MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN 40-60ish

Dianarose, Glad to hear your good news ("No signs of either recurrence or metastasis.") I wholeheartedly share your frustration with getting all the expensive scans only to find out just how much they CAN'T see on them!!! Since this causes discomfort, I hope they can get at a DX quick and get it taken care of.

Seems like we have not jumped into anyone's pocket in a while, but we'll be right there with you today, Dianarose. I wonder why they cannot look at that substance under a microscope to determine just what it is? Hoping you get some answers today.

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Straight from the You Are Not Gonna Believe This Dept.:

Those following my side story about parathyroid might know I had a scan to try to locate the naughty little bugger. That scan was unable to identify a likely location, but surgery was still on. In one final attempt to localize the tiny misbehaving gland, I went for one last ultrasound to be performed by the endocrinologist that I hate (TETIH,) during which he still did not feel certain we had found the parathyroid causing trouble. He suggested a biopsy for later that day in order to do a PTH wash to make a determination about two separate locations.

The next day, he called to say one thyroid nodule came back "suspicious for papillary thyroid cancer." Yes, you read that right. I was dumbstruck, gobsmacked, blindsided, etc. I am still reeling over this. Can I really be that much of a three-time loser? Unbelievable!!!

Flash forward a bit now...I am not sure what I will do. It's the horrible information gathering stage all over again, for the third horrendous time. I am now being suggested a surgery based on "suspicious," with the surgery being done to find out for certain. In other words, I could lose a minimum of half of my thyroid gland and be on a synthetic hormone for life for question mark. I just do not know that I want to do this at this time, possibly ever. As for my parathyroid surgery, I think that is probably off the table now. The results of the PTH wash are not in yet, but at this writing the malfunctioning parathyroid has yet to be identified. So, I have two separate issues, the new one possibly worse than the old, and no clarity on either.

While I wrote about the parathyroid because of some loose linkage to BC, I do not want to write a lot about my new thyroid issue much (it will detract from the time that I plan to spend crying about it) because it is not linked to BC. All I can say is, I already KNOW how strong I can be but, honestly, this cancer crap is doing a good job trying to break me.

Dianarose, Your quick witted retort to that silly question just gives me hope for the world. So make sure you stick around a long time, o.k.?

Sheila888888, I added a few 8's there because of how long we both have been on this board. You were in a position to know how I am feeling. How the PTSD kind of takes over your body. Thank goodness that big old nodule of your was nothing. My nodule is about 1.0 cm, and has remained that size for 3 1/2/ years. As freaky as this may sound, there are actually recommendations to just keep it under surveillance even if it IS cancer (which no one knows, but stats are that there is a ~70% liklihood that it is.) I've lived so much by stats lately and I am kind of tired of that.

Yes, I feel very weird to walk around today with the notion that I "probably" have more cancer in my body. Then, I think, "so how is this any different than how I was walking around a week ago, except I have had a scary but inconclusive biopsy?" What has really changed? Nothing. (Please understand that this comment pertains only to papillary thyroid cancer, which sometimes just sits there doing absolutely nothing.)

Right there with you, Dianarose. Good Luck with the scan and with the iodine.

So glad to hear from both barsco1963 (didn't know you were on break, just thought you were hanging out on some Stage IV threads); and luvmygoats (everything is funnier with goats!)

I'll take that umbrella drink from the top picture, the unnatural blue one. (What's it gonna do, cause cancer?)

Oh, and barsco, I can really appreciate your tag line: "It isn't knowing the worst, the worst is not knowing."

I have read and learned a lot over the weekend about parathyroid disease and papillary thyroid cancer (and how pathologists have a hard time distinguishing between the two) and have come to a personal decision that I will not give up my thyroid (or even half of it) for an inconclusive biopsy result. That is asking too much of me and I won't do it. I am waiting for one more result (a PTH wash) and that may revise the current suspicion. If not, will inquire about genetic/molecular testing. Welcome to the dog and pony show.