So, 2 years ago I got the shock of my life, when I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Papillary Thyroid cancer. Within a month I'd had my total thyroidectomy and 12 weeks later went into isolation to ingest I131, radioactive iodine, to bump off any stray cells that had been left behind.
Since then, it has been tricky to achieve effective levels of thyroxine: enough to suppress my TSH and prevent anything from growing back, but not so much as to make me toxic. I have been plagued by low Vit D levels, which of course is not helpful: without Vit D you don't absorb calcium well and high doses of thyroxine (I take over 200mcg daily) render you more susceptible to osteoporosis. Ain't life grand? Well actually, yes it is. It's certainly better than the alternative!
Two years on and so far, so good. No recurrence yet. The next round of checks is in September and no doubt by then I will be worried, as I always am before I see the various consultants, but there is no sign that anything is amiss.
In the meantime, I have a glorious summer to look forward to: just 2 more days of school then 10 days in Sweden and in September, I start a MA course.
Happy holidays one and all!
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