Remission, it’s a pretty cool word, and an amazing feeling. I am officially in remission now, and funny thing is, my life hasn’t changed all that much. While undergoing surgery, treatment, etc, I tried to live the same life as I would have had I not been dumped on by the “big C”. Although, I must say it has changed my perspective on life…”get’r done” kind of attitude – life’s too short to wait around worrying about the what-if’s and the “can I really do that right now?”
All in all it was an eye opening experience…even a learning experience. I was able to fine-tune my time management skills, I mean, I had to plan study time and assignment time around surgery, radiation and frequent doctor’s appointments…and oh yeah, work. All in all, it was a great experience to learn and reintroduce myself to…myself!
Life post-treatment/cancer is pretty routine for someone my age - working, friends, etc. Some days I am extra tired…I mean, life is better with a thyroid…but I can’t grow mine back. I still have doctor’s appointments and blood work to do every six months or so, but nothing too crazy! It’s funny, to describe how I deal with life after cancer. I mean, I go about my daily business and don’t think too much about it; I’m not the kind of person to let an obstacle get in my way. I really forget all about it until someone mentions it, or asks me about the scar – you should see the other guy; it was a knife fight of epic proportions!
Today, I am loving life, working hard and fulfilling my goals…one very small step at a time! I can offer one piece of advice to anyone who is battling through it, or family/friends of those affected by any form of this disease: Don’t change your life, live like you’d normally live and then kick it up a notch! After all, it takes more energy to feel bad/sad than it does to feel good, so live your life to the fullest no matter what life throws at you, even if it is the “big C!”
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Treatment for my thyroid cancer
Well, where to start. The treatment for the type of cancer I had was different than the typical radiation treatment. I was lucky enough not to have to do chemo, just radiation. But it wasn’t your typical radiation….
The thyroid gland is one of the major glands in your body that uses iodine…it pretty much lives off of it like I live off steak. That being said, for my radiation treatment, I pretty much had to swallow a pill – not hard to do, you’re right, but it was the month and a bit leading up to it that was the hard part. Essentially, I had to “deprive” any remaining thyroid tissue of iodine before taking the radioactive Iodine pill, which, by the way, did not make me glow – pretty lame! So what does that mean? Well, we all know that salt is in everything we eat and pretty much makes food taste amazing. But what I didn’t know is that they add iodine to salt. So the “tough” part of my treatment was drastically cutting back on my salt so that I could deprive my body of iodine. This was tough for me because I have a love-love relationship with food!
After swallowing this pill, I wasn’t allowed prolonged contact with my family for about a week after. It was nice having all my meals prepared for me, having my own bathroom, etc. but it did get a little bit lonely…thank god for social networking! There were some precautionary measures that I had to take (other than hiding from my family and children): I had to flush the toilet three times after using it, disinfect everything, etc…oh and eat a lot of candy! Clearly this was part of the treatment….no lie. Because of the nature of the salivary glands, they may get damaged because of the radioactive iodine. Eating candy helped ensure that the salivary gland was always producing saliva – although, they still got mildly damaged and swelled up huge.
After that was all said and done, I went for a full body scan. The typical, lay down for 45 minutes without moving drill – not so fun. I had to repeat this process (but with a milder dose/kind of radioactive iodine) every six months or so for the first two years and then a year later in the third year; yes, diet and all. Here’s a little tip I found out during my last diet: Kosher salt doesn’t contain iodine…who knew! At least my food wasn’t bland anymore! I also had to stop taking my thyroid hormones, or pay a ridiculous amount for two shots before my scan. I opted for the second option since I pretty much sleep all the time if I go off the hormone supplements. I haven’t had a scan for a while now, but I still have frequent (about every 3-4 months apart) doctor’s appointments – just a routine check-up of the neck and blood work. I also think they are still trying to get my hormones in balance too. I’m not quite there yet, but it will be one day!
The thyroid gland is one of the major glands in your body that uses iodine…it pretty much lives off of it like I live off steak. That being said, for my radiation treatment, I pretty much had to swallow a pill – not hard to do, you’re right, but it was the month and a bit leading up to it that was the hard part. Essentially, I had to “deprive” any remaining thyroid tissue of iodine before taking the radioactive Iodine pill, which, by the way, did not make me glow – pretty lame! So what does that mean? Well, we all know that salt is in everything we eat and pretty much makes food taste amazing. But what I didn’t know is that they add iodine to salt. So the “tough” part of my treatment was drastically cutting back on my salt so that I could deprive my body of iodine. This was tough for me because I have a love-love relationship with food!
After swallowing this pill, I wasn’t allowed prolonged contact with my family for about a week after. It was nice having all my meals prepared for me, having my own bathroom, etc. but it did get a little bit lonely…thank god for social networking! There were some precautionary measures that I had to take (other than hiding from my family and children): I had to flush the toilet three times after using it, disinfect everything, etc…oh and eat a lot of candy! Clearly this was part of the treatment….no lie. Because of the nature of the salivary glands, they may get damaged because of the radioactive iodine. Eating candy helped ensure that the salivary gland was always producing saliva – although, they still got mildly damaged and swelled up huge.
After that was all said and done, I went for a full body scan. The typical, lay down for 45 minutes without moving drill – not so fun. I had to repeat this process (but with a milder dose/kind of radioactive iodine) every six months or so for the first two years and then a year later in the third year; yes, diet and all. Here’s a little tip I found out during my last diet: Kosher salt doesn’t contain iodine…who knew! At least my food wasn’t bland anymore! I also had to stop taking my thyroid hormones, or pay a ridiculous amount for two shots before my scan. I opted for the second option since I pretty much sleep all the time if I go off the hormone supplements. I haven’t had a scan for a while now, but I still have frequent (about every 3-4 months apart) doctor’s appointments – just a routine check-up of the neck and blood work. I also think they are still trying to get my hormones in balance too. I’m not quite there yet, but it will be one day!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
At least I'm still around kickin'
Name is Dave Eng. I am a 24 year old - just finished up my second B. Com at the university of Ottawa this past fall. The type of cancer I had was not the worst kind out there. I had thyroid cancer and I was diagnosed in the fall of 2007, right at the beginning of the semester, but that’s not where the story starts. I first felt something weird earlier that year during an exam period. I always had the tendency to put my thumb on my neck when I studied and felt something new that I never felt before. I saw my family doctor who scheduled me for a series of biopsies and ultrasounds and it was official, I found out that fall.
Now, this may seem scary at the ripe old age of 21, but it was just another obstacle to overcome in this journey I call life. I went for surgery in October of that year and got my whole thyroid taken out, and they got a bit greedy and took my parathyroid and some lymph nodes out too – okay, not greedy, it spread to there too. Here’s a little tid-bit about the thyroid: it controls your metabolism, regulates body temperature and energy levels and helps control other organs in your body. It is difficult living without one, especially when you’re not on your supplements (which I had to do for quite a while after I had mine removed). But that didn’t stop me. I wanted to get on with my life and put it behind me. So while undergoing surgery, radiation treatment and a multitude of appointments, I toughed it out and found the strength to finish up that semester.
Today, I can still feel the effects of the lack of a thyroid gland. If I forget to take the supplements for a few days, it is definitely noticeable – I always want to sleep! I have also gained weight that I just can’t seem to shake – no big deal though, at least I’m still around kickin’, enjoying the miracle of food! Besides that, I have a gnarly scar on my neck. In a way, this has shaped my life a lot these past few years. I find myself trying not take things for granted and to go after what I want because you never know when life will throw you a curveball. So, I decided to move to Mexico for a bit, learned Spanish, backpacked Costa Rica, take a trip to Barbados and I’m leaving for Cuba this week…clearly I love to travel! Overall, I like to chalk this up to opening my eyes to the world. I know it wasn’t the most serious cancer out there and I have so much respect for the strength of the people that have to undergo multiple rounds of chemo and radiation.
Now, this may seem scary at the ripe old age of 21, but it was just another obstacle to overcome in this journey I call life. I went for surgery in October of that year and got my whole thyroid taken out, and they got a bit greedy and took my parathyroid and some lymph nodes out too – okay, not greedy, it spread to there too. Here’s a little tid-bit about the thyroid: it controls your metabolism, regulates body temperature and energy levels and helps control other organs in your body. It is difficult living without one, especially when you’re not on your supplements (which I had to do for quite a while after I had mine removed). But that didn’t stop me. I wanted to get on with my life and put it behind me. So while undergoing surgery, radiation treatment and a multitude of appointments, I toughed it out and found the strength to finish up that semester.
Today, I can still feel the effects of the lack of a thyroid gland. If I forget to take the supplements for a few days, it is definitely noticeable – I always want to sleep! I have also gained weight that I just can’t seem to shake – no big deal though, at least I’m still around kickin’, enjoying the miracle of food! Besides that, I have a gnarly scar on my neck. In a way, this has shaped my life a lot these past few years. I find myself trying not take things for granted and to go after what I want because you never know when life will throw you a curveball. So, I decided to move to Mexico for a bit, learned Spanish, backpacked Costa Rica, take a trip to Barbados and I’m leaving for Cuba this week…clearly I love to travel! Overall, I like to chalk this up to opening my eyes to the world. I know it wasn’t the most serious cancer out there and I have so much respect for the strength of the people that have to undergo multiple rounds of chemo and radiation.
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