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Maybe this is reaching but it could be good news


Guest bean_si (Not Active)

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Guest bean_si (Not Active)

Maybe this is reaching, especially after that *&% pulmonologist yesterday made sure I understood that the tumor was "grabbing" onto my heart, superior vena cava and trachea.....and was huge.

However my oncologist said none of this. He said maybe none of the residual tumor is cancer even though it's large. He said you couldn't tell from the PET scan if it was cancer. It could be inflammation from radiation, etc.

He said maybe my continued high heart rate (100/bpm) is because I had thyroid problems and stopped taking my meds. I have hypothyroidism. I know that doesn't cause high heart rate but some people with thyroid problems are hypo at times and hyper at other times.

Okay, I was supposed to get a chest x-ray to check size today but cancelled it cuz I wasn't sure about hurricane but I'll get one late next week.

I need to hope. This looks like a reason to hope.

What's funny is that I did not cry one tear during the first months - during all my treatment. I'm not so stalwart lately but I think it's a combination of insurance and doctor problems.

Cat

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When they did my surgery ( after chemo and radiation) they said all that was left was scar tissue, I don't know why that couldn't be true for you. So hurry, get ready to fly away , out of harms way of Frances. Donna G

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Cat,

Crying right now is not a sign of weakness. I cry when I am frustrated, feel helpless or am thoroughly p*ssed off. (So, if any of you ever see me with tears running down my face, DUCK!) When I feel hopeless and cry, I'm usually alone, no witnesses!

Wouldn't it be great if the comedy of errs known as your medical care were to have made the ULTIMATE misdiagnosis and all you have is an infection?? THAT would be WONDERFUL!

I'm with you on the hypo...makes me rounder every minute, I swear. BUT, I AM in shape because last I knew, round was a shape! lol

Hang in there, we're all pulling for you!

Becky

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I agree -- nothing wrong with HOPE -- it's what gets all of us up in the morning!

As far as your hypothyroidism -- WHY did you stop taking your meds?

That can make you very sluggish and fatigued. Have you started taking them again?

I know that when my thyroid levels are "off", I can feel it.....when the meds are making me too "hyper", my heart races, my hair falls out a little more and I get hungrier. When I am too "hypo", my skin gets EXTREMELY dry and I am tired to the point of exhaustion.

Have you had your levels checked lately? We have to keep up with the non-cancer related stuff too, girlfriend! :wink:

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Guest bean_si (Not Active)
Cat,

Crying right now is not a sign of weakness. I cry when I am frustrated, feel helpless or am thoroughly p*ssed off. (So, if any of you ever see me with tears running down my face, DUCK!)

Are we related? :wink:

Hebbie, I was taking radiation & chemo at same time and driving to appts. alone, etc., Had quite a reaction, fatigue, stomach problems, unable to swallow so I gave up any med I didn't absolutely have to take - Levoxyl was one of them and I just didn't get into taking it again.

Oh, I forgot, for the FIRST time, they did tumor markers. I didn't see the test but the onc said they were fine. I think that's reason for more hope.

It's how I get through - very truthfully. I must grab onto hope and walk alongside.

Cat

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Ditto on keeping check on the thyroid functions! I don't have cancer (atleast I certainly hope not!) but I had rounds with my thyroid before finally having it zapped and I learned lots about it. First and foremost, there is not a single body function that is not affected by the level of thyroxine in your body. Secondly, even small fluctuations in the level can have profound effects. Thirdly, it's much easier to stay on a normal level by making sure that you take the medication (thyroxine) daily (and preferably, at about the same time each day on an EMPTY stomach) than it is to try to get back to a normal level. Fourthly, it takes several weeks to several months for changes in levels to appear in your blood so you could feel really rotten for a long time before feeling better, even if you have adjusted your medication. Fifthly, there are many physicians who think a thyroid problem is just that - a thyroid problem. They don't realize the many,different and varied symptoms and how crucial the right level of medication is. My body tells me when I am a little high or low on thyroxine levels and I go and have it checked (although it is recommended that you have it checked every 6 months if you have had a problem with it). Even though I supposedly no longer have a thyroid gland, my level still fluctuates because of different things happening in my body so it's important that I keep tabs on it. And finally, estrogen supplement will cause a false read on the T4 level so the TSH level is by far the safer one to 'steer' by. I have a great book about thyroid disease written in layman's terms that TeeTaa bought for me when I got sick several years ago. I think practically everybody in the county and several folks in neighboring counties have borrowed it when they realized they had thyroid problems. Let me know if anyone out there would like to borrow it or get info on purchasing it.

ViVi

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Dear Cat,

I HOPE you're in Georgia, reading this, but if not whenever the power comes back!

Sounds like great news to me. And now you have no excuse for NOT taking the thyroid medication!

I'm so happy for you -- everything up till now has sounded soooo ominous. Grab hold to that hope and keep it! We all need you here!

Ellen

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