How I See It: Reflections on spirituality, technology, and the art of everyday life

Endocrinology Update This afternoon I met with one of my new endocrinologists—this one focuses on thyroid cancer. We reviewed all my tests. He tells me that the blood work from December looks good. Unfortunately, my thyroglobulin level is about the same as it was in September. Normally, that would indicate persistent cancer, but since my levels have never dropped, it’s unclear what it means. We’ll continue to monitor it, with the next test scheduled for June. As for the PET and whole-body scans I had in September, they also look good. The only concern is a small hot spot in the thyroid bed, but since it shrank between 2009 and 2010, that’s a positive sign. It’s too small to treat, so we’ll keep an eye on it for now. Regarding the suggestion from my other endocrinologist that chemotherapy might be needed, this doctor feels that it is not indicated. We also discussed my neurological symptoms. According to this thyroid cancer specialist, thyroid cancer does not produce the chemic...

Letter updating my Endo  Dec 2010 Medical Update – December I wanted to update you on how things have been going before I see you on the 22nd. As we discussed, I skipped my Prednisone treatment on Oct 22. My next treatment would normally have been on Nov 19, but I postponed it until Nov 24 to allow more recovery time if I had a bad reaction. As you know, I started feeling sick two days after the treatments on: August 27 (lasted about a week) September 24 (lasted about two weeks; never fully regained energy) Before the Nov 24 treatment, my right side was slightly numb but walking and breathing were fine. I responded well—better than early treatments. My numbness went away, my pulse peaked around 100, and I managed 4–5 hours of sleep instead of the usual 1–2. On Nov 26 I slept most of the day, but instead of numbness on the right, my left arm, leg, and face were numb. On Nov 29, while at work, I developed severe nausea, breathing difficulty (likely from the nausea), b...