Thyroid Cancer Update 05/22/2009
One of the readers noted that I haven’t posted an update in a while, so I thought it might be a good time to do just that.
I saw my endocrinologist earlier in the year. They took blood samples to identify the level of thyroglobulin protein in my blood. This test, as I understand it, is an indication of how well the surgery and radiation therapy did its job in eliminating thyroid tissue and thyroid cancer cells. The test results indicated that my level was “undetectable” which indicates that they probably got all the cancer. There will be annual tests from now on to monitor that protein level, the increase of which would be a likely indicator of the return of the cancer.
At one of my last visits, my thyroid hormone level was checked and was found to be a bit low. I’m now taking the same dose I was before, but I take an extra half pill on Sundays. They will check my level again in a few weeks to see if it’s good as it is, or if I need to take more of the Synthroid.
For the moment, the worst of the cancer and treatment are behind me.
I was asked how I’ve been feeling of late, now that we’re into a more “maintenance mode” for the cancer and thyroid hormone. Before I answer that, it’s important to note that I suffer from some other medical issues that may or may not be impacting things. For example, I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, which is an illness that occurs for as-yet-unknown reasons and causes a person to feel pain in otherwise-healthy areas (usually muscles and joints). I’ve also got high blood pressure and take medication for that.
Given the above context, I can tell you that before the thyroid cancer diagnosis, I would occasionally get muscle cramps. This would happen maybe every other month, varying in severity from uncomfortable to “painful as all-get-out”. Usually if I took an over-the-counter potassium supplement or ate a couple of bananas it would go away for a long time.
Since my thyroid was removed, the frequency and severity of these muscle cramps (commonly referred to as “Charlie Horses”) has increased. It’s now almost a daily occurrence that I have a moderate-to-severe muscle cramp somewhere. This past week, I’ve had several, some occurring during my sleep and causing enough pain to wake me out of a deep sleep. At about 4:30am last night, I had a severe pain in my left calf and thigh, and a less-severe one in the right calf that woke me up and forced me to stand at the edge of the bed. I was in so much pain that I couldn’t keep as quiet as I wanted to, and ended up waking my wife. I’m still carrying that pain with me.
A low thyroid hormone level is one possible cause of muscle cramps according to what I’ve read online. Certain blood pressure medications (specifically hydrochlorothiazide) can also cause this. So can low potassium levels. So can a long laundry list of other things. I mention this because it it COULD be related to the thyroid treatments, but I have not had a chance to consult with my doctors to get their opinion. What I can tell you is that whatever is causing these pains, they’re beginning to disrupt my life quite a bit. It doesn’t seem to take a great strain to trigger one of these. A gentle stretch, a bend of the arms or legs, etc., can set one off.
Apart from the muscle cramps, which are hard for me to ignore, I’m otherwise doing fine. Once a month I refill my synthroid prescription. If I run out, I notice that I’m more easily tired and what I assume is the fibromyalgia acts up. I tend to stay on top of this prescription far better than I do some of my others as a result.