Monday, March 28, 2011

March 28, 2011 - Surgery Is Scheduled

Time to bring you all up to date on my decision-making about the thyroid surgery.

Last Wednesday I drove up to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s satellite outpatient facility in Basking Ridge, New Jersey for a consultation with otolaryngologist Dr. Jay Boyle, who had been recommended to me by my lymphoma second-opinion physician, Dr. Carol Portlock.

Everything went smoothly at the Basking Ridge facility, which is in an impressive new building located a convenient one-hour drive from our home. After the usual filling-out of forms and a quick interview with an intake nurse, Dr. Boyle came right in and gave me all the time I needed to ask my questions.

I asked about whether I’d need to have the whole thyroid removed or whether a lobectomy (removing one lobe, or half the gland) would be a possibility. He said the scan results confirm there’s malignancy in both halves of the thyroid, so it all has to come out.

A follow-up radioactive iodine treatment is a possibility, but he wouldn't be able to say for sure about that until after the surgery.

Because it's a slow-moving cancer, we'd have a little time to think about it and choose a convenient date.

It’s highly unlikely that my thyroid cancer is in any way related to my lymphoma. Seems I’ve had a bad roll of the dice, two times running.

Dr. Boyle was very upbeat about the prognosis, as well he should be. Thyroid cancer is one of those rare malignancies that’s nearly 100% treatable with surgery. The surgery itself – while somewhat delicate, due to the thyroid’s location in the neck – is not very invasive, since the gland is very close to the surface. He explained there would be some stitches, but they’d all be internal and would dissolve on their own. A bright red scar, which he endeavors to hide as much as possible within naturally-occurring fold lines in the skin of the neck, would be visible for about a year or so, but would eventually fade so it’s only visible upon close examination.

An overnight stay in the hospital is a given, but nearly everyone goes home right after that and is able to resume normal activities in a few days. (I learned later, from one of the nurses, that MSKCC is starting to do some thyroid-removal operations as same-day surgeries.)

I do have a slight concern about a possible side-effect from the surgery, which is damage to the voice. This sometimes happens as a result of damage to one of the nerves that controls the functioning of the vocal cords, which are nearby. I explained that I may be more concerned about this than most patients, because I use my voice for a living. Dr. Boyle assured me that the national rate for this sort of complication is about 1%. “With me,” he said, “it’s a great deal lower than that.”

He dropped that statistic into the conversation in a matter-of-fact way that sounded in no way boastful (although I suppose it may appear that way, upon reading those words).

Afterwards, I spoke with one of the nurses about long-term issues, and she confirmed what I already knew, that I’ll need to take synthetic thyroid-hormone medication for the rest of my life. “If you miss a day or two, it’s no big deal,” she explained. “If you go on vacation for a couple weeks and forget to bring your pills with you, you need to find a pharmacy and get your prescription filled. Go six months without taking it, and you’re dead.”

Well, that doesn’t leave much ambiguity, does it?

I liked Dr. Boyle. There’s no doubt he’s one of the foremost thyroid surgeons around. While it’s a relatively simple operation, with a very high chance of success, why shouldn’t I go to one of the top-ranked surgeons, as long as he’s relatively close by and can fit me into his schedule?

It doesn’t hurt that he’s a Presbyterian, either. When he learned what I do for a living, he mentioned that he’s a member of the Westfield, New Jersey church.

A little while ago, I called Dr. Boyle’s office and confirmed a surgery date of Friday, May 27, at MSKCC in Manhattan (they don’t do surgery at the Basking Ridge facility). I’ll go into the city on May 2 for pre-admission testing.

I feel good about this, like I’m making good progress in dealing with it. As I said to someone else recently, when it comes to dealing with a new cancer diagnosis, it’s a real advantage to be a veteran.

8 comments:

Joan Calvin said...

Blessings on your journey. It was my biopsy for possible thyroid cancer that led (after much harassing of doctors by me) to my diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

I, too, also a preacher, was worried about the possible loss of voice. My surgery went well. I hope yours will too.

Carl said...

Thanks, Joan. That's encouraging.

Unknown said...

Hi Carl - glad to read your journey. I know how important it is to trust your doctor but you also have the Great Physician providing healing. Our prayers and those of West Jersey presbytery will surround you. Great attitude helps. The cloud of witnesses of survivors surround you as well.

Carl said...

Debbie, the prayers mean more to me than I can say. Thanks.

sinus surgery Los Angeles said...

Surgery has come a long way and there is a remedy to every disease through surgery.Thyroid when poses a threat to healthy life has to be taken under medical scrutiny.

Whidbey Woman said...

Pastor, You are in good hands. You go with God. You also are seeing among the best cancer doctors in the country. I have heard nothing but good things about Sloan-
Kettering! May you have the peace that passes all understanding as you move forward with the surgery. I pray that your recovery is swift and that you are singing God's praises in no time :) Love from a sister in Washington State

Clenbuterol said...

Doctor's are God on earth, these sentence proves the importance of a doctor in this world, god bless them, and they should carry on good work.

Anonymous said...

SAYING ANOTHER PRAYER FOR YOU.
JUST A STRANGER THAT DROPS BY AND READS YOUR BLOG. KEEP THE FAITH THAT OUR LORD WILL BE AT YOUR SIDE NOW AND FOREVER.