25 weeks pregnant and had TT and radical left neck dissection

[Guest guest]

Aloha!

I have been reading over everybody's messages over the past few weeks since I

was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma. I appreciate everyone's comments on

these lists.

I had my TT and a radical left neck dissection on Aug 5. I was very nervous. I

was 25 weeks pregnant at the time of the surgery. The surgeons had told me I

could wait til after the baby comes to do the surgery, but I didn't want to

wait. My tumor size was 3.5 cm. The doctors seemed a little nervous about the

size of it and also the enlarged lymph nodes in my neck. I had heard too many

stories of people with cancer while pregnant that were told they could wait til

after the baby comes to seek treatment, but then ended up dying because they

waited too long. I have 3 other children and a husband to live for and I felt

very strongly I needed to go ahead with the surgery. The doctors were all very

nervous about the baby and told me the baby might not survive the long 7 hour

surgery. I had great faith everything would be fine.

The first thing I did when I came out of surgery I felt my abdomen to see if the

baby was still there and halleluia he was. The next day he was moving all

around and gave me the reassurance that he was going to be just fine. I had

surgery on Mon. Aug. 5 and I was released Thurs the 8th. My neck didn't hardly

hurt in recovery, but my head was throbbing with pressure points from where they

secured my head to the table. I had much difficulty resting in my room the

following days because of those pressure points on my head and also from being

pregnant. I also have another pressure point by my left butt cheek. It is numb

and sore from being in surgery for 7 hours and the extra weight of a baby

pressing on it and not being able to change position. Those were things I had

not anticipated. The nurses were great and gave me roxasette for my pain which

seemed to help. The hardest thing was getting comfortable in that hospital bed.

I was glad to come home and was able to get a little more comfort by propping

pillows on the couch. My mother was here for three weeks to tend my 3 small

children. I felt much better after 2 weeks. Now at almost 3 weeks I have no

pain and finally have almost 100% range of motion in my neck. They say the baby

is doing great!!

Now they say I need to have my RAI treatment at least 3 months after the baby

comes. The baby is due on Nov. 15. They say I can nurse the baby for 2 or 3

months and then do the RAI. I'm a little nervous about waiting so long

post-surgery. Does anyone know or have experience with having RAI 6 months

after surgery?? They say it's such a slow growing cancer I'll probably be fine.

Does anyone have any advice? I'm nervous about mets to other parts of my body.

Sometimes I wonder if I should just go off synthroid as soon as the baby comes

and do RAI six weeks post-partum.

Thanks for reading my way long story!!

-

TT and radical left neck dissection on Aug 5, 2002 at 25 weeks pregnant.

papillary carcinoma 3.5 cm

Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii