Jane, you ignorant slut! (if you don't get the reference you're too young!)

Here I am again, in a weird medical place. Hypothyroid forever, all of a sudden my blood work indicates hyperthyroid. I mean .. it happens, but how often, and why? Dr. Google isn't a good idea, so for now I have been removed from my thyroid meds and am getting more blood work done in a few weeks. If the
results still indicate hyperthyroid - it will be time for a thyroid scan to see if the nodule I have is 'hot', meaning, producing hormones. 

Also in the dugout is anemia. PPPFFFTTTT!! I was a bit anemic at my last 6 month checkup but the doc gave me iron to take and I didn't think much of it. Obviously, since I stopped taking the pills pretty quickly. Now I am more anemic than before. This time the doc is worried and has ordered an upper GI, and I may have a colonoscopy at the same time because of my history of colon cancer (with a small C), we will see what the GI guy says tomorrow when I go for a quick consultation appointment. 

My doc is apparently worried that I have some bleeding going on somewhere, or something worse since he added a CEA to the blood work he ordered to check my thyroid. Sigh-h-h ..

Here's the thing - I FEEL good! Exercise, losing some weight, having a bit of energy, I've felt like I've been getting the physical part of my life together lately. 

Blargh.

Where's Roseanne Roseannadanna when you need her! "As my good friend Richard Fader always said
"IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING"!"

Yep, Jane is an ignorant slut - and I am probably 100% fine! Let's hope, anyway. I'm voting for a problem with absorbing iron. Not sure what they do for that, hopefully just supplements. Sounds like the best result for the anemia. The thyroid? Who knows!?!?!

Where does your brain go when your doctor says it's cancer?

My doctor didn't use the word cancer.  Neither did I. He said adenocarcinoma and I said what do I need to do?  My brain pushed the word away while simultaneously digesting it and rushing to next steps.  Let's not dwell on what, let's concentrate on what to do about it.

I remember my stomach dropping and my eyes filling with tears, but I also remember pushing that away with an urgency to get beyond REacting to get to actually acting. WHAT NEXT?

People all react differently I imagine.  And I'm equally sure their reaction is colored by what kind of

diagnosis they are receiving.  I was extremely lucky.  This was colon cancer, one polyp found during a colonoscopy that when removed did not appear to be anything, but the biopsy showed otherwise.  Still, only one polyp, only the chance that a bit of cancer had invaded the colon wall.  The treatment?  Remove about 6 inches of intestine at the cecum, including the ileocecal valve.  No chemo, no radiation, no anything beyond that besides having regular colonoscopies on a more regular basis for the rest of my life.  A VERY small price to pay for having found this tiny bit of cancer so early that I consider it cancer with a small "c", as opposed to the big "C".

So am I a cancer survivor?  I suppose.  But it's embarrassing to say that considering what so many others have gone through.  It was all over so fast because I wanted it to be, and I barely allowed myself to think about it AS cancer.  Now that it's past and the only remaining reminder is the difference in my digestion, I don't HAVE to think about it.

What I DO think about though, is keeping up with my health, blood work, and whatever tests I should be having at this point in my life.  Things I did take seriously before, but not quite as seriously as I should have.

It's definitely something to think about, whether or not you have ever had this particular diagnosis.  Had a colonoscopy lately?