Re: Positive Outcomes

December 31, 2002

Hi ;

I for one am someone who is living life as it ever was post thyca

treatment. I had my TT in August of 99, RAI in April of 00 - and

sure that was an annoying time, the LID, the being hypo.. I had a

scan in Dec of 2000, again an annoying time but not that awful, and I

had another scan in May of 2002 - done with thyrogen so the only hard

part was the LID.

I do everything I ever did before thyca and more. Having had thyroid

cancer has made only 2 major differences in my life - 1) the need for

periodic checkups to monitor it and 2) that my life is way more

important to me now, and I plan on spending it more purposefully.

I've gone back to school to get a degree in Veterinary Technology,

because I always wanted to work with animals, and I'm not getting any

younger so I figured I should start now. I work, I have a Girl Scout

troop, I'm active in training my dog , and doing volunteer work with

her, I'm on the town zoning board, and volunteer at the MSPCA. I'm

as active and as busy as I ever was before. I still ski, I still

bike, I walk for exercise and snowshoe in the winter.

Thyca was a big wake up call for me, that yes I am mortal, and yes,

something bad could happen to me. I had two choices, I could curl up

and panic and let this beat me, and view myself as someone with an

illness and a condition that has to be careful because of potential

poor health -- or I could face thyca head on, saying " bring it on "

and use it as something to make me stronger and more determined.

I've spent most of my life being afraid, very afraid of cancer - both

my parents, all my grandparents, even my cat died of cancer - I

figured that cancer was my destiny. Sure enough it was - but it

wasn't a death sentence, it was a chance to make some positive

changes in my life.

So yes there are positive outcomes, being hypo is a pain, I find it

makes me into a very mean strange person - but it goes away.

Following the LID is annoying, although I have spin-doctored it in my

mind to have the LID just be a gourmet challenge rather than the end

of happy eating - sort of like Iron Chef on food TV when they give

them a funny ingredient, like octopus or squid... I kind of enjoy the

LID challenge in a perverse way. I don't even mind the ongoing

followup - it makes me feel like I am taking an active role in

monitoring my health - and making things happen rather than letting

things happen.

Happy New Year - and for all my fellow thyca list members I wish you

a year full of clean scans, happy tests, tasty LID's and lots of

normal life!!

barb

tt 8/99 RAI 4/00 Clean Scans 12/00, 5/02

>

> I'd like to hear some positive outcomes and stories from survivors,

rather than all the negatives. The negatives are obvious. I need some

inspiration and encouragement, as I think we all do.

>

> Thanks and Happy New Year to all of you,

>

December 31, 2002

Hi ,

> (snip)

> I'd like to hear some positive outcomes and stories from survivors,

> rather than all the negatives. The negatives are obvious. I need

> some inspiration and encouragement, as I think we all do.

I read recently that there are something like 11,000 new cases of

thyroid cancer disclosed per year in the United States alone. Only a

very small number of these people - less than 5% - are on this

listserv. Although there are a good few long-term survivors on this

list, my guess is that so many people come here looking for

information because they're experiencing the negative side of thyca -

post-surgery complications, repeat treatments, incomplete or bad

treatment due to the shortage of medical experts in thyroid

cancer...that what you're seeing here is probably a distorted view of

the overall picture. The people who can put a more positive spin on

it are the other 10,000-plus people (not to mention the numbers

outside the USA) who, having had surgery and treatment, manage to pick

themselves up and just get on with their lives.

I'm one of several members who has survived thyroid cancer for 30-plus

years, but I guess that's not all you want to hear, since we know,

intellectually if not emotionally, that most of us - something like

95% in the case of well-differentiated thyroid cancer - are going to

survive this disease and succumb to something completely different.

One of the lessons to me has been - and judging from what I've read

here, to many other visitors to this group - is to help me to discover

the strength within myself. Like many other I started off from the

same base - terrified, confronted by my own mortality, scared of

needles and people in white coats and the unknown procedures looming

before me. When I ws first diagnosed, aged 15, no-one talked about

the *C* word. When I had a recurrence, 20 years ago, the prognosis

after surgery was still uncertain because there was still too little

known about recurrence rates and spread, and I can remember that one

month after surgery, the second time around, I was so uncertain of

what the future held that I couldn't bring myself to buy a new pair of

shoes. Somehow I got through it and in the process I learned to

improve the way that I talked with my doctors, communicate with my

family and colleagues who, if anything, were even more scared than I

was and still couldn't bring themselves to discuss the *C* thing with

me unless I introduced the subject.

Another lesson was to appreciate what I have. Twenty years on from

that moment I can look back and say that life has been good to me,

very, very good. I was able to resume my singing hobby, I have two

children, and I have a busy career which takes me all over the world

(this past year to Bangkok, the USA and many parts of Europe). I've

learned that although I can't (don't) consider myself to be forever

*cured* of thyca, but that it is under control, and that the tricks

involved in remembering to take my thyroxine tablets at the right time

pale by comparison with the tricks I've had to learn to balance my

diabetes and manage my hypertension. And I will never, ever, forget

the sensation of walking through our village a year after surgery and

seeing the crocuses pushing their noses through the snow, and seeing

and feeling the sap rise in the springtime. Each spring is a reminder

of the years I have gained as a result of that surgery, and I also

remember with great sadness that the surgeon who talked me into having

surgery passed away in his prime two years later, a week after his

wife's death and leaving five young children.

I can remember when my doctor(s) told me that I was *cured* and could

put the whole nasty business behind me and forget it. Personally

speaking, I value the memories and would never wish to forget.

I hope that the next year will be better for you and for all thycans

diagnosed or treated in the past year!

Judith (British living in Holland)

dx 1965 pap thyca T4-N1-M0

pt London, England 1965

tt The Netherlands 1982

rai The Netherlands 1982

clean scan and NED since September 1982

December 31, 2002