Catching You Up…

Hi everyone.  The purpose of this blog is to keep everyone up to date on what is happening as we face my  breast and thyroid cancer.   This is an easy way for us to keep you all informed.

To bring everyone up to speed my health issues started 2007 with kidney stone attacks in March and September that ended up helping to diagnos PARAthyroid disease in November 2007.

Parathyroid disease happens when one (or more) of the 4 parathyroid glands becomes abnormal and goes into overdrive pouring calcium into a person’s bloodstream pulling calcium out of your bones in the process.  This makes a person just not feel well.  The only cure is surgery.

Many tests were done trying to locate the diseased parathyroid one of them being an ultra sound of the neck.  Although it did not show the parathyroid problem that test did show 4 nodules in my thyroid which were then biopsied for the possibility of cancer and came back negative.

Parathyroid surgery took place on December 28th.  The very same day the surgery was performed one last test was done, a Sestamibi Scan (nuclear medicine) which did indicate for the surgeon where to look for the parathyroid gland that was diseased.

Let me take time to explain how I found my surgeon, Dr. Dan Kletzing.  I had really done my research on this disease after I was diagnosed and was looking for a surgeon that knew his stuff and was very familiar with the issue I was facing.  It is such a delicate surgery and one that I kept reading how important it was to pick the right surgeon.  So, I started out with a recommendation with Dr. Isaacson from the South Bend Clinic, then Dr. Dan Kletzing and even went to Indianapolis to see Dr. Scott Hackett.  I had decided during the appointment with Dr. Hackett that he was the one that I would use as my surgeon but after checking his schedule and the hospital’s schedule down in Indy it was determined that he could not get me in before the end of the year.  This was important because I had met my deductible.  God directed me back to Dr. Dan Kletzing who is a Christian man and had done several surgeries on Curt.

The surgery was successful and Dr. Kletzing found the diseased parathyroid and removed it a long with another portion of the thyroid gland.  His comment was that “something” told him to take another sample.  Thank you, Lord that he did because if he had not then the Papillary Thyroid Cancer I was diagnosed with on January 7th would have been missed.

They say that out of all the cancers a person can have this is the one you want because it is one of the most curable cancers of ALL cancers that humans get.

There is no doubt that God used Dr. Kletzing in a very special way as His man to bring the thyroid cancer to light.  In my opinion it could have been overlooked because of an initial “clean” biopsy.  AND how many times have you heard a Dr. or surgeon tell you that he had been praying about your situation?  Dr. Kletzing told me that just prior to surgery.

Back to December 13, 2007.  I had my yearly mammogram done.  I usually get them done at St. Joseph Medical Center but they could not fit me in before the end of the year so they directed me to XRC (Xray Consultants) where I had the most comfortable mammogram I have ever experienced.  They use cushions while performing them which make a world of difference.  I received a letter from them no more than a week later asking me to come back in for additional imaging. The earliest I could be put on their schedule was January 4, 2008.

On appointment day they did additional imaging, then told me I needed an ultra sound done which was done immediately at the same facility and afterwards the Dr. told me that I needed a biopsy.  It was scheduled to be done on December 8th.   The day it was performed we were able to ask questions that I could not think to ask the day they informed me I needed a biopsy because I was so stunned to hear that news.  I was told it was very small.  I told the Dr. that I could not even feel it and his response was that I would not have been able to.  He then added he was surprised that the radiologist detected it because of the size.  THANK YOU, LORD!  It could have gone a whole year longer until my next mammogram.

The evening of January 10th we received a call from Dr. Kletzing about the results.  I wanted him to be the one to call because of his tremendously tender bedside manner and also because of his connection with being my surgeon on the issue of thyroid cancer.  He told Curt and I that I have ductal carcinoma/breast cancer.   He made sure that we knew that the first priority is the to get the breast cancer treatment under way prior to anything being done on the thyroid cancer.  He gave us recommendations on two surgeons…Dr. Tim Noveroske and a Dr. Poulin both from the same medical practice.  He said his office would call Dr. Noveroske (our choice because he is also a Christian man and in his eyes as good a surgeon as Dr. Poulin) the next day to set up an appointment time so we could get things going.  Before hanging up he told us he was praying for us.

Dr. Kletzing ended up NOT waiting until the next day.  He called Dr. Noveroske that evening and faxed over my paperwork to him.  That was Thursday evening.  Yesterday morning prior to 9am Dr. Noveroske called us.  He said that the nodual was 6mm, tiny and slow growing.  I do need to have a lumpectomy done and during that surgery the lymph nodes will be checked as well.  The follow up treatment will be radiation, more than likely and IF it has spread then chemo.  My appointment with him is this coming Tuesday morning (1-15-08) at 8:30am.  I am hoping by that time he will also give us a date for surgery.

Needless to say, Curt and I have had a lot to digest within this past week and are shell shocked.  I told him last night that I never imagined the word cancer would be connected to my name but it is so we want to get the ball moving and be aggressive about my treatment.

We are amazed at God’s leading us through all of this and have on so many occasions recognized Him protecting and guiding us.  ALL the glory goes to HIM.

On the flip side of the coin we also recognize our enemy working.  He wants us to stay bound by fear and hopelessness.  To the very best of our ability we are not allowing him a foothold.  I told the Lord that I am going to have a positive attitude along this journey and flood my mind and heart with scripture, prayer and songs that are all uplifting.  It is a daily mental battle for sure and a learning experience each step of the way in the spiritual and medical world.

We want everyone to know that God is a great God and faithful.  Our prayer is that He would use these circumstances for His honor and glory.  We want Him to use us as a testimony to His goodness.

Our prayer requests beside those are…

That God would move the treatments along as soon as possible and that each person involved with my treatment would be of the highest quality. 

We also need His wisdom for decisions that need to be made by us and the medical community, among those how to put each treatment in order.

We are asking Him to continue to encourage our hearts and provide us with the peace and comfort that we need for this journey.  Not only us but for our family members as well.

Curt needs to keep making a living to provide for us so ask God to bless our income extraordinarily.  I am also concerned that he stay healthy.

*Psalm 57:1-2

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me, for my soul trusteth in thee.  Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be passed by.  I will cry unto God most high; unto God who performeth all things for me.