Last Thursday I had an appointment with my new elected surgeon to discuss what we are going to do about the growth in my thyroid.
After looking at the CT scans of my neck and discussions with the pathologist who did the Fine Needle Aspiration on the 'lump', they are not entirely sure that the growth is in fact cancerous. The main concern the surgeon has for me, is that I have had three surgical proceedures in the last 12 months and he doesn't want to do a forth operation if I don't really need to have it. In his own words he explained that in USA there has been a high increase of people thought to have thyroid cancer. They have had their 'thyroids' ripped out only to discover from tests post-surgery, that they didn't actually have thyroid cancer. There is a 10 mm calcification on my thyroid, there is no doubt about it but it has been there for at least 15 months to my knowledge. If it is malignant, it is not life threatening and has not spread anywhere else. Another reason is that if they take out the thyroid, then I will have to be on thyroid meds for the rest of my life. If the para-thyroids (little glands behind the thyroid)also get taken in the surgery, then I will have to be on calcium for life as well. I'm not too keen on taking any meds at this stage as I will be taking tamoxifen (to prohibit the growth of breast cancer) for the next five years. He said that I am a difficult case (I could have told him that) and he is going to meet with the medical board to get their opinion on what we should do. One option is to monitor it regularly and if it starts to grow, then perhaps look at surgey then. There is no need to rush into anything so I don't see him now for three months which I am pleased about.
As promised, here is my new nipple tatto. I'm not entirely pleased with it as it is a bit on the orange side and slightly too big but I guess it looks ok from a distance. Probably not going to be doing too much nude sunbathing in the future anyhow. They wait until the body is warm and they take the measurement from the areola. I can't see the sense in that logic really because if you've got your clothes off, nine times out of ten you are going to be cold, so therefore they should have taken the measurement whilst the body temperature was lower, if you get my drift.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
The Artwork Is Almost Done
On the 27th October I had the last part of my 'cosmetic' proceedures done on my new breast. I had the aerola tattoed on.
The new breast is numb but David Glasson injected the area with anaesthetic just to be sure. The nurse then drew a circle around the nipple and then proceeded to put on the ink with a tattoing tool. She had previously matched up the correct colour ink with a sort of a mini-paint chart to get the right shade of 'skin'. I thought she could have at least offered me a luminous pink that glows in the dark. It would save me a lot of hassles when getting up to the loo in the wee small hours of the morning, I could see my way down the stairs a lot more safely.
I go back tomorrow to get the dressing off, so stay tuned for the grand unveiling.
The new breast is numb but David Glasson injected the area with anaesthetic just to be sure. The nurse then drew a circle around the nipple and then proceeded to put on the ink with a tattoing tool. She had previously matched up the correct colour ink with a sort of a mini-paint chart to get the right shade of 'skin'. I thought she could have at least offered me a luminous pink that glows in the dark. It would save me a lot of hassles when getting up to the loo in the wee small hours of the morning, I could see my way down the stairs a lot more safely.
I go back tomorrow to get the dressing off, so stay tuned for the grand unveiling.
I Don't Do Hats No More!!
On the 15th October my cousin Helen came to visit us for ten days. She is from England and had been planning a trip to Australia for quite some time. She and I last saw each other in 1977 when she was 4 and I was 14 and hadn't really kept in touch. Through the wonders of technology I managed to track her down about 18 months ago. She decided to cut her stay in Brisbane down and come and meet us all.
We took a wee holiday up to the tourist meca of ...yes...Rotorvegas
and had a great time. I was worried that I might become quite tired as I hadn't long finished chemotherapy, but I really outdid myself.
We went on an hour long horse trek in the hills at Paradise Valley and the next day we went out to the Agridome and we had a ride in a Jet Sprint boat. We also did all the tourist things like visiting the hidden valley, bathing at the Polynesian pools, visiting Huka Falls etc. We also did plenty of eating and drinking.
On the 2nd Saturday night of Helen's stay we decided we would go into Wellington for a meal and a bit of a boogie. i was not looking forward to spending the majority of the night wiping the perspiration from under my wig, nor did I want to wear a hat and look like a complete plonker so I decided I would go hatless. That's right No More Hats for me. So from the back of the bathroom shelf came the pot of hair gel and I gave myself a bit of a spiked up 'do' and off we went. It felt great to be out without my extra accessory. I have now put my hats away and have put my wig on Trade Me. I won't be needing it anymore!
We had a great night out, starting off with a beautiful meal which my Aunty had generously paid for for us all. We then had a few drinks and went on to Boogie Wonderland where I could quite happily have danced the night way.
During the last couple of days I have noticed that the few long eyelashes that I have managed to retain have now fallen out and my eyelids are now naked. On inspecting said area more closely I now know that the old ones have fallen out for a reason.....they are being pushed out by the new spring growth. My lovely new eyelashes are coming through....I'm so excited; they are growing so fast I can literally see the difference each day.
We took a wee holiday up to the tourist meca of ...yes...Rotorvegas
and had a great time. I was worried that I might become quite tired as I hadn't long finished chemotherapy, but I really outdid myself.
We went on an hour long horse trek in the hills at Paradise Valley and the next day we went out to the Agridome and we had a ride in a Jet Sprint boat. We also did all the tourist things like visiting the hidden valley, bathing at the Polynesian pools, visiting Huka Falls etc. We also did plenty of eating and drinking.
On the 2nd Saturday night of Helen's stay we decided we would go into Wellington for a meal and a bit of a boogie. i was not looking forward to spending the majority of the night wiping the perspiration from under my wig, nor did I want to wear a hat and look like a complete plonker so I decided I would go hatless. That's right No More Hats for me. So from the back of the bathroom shelf came the pot of hair gel and I gave myself a bit of a spiked up 'do' and off we went. It felt great to be out without my extra accessory. I have now put my hats away and have put my wig on Trade Me. I won't be needing it anymore!
We had a great night out, starting off with a beautiful meal which my Aunty had generously paid for for us all. We then had a few drinks and went on to Boogie Wonderland where I could quite happily have danced the night way.
During the last couple of days I have noticed that the few long eyelashes that I have managed to retain have now fallen out and my eyelids are now naked. On inspecting said area more closely I now know that the old ones have fallen out for a reason.....they are being pushed out by the new spring growth. My lovely new eyelashes are coming through....I'm so excited; they are growing so fast I can literally see the difference each day.
The Finish Line
On the 11th October I had to go and once again have a CT scan. My oncologist wanted me to have one to make sure that I am all clear and the chemotherapy has done it's stuff and to have a baseline scan to have something to compare to if the need ever arises for me to have a CT again. I can now honestly say that I have seen most of my body from the inside out.
On the 14th October Darren and I went to my oncologist for my final checkup and to discuss where to from here. I was really nervous on the way to the appointment as I was afraid that they were going to give me bad news....but I needn't have worried. The first thing my doctor told me was that the CT scan had shown no signs of any tumours. I was jubilant and let out a loud 'wahoo'. It was over, the journey back to recovery was all but finished.
We discussed what was to happen next regarding the Tamoxifen medication which I will be taking for the next five years to hinder the production of eostrogen in my body, therefore making it difficult for more breast cancer to return. I will see the oncologist again late November to start on this but for now I need a holiday from all things medical.
On the 14th October Darren and I went to my oncologist for my final checkup and to discuss where to from here. I was really nervous on the way to the appointment as I was afraid that they were going to give me bad news....but I needn't have worried. The first thing my doctor told me was that the CT scan had shown no signs of any tumours. I was jubilant and let out a loud 'wahoo'. It was over, the journey back to recovery was all but finished.
We discussed what was to happen next regarding the Tamoxifen medication which I will be taking for the next five years to hinder the production of eostrogen in my body, therefore making it difficult for more breast cancer to return. I will see the oncologist again late November to start on this but for now I need a holiday from all things medical.
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