Hi everyone. I've been absent from here for the past few months since as of October I've had a new project to occupy me: overcoming thyroid cancer!
I was due to have surgery on 2nd February, but my pre-op ECG showed anomalies. The subsequent echocardiogram showed a reduced heart function, and then a heart CT scan showed I had blocked arteries. Consequently, my operation was put on hold while they considered a simultaneous triple heart bypass and thyroidectomy - now THAT was scary!
However, a professor overseeing an angiogram to assess the blockages said the CT scan was misleading, my arteries were fine and the surgery could go ahead - hurrah! Before that moment I could never have imagined saying (with heartfelt sincerity) "Thank goodness - it's only thyroid cancer!"
I had a total thyroidectomy and partial neck dissection on February 22nd. That went well: when I woke up I could breathe through my mouth and speak (my laryngeal nerves weren't drastically affected, which was a possibility because, due to a quirk of evolution, those nerves loop down from the brain, under the heart's aorta, then back up to the larynx), and my chest was intact (there was a 50% chance they would have to crack the chest open because the thyroid tumour was 11cm and growing down towards the chest cavity - and we all know how little we trust a 50% chance in Carcassonne
)
I am recovering well from the surgery, but needed physiotherapy for shoulder mobility problems due to the surgery; I now have nearly a full range of movement back.
The inevitable painkillers made a couple of my WTCOC matches interesting to say the least - I've never felt so relaxed before a game!
I had radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment in April (RAI acts like a magic bullet to kill thyroid cells since they are the only cells in the body that take up iodine). The main downside of the treatment was being on a low-iodine diet for 2 weeks before the treatment (no seafood, dairy, eggs, cake, take-aways or restaurant food
) and having to be isolated in a lead-lined room for three days in hospital while I was intensely radioactive, and then keeping 2 m away from people for 2 weeks. I must be one of the nerdiest patients they have had because I am the only patient they have ever had who took their own Geiger counter in with them
I currently have surprisingly high thyroglobulin levels (without a thyroid I shouldn't be making any), so I have had CT and PET scans and will likely have another round of RAI. I was very lucky that my previous RAI coincided with the start of a 15-player round-robin expansions tournament, so I had plenty to keep me busy
Anyway, I have been busy with my Carcassonne creations and am about to make a few postings this weekend to the Workshop forum, but I wanted to keep my medical update separate from those. To those I've already told this to, thanks for listening/reading; I've found it really helpful and cathartic sharing my experiences ❤
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. I was asked at one point, "Are your bowels okay?", and I realised too late I should have replied, "Yes, they're fine, it's my consonants I'm having trouble with".
