Battle Lines Drawn

The dawn breaks on Monday, March 9, 2015. I have been awake for hours. My daughter, Cheyenne, had a neck injury over the weekend that had inadvertently led to the discovery of a nodule on her thyroid. We were going into the clinic today to get an ultrasound, we hoped. I watched Cheyenne sleep, she was propped up on pillows with the cervical collar in place, out cold from the narcotics and muscle relaxers. I was thankful in this moment because the injury could have been much worse. Yes, there was a nodule, but her spine and bone structure were okay. Thank The Lord for that at least. Whatever was wrong with her thyroid was in for a fight, we would go after it with a vengeance no holds barred!

After getting her up and around, the two of us headed to the clinic. It's really a nice thing when you work for your child's doctor, and he's really nice to boot! We had talked several times over the weekend and when we got there, Dr. Hubbard had already called to see if we could get the ultrasound, and we could. He also explained there was lab work we should do that could show thyroid problems. In technical terms, Chey had a TSH, a T4, a Total T3 and an Antithyroglobulin ab (antibody). The last could show the presence of autoimmune disorders, as well as cancer.

The ultrasound was hard on Chey, she had to put a roll under her neck and mimic the hyperextension she had suffered in the initial collision sliding back into second base. The technician had the screen on and we could both see the nodule. It measured about 2cm (so much for "small nodule") in size and looked like it might be two nodules clustered together. It also appeared to have a blood supply. We discussed it very nonchalant and I was thankful that the lights were off when Chey asked if blood supply was a bad thing.

As my heart raced and my face flushed I looked at the tech and told my child, "We will have to wait and see what the radiologist reads out."

The nausea was rising in my throat, and the buzzing in my ears was back as those two words - blood supply - ran through my mind. With twenty years of nursing experience under my belt, I knew enough that these two words filled me with fear. I couldn't imagine how other parents would take the same information. Would they comprehend the potential for bad news or be oblivious?  I could only hope it was the latter.

We went back to the clinic and the waiting game ensued. The lab work would go out to another lab and take a day or so to complete. The radiologist would read the ultrasound hopefully soon. In the meantime, Dr. Hubbard sent Cheyenne for some physical therapy on her sore neck. She had made the semi-finals in an annual singing competition, Rodeo Rockstar at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo the following night, and she was determined to sing!! That mindset would be indispensable in the future.

I stayed at work and Chey's grandparents played taxi service and sitters after therapy. Dr. Hubbard, knowing my personality perfectly, shared that cancer in Chey's age group was rare. He said he could count the cases he'd seen on one hand in all his years of practice. He explained that she would probably need to see an ENT (ear, nose and throat specialist) regardless, and he personally new one in Abilene. I was appreciative for the information and his genuine concern, but it did not quiet the inner-workings of my mind and intuition by any measure.

After much waiting, the report came back. It read, "Right lobe measures 4.4 x 1.4 x 1.5 cm with a heterogeneous echotexture. A dominant right lobe nodule is identified which is predominantly isoechoic, it measures 2 cm in greatest diameter. This is associated with microcalcifications and is vascular. Further evaluation with percutaneous biopsy is recommended."

That was all it took to instantly send me back into Momma Bear mode, the battle lines were forming and I was in for a couple days of hard research and determined decisions.....

Next time: There and Back Again, a Non-Hobbit's Tale.

XXOO Make Everyday Count,
Bonnie