Cancer check-up 2013

Yes, I know it's been since February when I posted.  I'm sure no one is even reading anymore!  But for the few family and friends that do check in, I wanted to let you know that it was time for my thyroid cancer check-up this month (the full test) and it came back clear!  I'm still cancer free!!  YAHOO!!!  It's now seven years that I've been cancer free.  WONDERFUL.  It makes my heart happy! :)

Mom & Dad have been here this week (well, mom has been here since June 12 and dad showed up on Sunday) and so they were able to come to my appointment with me today and meet my doctor.  That made me happy, too. :)

I am now cleared for four years and don't have to do any in-depth testing until 2017.  I'll still have appointments with the doctor every six months, though, and I'm glad to know that I'll be keeping in touch with her.  This is a new doc that I have and so I wasn't sure what to expect in regard to how she wanted to handle testing.  It turns out that she feels very confident with the status of my bloodwork (and all other tests) over the last few years, so she decided that I didn't have to do the "normal" testing procedure that I've gone through before (diet, full body scans, bloodwork, etc.).  Instead, I was able to have an ultrasound on my neck to look for any tumors, have a couple of thyrogen injections to elevate my thyroid levels (without requiring me to stop taking my thyroid meds...MUCH easier on the body and soul!!), and then have some bloodwork done and that was it!  She felt very comfortable with doing the testing in this manner this year and said that if any of these numbers would have been elevated, then we'd revert to the "old" testing method.  All of my numbers were good, though, and I've been cleared again!  YAHOO!  :) 

This doc will continue to monitor my bloodwork, along with doing regular ultrasounds on my neck, so I really do trust her methods of doing things.  I just feel SO relieved that everything came out okay! :)

As far as this blog goes...I've been debating about quitting (which is obvious by my lack of posting).  Now that I'm actually writing another post, though, I'm tempted to keep going with it!  Ha! :)  So, we'll see how it goes.  Don't hold your expectations too high for seeing regular posts from me, but maybe I'll put up a post now and again. :)  Hope you're doing well wherever you're at!! :)

Saturday Update!

Hello!  Life has sure kept me busy over the last three weeks.  Working on a Master's degree is kind of time consuming!  I've learned that I have something of a love/hate relationship with the degree.  One day I love it and the next day I hate it.  Ha!  :)  I'm learning a lot, though, so that's a good thing.

Two weeks ago I had a doctor's appointment.  It's time for my cancer check-up!  This doctor I have is a new one, though, so I wasn't really sure what she'd want me to do for my testing.  It turns out that I don't have to go as in-depth with the testing as I usually do!  Usually I will have some bloodwork done and then a full body scan, all after I've been on a special low-iodine diet for a month.  This year, though, I only have to have the bloodwork done!!  YAHOO!  She said that I don't have to do the diet (YAHOO!!!!!) and then I will have a shot on Monday (of thyrogen..it overrides my thyroid medicine without actually putting me through the effects of not being on thyroid medicine), a shot on Tuesday (thyrogen, again), bloodwork on Wednesday and then bloodwork again on Friday.  If everything looks good with the bloodwork, then I'm DONE.  If something is suspicious with the bloodwork, though, then I will have to do the diet and full body scan.  But I just know that everything will be a-okay! :o)  I'm planning to do all of this testing in June.

So, that's what I've been up to!  Nothing extra special, but enough "stuff" that the days and weeks go by quickly.  But, I'm okay with that, too.  I'm kind of over winter right now and would like some nicer weather.  Remind me of this in July when I'm complaining about the heat.  haha!

Hope you're having a good day, wherever you are! :)

An update for you!!

Hello!  Well, you may think that I have forgotten about you, but I haven't. :)  I just needed to take a little blogging break.

Let's recap the last 6 months...

July/August:  I went to visit my good friends, John & Esther, and had a wonderful four day visit with them.  We went out to eat, relaxed and just had a lovely time together.  I love going to visit with them!  In August, I also decided that it was probably time to find a new endocrinologist (a thyroid doc).  My old doctor moved away, so I had to search for a new one.  Unfortunately, they are hard to find in this area of the country, so it took me a few weeks to find one that was accepting new patients.  I found one, though, and had my first appointment with her.  She's great!  I'm very elated that she is willing to take me on as a patient! :)

(Me, Esther, John - July 2012)

 

September:  School started at the University, so this month was very busy!  I had decided to take a class in the fall semester, too, so I got started on that.  After the first week, though, I decided that I didn't want to take a class after all, so I dropped it and enjoyed another semester off! :)  Oh, and September started off with a visit from Mom & Dad, so that was great, as well.  I love it when Mom & Dad visit me. :)  And even though I had decided not to take a class this semester, I did decide that I wanted to take a chance and apply to a Master's program!!  I applied to the Master of Arts in Adult & Postsecondary Education at the University where I work.  My ultimate goal is to keep being an academic advisor to college students and this degree would only help me with that.  Plus, my job will pay for a class a semester, so why not?!? :)

 

October:  I spent this month getting ready for our "advising week" that occurs every semester.  It's when the students meet with their advisor to decide which classes to take in the upcoming semester(s).  It's always a busy time for me!  But in the midst of it all, I found out that I was ACCEPTED to the Master's program that I applied for!!!  YAHOO!!!  In the next instant after reading my acceptance letter, though, I thought, "What have I done!?"  haha!  I started making plans, though, to begin the program in January 2013.

 

November:  After advising week in the last week of October, I spend the next month catching up.  With the upcoming holidays, too, I just kept busy getting ready and making plans.  I had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed the actual day.  The day after Thanksgiving, though?  I got the flu!  I was down and out for 5 days and felt miserable the entire time.  It wasn't fun.  I finally went back to work the Wednesday after Thanksgiving.

 

December:  My birthday month!  And Christmas!  And my visit home/family in WI!  December is a busy, wonderful month!  Unfortunately, I felt crummy most of the month.  The Thanksgiving flu was a nasty one (that still seems to be going around with everyone right now!) and I really didn't feel well until half way through December.  I then flew to WI on the 18th and then on the 20th, I came down with a cold.  It was one of the worst colds that I've had in years!  It lasted almost three weeks and I felt crummy most of the time.  On the 21st, Dad got the flu and was down & out for three days.  On the 25th, my brother, Luke, got the flu.  Good grief, it just didn't end!  Mom was the lucky one and didn't catch it, thank goodness. :)  We all recovered enough, though, to enjoy meeting my brother's girlfriend on the 29th, so that was nice.  Any other visiting on that trip, though, didn't happen because of how miserable I felt and because of everyone getting the flu.  It was a bummer. :(

 

January:  This month was spent transitioning back to work after Christmas break and then getting the spring semester going.  We're finishing our third week of classes this week and I still don't feel like it's slowed down at all.  I'm still SO BUSY!!  I also started my first Master's class and I am thoroughly enjoying it.  It keeps me VERY busy, but I really am enjoying what I'm learning (the class is Adult Education Movement in the US).  I've also started preparing for my cancer check-up coming up in February/March.  I meet with the Doctor on Feb. 12 to find out what's going to happen and how we're going to approach this.  If I'm cleared this year, then I get four years off!  Yahoo!  Keep your fingers crossed! :)

 

So, there's been lots going on and I've certainly kept busy!  I have enjoyed the blogging break, but since I'm having my cancer tests this year, I decided I should post a bit until that's over with.  After that, who knows.  I don't get as much enjoyment from blogging as I used to, actually, so who knows what will happen.  I've gone over to the world of Facebook and I have loved it!  It's been so wonderful to be in touch with SO MANY people again and I do really enjoy it.  So, that's why I've not minded my blogging break because I see so much of what's going on with other people through facebook and I've been keeping in touch with a lot of folks that way, too.  We'll see how long I can keep up this blogging thing again.  Please don't hold your expectations too high, though!  haha!  All for now!  Hope you're doing great, wherever you are! :)