Bonnie Hardy:  

3/2/13: So I'm fine! The only evidence of my cancer/surgery is that I have to take a synthetic thyroid hormone everyday. I feel perfectly well and follow up screenings have been good! I'm looking forward to our 40th HS reunion which is scheduled for July 13, 2013! If you need/want any info about it, please contact me. I'm hoping and working for a great turnout! 9/29/11 Update: So here I am, almost 6 weeks post op. I am in a bit of limbo. On one hand I feel pretty well and the doctors keep telling me I’ll be just fine. On the other hand, I really did have cancer and I don’t know anything yet. I’ve started reading posts on the Thyca.com support group website. So many of the posts there are from people who have not been “just fine” so it shakes me up a bit to read them. I’m reminded that 95% of thyroid nodules are NOT cancerous and I didn’t beat those odds. I translate that to “life has no guarantees”. It’s been a real dose of perspective for me; causing me to carefully consider just exactly how I want to spend the time I have remaining (however much time that may be… I could still live to be 100 after all!). I’m considering retiring at the end of June but have not decided anything yet. I went to the endocrinologist for the first time this past Monday (9/26/11). She looked at my pathology report, said I was “low risk”, asked me how I felt about Radioactive Iodine Ablation (implying this treatment might be optional for me). I opt to have the RAI treatment for a couple of reasons. First, if there is any cancerous thyroid tissue remaining the treatment will kill it. Second, having the treatment makes future scans more reliable and useful. Apparently, the hospital we will use (Piedmont again) has thyrogen available. This will make the “pre-treatment/scan preparation much easier. At first they tried to schedule the treatment for next week (the week of 10/3) but there was no way I could be mentally ready to do it that fast. Also, I’m facilitating a meeting on Tuesday and don’t want to reschedule it. So, the RAI has been scheduled for the week of October 31st. The Doc upped my daily thyroid meds from 100 mcg to 112 mcg based on some physical “symptoms” I described to her. Interestingly, yesterday afternoon was the first afternoon I felt my usual energetic and mentally sharp self. I guess the change in dosage was a good thing! I’d forgotten to tell her that I’d started to feel as if I had ADD or something; meaning I had a hard time concentrating for extended periods of time or completing complex tasks (like paying all my medical bills!!!!). I don’t have the results of my blood work yet. I should hear something in the next day or two. Doc said they will look for thyroglobulin levels (desired result is 0); TSH of between 0.05- 0.1; FT4 of 0.8 – 2 and TT3 of 0.8 – 2. I’m still trying to figure out what all that means. If anyone has any good resources to suggest, I’m all ears! Doc tried to explain but it’s over my head! Still hasn’t sunk in. I guess I’ll really know how I am after the scan! Thanks to all my friends, family and everyone else for all the great support! August 28, 2011 Update So this is going to sound strange but I’ve had an excellent experience with cancer. I had a great surgeon. Everything at the hospital met or exceeded my expectations. Heather stayed in the hospital with me from start to finish and helped take care of me. Loving and caring friends and family supported me from the beginning and continue to do so. I have nothing to complain about except a slightly patronizing and inept Intern. Even traffic to Piedmont and back was terrific every time we had to go up there. I’m on the other side now. I had my whole thyroid removed. Pathology confirmed papillary carcinoma in the left lobe and one of my parathyroid glands in the right lobe but no cancer there. I’ll have to take synthetic thyroid medication every day for the rest of my life. I will also have to have a radioactive iodine treatment in a month or so. Doc says I’ll be fine. You’d have been proud of me. Day of surgery I didn’t have to be at Piedmont until noon. That meant that I couldn’t eat or drink anything starting at midnight the night before. Imagine me not eating! That was the hardest part! I couldn’t even take a xanax but surprisingly, I was very calm all day. Surgery was Friday afternoon. They wheeled me to the O.R. a little after 2:00. Some time after 5:00 I was in recovery and the nurses were waking me up. I didn’t feel too great from the anesthesia and told them I didn’t feel too sparkling. They gave me meds for nausea and a wet rag for my head then took me to my room where Hea...Expand for more