Today went well. We had a bit of a wait - we both take books with us nowadays - but then we were ushered into the presence of the great man himself. I was able to put all my questions.
Apparently cancer is not common in those with hypothyroidism which I have had for some years now (which is where the thyroid ceases to function as well) - hence the consultant's gamble on it being lung as the primary site. The scan done in January shows my thyroid as being the same as it was before. The only way to be really sure about thyroid cancer is to remove the organ and chemo tends not to work anyway. Had the change in the size of my nasty bits in my lung been spectacular after two doses of chemo, they would have gone on to give me six.
So I have another CT scan tomorrow and then go to see the person who will do the clinic (when everyone else is away) a week after that. My consultant will have left notes as to what - depending on the scan result - should then happen once the scan report is through. If the nasty bits are reduced a bit or the same then it's radiotherapy. If they appear to have grown (which would indicate I presume the lung not being the primary) then the option is different chemo and/or take the thyroid out. The consultant reckons - based on his experience - that it will very likely be the radiotherapy.
Radiotherapy can have some side effects he said - a bit of soreness when eating and some coughing after - but shouldn't cause are serious debilitating problems for me. It will mean daily visits for a couple of weeks to a nearby town - the same one where I had the chemo.
I'm to ring the consultant's secretary next Monday morning to check that the CT scan result is through - so hopefully we won't have a repeat of last time when they had the image but no report.
All in all that was a very successful meeing. I feel so much better having a clear idea of where we are in the grand scheme of things. And the really good news is that it appears they still have plenty of ammunition to throw at my nasty bits.
No comments:
Post a Comment