Cancer Update

After several months of waiting, we finally have some movement on the next level of Dave's treatment.

For those who haven't been following, Dave was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last year.  We've been through a cycle of surgery and radiation treatment but we know the cancer had metastatisized.  However, the doctors were very confident the treatment would kill all the nodes.  Since then, we've been waiting to hear when we would have our next scan to confirm their optimism.  Initially we thought it would be in February or March but things were delayed.

However, now things are moving again.  There's been some reluctance from our supervising doctor to put Dave through another radiation cycle (which is necessary for the scan).  But the nuclear medicine doctor is pushing to begin the next round in June.  We haven't gotten any confirmation yet but if the cycle begins in June, Dave would be done in mid-July and we would have our answers.

Meanwhile, the bloodwork has been looking good with no signs of returning cancer cells.  The artificial thyroid hormone has been keeping Dave's levels sufficiently elevated.  And an ultrasound in February showed no regrowth of the removed thyroid.  All good signs.

I'm not good at waiting.  I tend to be a much more active person than Dave, who has much more faith in the system.  But now there's a plan and I always do better with a plan in hand.

I'll keep everyone posted once we have an actual start date in hand.  Dave will have to go off the artificial hormone for six weeks before the scan, which will leave him drained, irritable and exhausted.  He's also not allowed to drive, which drove him crazy last time.  After four weeks, he has to go on a special iodine-free diet.  Here's an interesting note: all commercial salt has iodine added to it.  Thus he cannot have anything which has salt.  No bread, no pasta, no commercial cereal, sauces, cheese, nothing.  We still have homemade sauce frozen from last time.  It should get us through the two weeks.  Then comes the scan and we'll learn whether or not he's officially in remission.

I'll keep everyone posted about how this goes.