I've received so many inquiries about Mark's thyroid cancer and his treatment, that I just want to create this one post to explain when this process started, how it started, and what his treatment has been so far.
In late December 2021 Mark went for an annual physical with his PCP (primary care provider). His MD felt something larger than a normal sized thyroid gland in his neck. Simple blood work indicated that his thyroid hormones were working a lot harder than is within the normal range (hyper thyroidism) for production of thyroid hormones. He had a thyroid biopsy which was positive for thyroid cancer
At that point he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and he was scheduled for thyroid removal on 01/19/22. He spent one night at AMC (Theda Clark Appleton or whatever it's called now). With no food or ice chips, his surgery was delayed by 8 hours (they got him into the OR around 5pm when we showed up at the surgery center at 9am as was scheduled).
He was discharged on 01/20/22. I picked him up and we drove back to Green Bay. He had a thick scar in the center of his neck. During his first follow up appointment his surgeon gave him the news that he would start a low-iodine diet, have injections on 02/21/22 and 02/22/22, and on 02/23/22 he would swallow a really large radiation pill. Because he could throw off residual radiation, Apollo and I had to bug out after I was done with work on 02/22/22 and spend a week in Appleton. Mark had to spend the week in isolation: no visitors, no grocery shopping, no getting gas for the car, no going through a car wash; zero contact with anyone.
Because my parents are who they wonderfully are, they spent 02/16/22 through 02/20/22 preparing food that was low-iodine from the website thyca.com (or something similar to that). My dad dropped off a week's worth of meals on 02/21/22 when he picked up Apollo for our stay in Appleton.
I packed up all of my work computers, monitors, cables and cords after I was done working on 02/22/22. I packed a bag with clothes, shoes, toiletries, my iPhone, ear pods, and my own laptop with various cords for the week I would spend working from my parents basement. Upon my arrival my dad helped me haul everything into the house and we carried my work equipment piece by piece to the basement where I could plug into their router and set up all my monitors, keyboards, headset and mouse. Mom had dinner ready for me after the work install. I've had breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared for me everyday sine I arrived which is pretty sweet after trying to follow Mark's low-iodine diet for two weeks.
Today, Monday 02/28/22, Mark had a follow up appointment with his MD. As of the time of this post I haven't heard how the appointment went. Tomorrow, 03/01/22, after work my dad and I will take my work stuff piece by piece up from the basement and put it in the same box I hauled it down in to Appleton. Tomorrow morning I will pack my clothes, toiletries, electronics and books I thought I would have time to read in my tote bag and satchel so once my work stuff is packed and ready, Apollo and I can leave Appleton and return to Green Bay.
I know how scary a cancer diagnosis can be. Mark wasn't "available" when I had my first skin cancer treatment. He was living at a place in IL called Freedom Farm for AODA treatment. When I had an abnormal mammogram in December 2012, he was there, but he wasn't, mostly by my choice.
Despite my "attention seeking behavior" which I've heard from a dozen therapists through the course of my life, individual, personal medical crises are something I choose to navigate on my own. I don't know why; maybe I don't want to be a burden to anyone? Whatever the reason, I've gone through some significant health matters without the support of my husband. Empathy isn't his greatest strength and I know that so I will downplay my medical stuff with him and seek support elsewhere; i.e., my parents, friends, and coworkers.
Mark is similar in that he doesn't disclose a lot about any medical treatment he needs. I have no idea what he was injected with on 02/21/22 and on 02/22/22. I have no idea what his appointment today was for. Part of that is because Mark doesn't ask a lot of clarification questions because he doesn't want to know the extent of what's going on with him medically, and part of it is because he doesn't understand medical lingo and he won't ask questions to satisfy his understanding because he's embarrassed by the shear need to ask what everything means in layman's terms.
Tomorrow I will know more. Not necessarily the medical details of his follow up appointment from today, but it will be the information in Mark's own way of telling me.
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