Another Adventure?

I was scheduled for a thyroidectomy this past Friday (Feb. 21). What wasn’t scheduled or planned was the diagnosis I received that I have thyroid cancer. Let me say from the beginning that thyroid cancer typically responds well to treatment with a very high success rate (most places quote a 95% success rate). As my doctor said, no one wants to hear that they have cancer, but if you are going to get cancer, thyroid cancer is the kind to get. So we are still processing and getting information but I wanted to take a moment and share my story in more detail. My journey with my thyroid has been a long one but we see God’s hand at work and His protection of us.

In 2011, Ken and I were making the decision to move to Lithuania for Ken to take a position teaching at a Christian university in Klaipeda. Making the decision to uproot our lives, move to another country and  quit our jobs was not an easy decision. I had hesitation, doubts, and even a few panic attacks. Ultimately what it came down to was that Ken felt a sense of calling to go. I didn’t feel a calling to go but I didn’t feel a calling to stay either. After much thought and prayer, together we took a deep breath and stepped into the adventure of living overseas.

Our first year was a good year but also a hard year. We made the decision at the end of the first year that we would stay one more year but that Ken would start applying for jobs in the US. We felt that we needed to return for the sake of the kids, both for their education and for their socialization. As we entered our second year I decided to make use of the national health insurance we had and visit a doctor. I had been feeling tired – a sure sign that my thyroid medications might need adjustment. I was referred to an endocrinologist in Klaipeda and had a shocking first visit. Yes, my meds needed adjustment but more importantly, he completed the first ever ultrasound of my thyroid.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in 2003, shortly after moving to Canton, OH. Our new family doctor did blood work when we joined the practice and saw that I had hypothyroidism. She treated me with medication and that was it. I remember asking her what had caused me to start being hypo? Should I see a specialist? She was very nonchalant and explained that it was easily fixed with medicine and there was nothing to worry about. I believed her.

Flash forward to October, 2013 in Klaipeda, Lithuania. The endocrinologist was shocked that I had never had any doctor perform an ultrasound or regularly examine my neck. He walked me over to another room and immediately performed an ultrasound. He discovered 2 nodules on my thyroid, which he proceeded to biopsy. The results were inconclusive. Lithuania follows the EU standards for care, which take a watch and wait approach in response to a first inconclusive biopsy. He said that I should have another biopsy in 6 months.

As all of this was occurring Ken was interviewing for jobs. He eventually accepted a job in Birmingham, AL. The only sticking point was that the job had a required start date of January 2014. Ken pushed to move that date back so that we could finish out the year in Klaipeda but it was non-negotiable. He took the job, but we were disappointed at having to leave mid-year.

Soon after our January 2^nd arrival in Alabama, I scheduled an appointment with an endocrinologist who looked at the scribbled translation of my report from Klaipeda, checked out my thyroid on the ultrasound and scheduled a thyroidectomy for Feb. 21^st. I didn’t have another biopsy. My doctor felt that with the size of the nodule, the fact that we had no real idea how long the nodule had been there, and the inconclusive biopsy, the most prudent course of action was immediate removal of the thyroid.

One of the good things about thyroid cancer is that it is slow growing, but that’s of limited comfort to me right now.  Because I was diagnosed in 2003 but had years in which no one looked at my thyroid, I’m left with worry that the cancer has been there for all of that time.

So where is God in this? If I had not gone to Lithuania, I have no idea how long it would have taken for the nodule on my thyroid to be discovered. We ended up back in the US much earlier than we planned and for a long time we couldn’t make sense of it. It makes sense to me now. I was able to avoid that 6 month “watch and wait” protocol and have a surgery scheduled. The importance of this was driven home to me when my doctor told me, after the surgery, that it was good that I had come in when I did. So, many of things that didn’t make sense to us are now forming this picture of a God who lovingly put us exactly where we needed to be. I believe it is more than coincidence.

So we are taking it one day at a time. They did remove my thyroid, I have a lovely scar to prove it. The surgeon also removed an accompanying lymph node that looked cancerous. We will get better pathology reports at the end of this week. In the meantime, I am no longer taking my thyroid medication and am on a low-iodine diet in preparation for Radioactive Iodine therapy that will take place in a few weeks to make sure that the cancer is gone. I’m recovering at home with the help of Ken and the kids who are cooking, doing laundry and taking most excellent care of me.

Sometimes I get scared. Saying those words… I have cancer. It’s a scary thing. I think maybe it was worse for Ken, hearing from the doctor that it was cancer and then having to tell me. It didn’t help that the doctor chose the phrase, “Your wife is unlikely to die from this.” It was a positive message with maybe not the best wording.

So this is where we are today. Ken has been going like crazy all weekend. Taking care of the kids, doing laundry, buying special low iodine food for me, just to name a few of the things he has been up to. Should I mention the fact that we have been in our house only 2 weeks and that he’s also figuring out a new job. The kids are worried and a little scared. Prayers for them would be greatly appreciated.

As for me, my throat is feeling better every day. I’m not loving the look of the scar on my neck but can look at it without cringing right now. Scarves will be my friends for the next few weeks when I have to leave the house. I have moments when I get scared, especially when I think of the years I was treated with only medicine with no one looking at my thyroid. What I try to do is count my blessings – I’m so grateful my doctor in Lithuania gave me such excellent care, I’m grateful that we are back in the states so that I can communicate with my doctors and caregivers, I’m grateful for my friends and family who have reached out in these recovering days with words of care and encouragement, and I’m grateful for my husband and kids who have surrounded me with love. I’m trusting in the knowledge and care of my physicians here in AL but mostly in the care of the Great Physician who holds me in His hands.