on friday, i had an appointment with the ophthalmologist. i've had this problem with my left eye. some days it's really bad, other days, it's tolerable. after having to dab at my eye with q-tips the entire day at kelly's wedding, i finally decided to get it checked out. especially since i've had this problem since last october or so. and it's gotten progressively worse.
so, i first had to get an appointment with my primary care physician for a referral. then i wait for the referral to be authorized and then i am able to call the ophthalmologist. so, I then make an appointment with the ophthalmologist and she checks me out. and now, i wait for yet another referral authorization for the surgeon.
two years ago, i was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. the thyroid maintains metabolism and you can't really live without one unless you are on synthetic thyroid hormones for the rest of your life. without the hormones, your brain slowly dies. i had a fine needle aspiration (basically a needle biopsy) done on my thyroid and out of the 8 samples my endocrinologist took, they found cancer in all 8 samples. my endocrinologist sent the samples to the guy who wrote the text book (for medical students) on thyroid disease. so, i knew i didn't need a second opinion. within the same month of my diagnosis, i had surgery, a full thyroidectomy. then following the surgery, i had a body scan to see how much cancer was still in my body. the nuclear medicine doctor said it was "a good amount." so, i had radiation treatment called an ablation. it's not as harsh as chemo. it took a few days of being stuck in a room covered in plastic and labeled "radioactive" but i got through it and the body scan following the treatment came with a smile.
since then, i've had two body scans that have turned up clear. while i have 3 more years until i am declared cured, i feel very good about my health. it's made me realize how short life is. i felt very lucky for all the care i had with doctors and support from family and friends.
this ocular surgery isn't cancer, at least hopefully not, but is still very frightening. if left untreated, that may lead to infections that may lead to who knows what else. so my thoughts are, i need to get this done asap. i can't say i am looking forward to it but i know i will be fine with the network of family and friends i have around me.
