Well, how am I? Thanks for asking.

Posted late 2009

It’s been a hell of a summer.

When the season began, I needed a cane to walk. My blood work showed that my thyroid cancer was still active—but it couldn’t be located anywhere in my body to remove. I was also facing a long list of medical procedures and tests. Now that most of that is behind me, I can say I’ve seen major improvements… and received some, in my opinion, bad news. So I’m doing as well as I can.

At the end of July, I had my first steroid treatment. Instead of a pill or shot, I received an IV bag full of the stuff. Within minutes of the infusion starting, I could see dramatic improvement—my smile returned somewhat, I had better control over my facial and right-side muscles, my fatigue lifted, and my mind cleared.

I’d hoped the results would last for months, but it turns out I need to repeat the treatment every four weeks. So every fourth Friday I go to the infusion center and get another dose of steroids.

September was the biggest medical month so far. I had a colonoscopy, underwent Thyrogen preparation, received 200 mCi of radioactive iodine, and had a full-body scan. I’m still waiting for results from the colonoscopy, though I do know they removed four polyps (compared to eleven three years ago). The radioactive iodine treatment made me very sick and caused some lingering side effects—most notably, I lost most of my ability to taste salt. Everything tastes flat now, except for two small spots at the back of my mouth that still work.

The whole-body scan results worry me most. Afterward, my doctor—who I swear must have graduated from the Pollyanna School of Medicine—told me there was “good news”: the scan showed radioactive uptake throughout my throat, with more on the right side than in January. According to her, that meant the treatment was working and the cancer was being burned away.

I’m not as optimistic. I had the same treatment in January, and nine months later the growth on the right appears larger. That doesn’t sound like progress to me. Still, we have to give it more time to work. The one difference this time is that they put me on lithium before treatment—lithium helps thyroid tissue absorb and retain iodine—so maybe that will make a difference.

As things stand, I continue my monthly steroid treatments. What concerns me most is that they essentially shut down my immune system for a week after each infusion. During that time, I’m highly susceptible to infection or illness—like spending one week a month with AIDS. I also worry that suppressing my immune system might keep it from attacking the cancer, making the radiation therapy less effective. The doctors don’t seem too concerned about that, but I am.

Over the last two weeks, I’ve noticed new symptoms that worry me. There’s a mild pain in my right jaw that feels like swelling in a saliva gland. (Back in May, an ultrasound showed a suspicious lymph node near that area, but we couldn’t get a biopsy.) I’ve contacted my endocrinologist and am waiting for her guidance. I’ve also developed pain in my right breast—not the whole area, just one section that feels like a pulled muscle. It could be from the paralysis, or it might mean the lymph nodes or muscle have become cancerous. Either way, I’m waiting to hear what the doctors want to do.

In January, I’ll begin the next round in this cancer battle. My doctors have already ordered new blood work, a CT scan, and an ultrasound of my neck to see where things stand. I won’t be surprised if they also order another whole-body radioactive iodine scan. Right now, I’d say there’s about a 70 percent chance I’ll need another neck dissection next year.

So that’s the report.

—Odell

Next: Good news and bad new sort of!

Previous: What my Doctor had to say!