Hi all.  I had a total thyroidectomy in 2019. I had my first annual RAI a few days ago and the Nuclear Medicine Dept has decided to give me another dose tomorrow. I was wondering if any of you have had several RAI post total thyroidectomy and how it has affected your quality of life. ... View more

Hi DJ, your post and in particular many of the replies brings many upsetting feelings to the surface for me. Although I'm not technically a survivor, everyday I wake-up I remind myself that I have survived another 24 hours. I no longer disclose my medical state nor any detailed personal history. Past relationship experiences have clipped my openness and honesty and I dump all obvious symptoms on my increasing age. Actually I look quite normal, whatever that is. Attempting to rekindle relationships with old  buddies has been surprising and in a few cases really shocking. Some simply dont wont to go anywhere near a discussion and others already have their opinions. Seems that some even have more knowledge about me than I do. My general attitude is if you dont wanna friend me because I'm sick then your're not worthy of my friendship anyway.  I hope everyone here is doing ok today and survive another day. My LOVE to you all. ... View more

Dearest Steve... I also had no support during chemo and after. I've lost nearly all my friends. Not one has asked how I am and how I'm doing. Not only did my friends desert me my parents also did. Kicked me out of the apartment they had for me while going through chemo...they said I complained to much and  shunned me even more for taking pain pills. I had become a junkie to them. Why can people not understand this horrible disease? I am 6 months out of chemo and still feel i haven't gotten a clear answer if is gone. every time i went to dr. It was everything looks great only to go into the hospital for SOB and be told there were three lymph nodes they were still looking at. My symptoms have started again. I feel abandoned from every corner. Dealing with cancer i thought would be the worst..no..now i have neuropathy and absolutley miserable. I'm scared and fed up that i may never get back to normal.  ... View more

Yes I swam with the dolphin and one kept pushing on my left side with its beak. I later found out I had cancer in my left kidney. ... View more

I just finished reading this wonderful book. Two days it took - says it all. Thank you Harker for so eloquently telling the world how it was/is for you and while each of our experiences is different, the similarities are there for each of us. My experience has not been nearly as fraught as yours but for all of us the common threads are there. The line "I sensed for the first time that I am changed" resonated completely with me. For me it was the day I had my picc line put in and then asked directions to the oncology unit. I had no-one with me, and as I walked towards the sign I realised that I was no longer someone who had only had major surgery - I was now a cancer patient. Nothing is ever quite the same again, is it? Once again, thank you. ... View more

hi Barb, I just posted re your retreat post as well. Sounds lovely! Yes the weather is a bit up and down here and knocks me around a bit sometimes. I've got a check up in about 4 weeks so am mentally preparing for that. I've also been trying to do some spring cleaning and throw some stuff out that's been cluttering up the place forever. I got invited to a writers group by a new friend I made and it was quite good. I was writing a sort of journal just for myself really. But I had also started to write a fiction fantasy novel a long time ago and have been thinking about that just for fun. I like to spice things up a bit when things start to get a bit mundane, so the writing could be the go. Finding the time is the tricky part, hope you're having a good weekend, Jenna ... View more

Hi Pamela, hi Fee, Pamela, I think specifically Fee is referring to the (low) thyroxine levels that she is on. Thank for the link and the info, I'll take a look. It's all very interesting and all helps :) ... View more

Hi felix, is there any reason it was republished with changed visibility settings and is no longer available in its original form outside of that private group? Just curious. Sarah ... View more

Hi Nic41, sorry if it's too late to aswer your question - were/are you asking about high-protein diets? Why not just good quality meat? From what I understand about cancer, there's discussion that sugar is a no-go, so maybe not any sweets (Sustagen). Hope you staying strong. Sarah ... View more

Hi lnvs, hi all, this has been an area of special attention for me. I have wondered continually about the connection, and have viewed many a paper and article to support this connection. The connection goes something like this: Trauma=disruption/interference to nervous system=breakdown/exhaustion of immune system. Cancer begins as a virus, something that lives as a potential for all people. It is the immune system's ability to fight the virus that is key to "getting" cancer. If the immune system is in some way challenged in cannot do this. But, there are other things that can compromise the immune system too, such as digested toxins - ie poisons (food), electrical charges (wi fi and the like), microwaves... etc, etc. These all, in someway, provide the same results to the nervous system as a traumatic experience - essentially they are all traumas, all disturbing the nervous system, and thus immunity. Please keep in mind that this is a simple explanation of something more complex. ... View more