The C-Word

So you know that mass I had removed from my neck last week?  Turns out it was cancer.  I have Stage 1 Papillary and Thyroid cancer.  So what that means is that tomorrow I have to go back and have the left lobe of my thyroid removed and start radiation treatments.  Given my young age and overall good health, the prognosis looks fantastic.  If you're going to get cancer, this is the best one to have as it's easily cured.

I didn't have any symptoms other than the lump which I had no idea was even there.  My OB/GYN found it during a routine visit.  It didn't hurt, I couldn't see it (it was small when it was found but was almost the size of a tennis ball when it was finally removed) and I had no idea how long it had been there.  There is no history of cancer in my family.  It was just one of those fluke things.  If I was one of those people (like, a man) that doesn't like to go to the doc on a regular basis, who knows when it would have been found and how far it had progressed.  I'm lucky it was found early.

I had about ten minutes of nervous breakdown/freak-out/crying fit but then that was it.  That's usually how I deal with shitty news.  And now it's time to just deal with it.  No feeling sorry for myself, no moping.  When people hear the word CANCER they automatically think DEATH.  But that's not happening here, I'm not going anywhere.  And I don't want to be treated differently or pitied.  I want humor and jokes because that's how I cope.  The Boyfriend was the first one to make a cancer joke:  we were at dinner tonight and we were sitting at a table where I was against the window and was chilly.  He was hot so we swapped spots.  He swapped our silverware, napkins, and water glasses (we had already eaten our soup/salad and were waiting for our entree) and I said, "What, you don't want my germs?" and he said, "No. You have cancer."  I loved it.  So now I'm going to take every chance I can get to give him my cancer, by kissing him all over his face, drinking out of his cup and using his toothbrush. :)

Sooooo...back to surgery tomorrow!  It will be a piece of cake since I know what to expect.  It was pretty easy last time but now it will be even easier since I know to sneak Cheetos and animal crackers in my bag!  And cough drops because the tube in the throat was the most painful part and hospital cough drops taste like shit.  And ohhhhh sweet, sweet pain meds. :)

P.S. don't skip your doctor appointments! They might save your life one day.

Meowwww