so to speak? there has been no research, to my knowledge, to prove any connection between having thyroid cancer and then breast cancer . one of my thyroid cancer books tried to dispel a rumor that the treatment with the I-131 could cause breast cancer. i mean, it is not like we thyroid cancer patients really have a choice. the I-131 is the only treatment drug so far that is available to kill any thyroid cancer cells that escape the skilled hands of our surgeons. the advice that the author gave in her thyroid cancer book, was to get the I-131 treatment, but be sure to get regular mammograms- a good idea anyway.
now that i can see the light at the end of the breast cancer tunnel, i have started to ponder what news my october thyroid cancer testing will bring. as i have said before, if you have breast cancer you have more support and understanding from the general public. sad to say, but some people do not know where the thyroid gland is located or what it affects ( everything) in the body. thyroid cancer happens to be the fastest growing cancer now. in a few years, it is supposed to top colon cancer in the amount of people who have it. i really appreciate all of the support and love that i have received during my breast cancer journey. losing both of my breasts was one of the most traumatic things that has ever happened to me. chemotherapy was one of the roughest things that has ever happened to me. that said, i wish that thyroid cancer patients were afforded more understanding and compassion.
someone told me that after reading my blogs, they thought that maybe thyroid cancer was indeed " the good cancer". i disagree. no cancer is anywhere near a good cancer. there are challenges, heartbreak, and life changing events that come with any cancer. i am praying that someday we can treat all cancers successfully. until then, we need to keep searching for cures, and most of all make sure that we treat ALL cancer patients with compassion, respect, and loving care.
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