Papillary Carcinoma

So, Johns Hopkins returned the bad news on the pathology of the now banished thyroid. Something called a papillary carcinoma, which is generally the culprit in about 80% of thyroid cancers diagnosed. Scary! You hear the stories and stigma around the word cancer so when it gets close to home, you try to steel yourself for what may come.

Next, was to determine treatment. Apparently radioactive iodine treatment is standard after a thyroidectomy, it's just a matter of needing only an outpatient dosage or a 3-day quarantine hospital stay. Gina's doctor decided she needed the 3-day timeout. So, here's the deal - she takes a little pill that arrives in a metal box, inside a metal box, it can't be directly touched and once taken no one can be within 10 feet of her. It has a 6-7 day half life, so after 2 days, you were allowed very limited time within a 3 foot proximity. In fact, she can't have anything in the room with her that she can't throw away afterwards - clothes, books, magazines, etc. That cuts out the all of the fun stuff... iPods, portable DVD player, laptop, cell phone, etc. It's like a 3 day incarceration! She gets a TV and phone in the room and that's about it. No Internet? Yikes! Just euthenize me why don't you. Weird that the nursing and dietary personnel had to wear little geiger counters to monitor their exposure when they had to enter. That's some serious stuff.

All in all (not that I was the one going through it) for "chemotherapy" this is a pretty mild form - no nausea, hair or weight loss; only a mild dry, sore throat for which they perscribe lemon hard candies. Papillary cancer cells that may have spread elsewhere in the body will absorb iodine, so if the iodine is radioactive, it will then kill those cancerous cells. Apparently the iodine will then show up in a full-body scan a week later if there are additional cancer cells somewhere... Gina's scan was NEGATIVE.... Yeah! Finally some good news.

So, let's hope this chapter of this blog and of this scariness is over! I've realized that I'd rather have it myself than watch Gina go through something like this again. I've also learned a new respect for what serious cancer sufferers (afflicted or related) go through - it goes against the "beats a stick in the eye" saying.