MRI scans, signing papers and mixed feelings

Got the letter for the MRI scan

I recently got the letter through for my MRI scan. Whoever folded the letter to put it in the envelope did not do a decent job. The apparently confidential letter was no longer confidential with my MRI details being on display for all to see. 

I have never been for an MRI scan so feeling a bit nervous but my sister is coming up to Preston to be with me for it so I have stocked up my cupboards and fridge ready to get fat with her and pig out. Looks like my sister will have to sleep on the sofa as my boyfriend will complain that he did not get enough beauty sleep. My appointment is at 7:45am! I am not looking forward to getting up super early for it but it has to be done to see whether the cancer has spread to other parts of my body. 

24th September- Scan day

I managed to get up after not much sleep and make the boyfriend and my sister a brew this morning as well as supply them with pastries for breakfast. We set off to the hospital a little later than expected and arrived 15 minutes late but since I was the first one there the nurses did not really mind. I had to get changed into a robe which I was not sure which way it was supposed to go as the nurse did not tell me and I have never had to put one on before. My sister made me put it on the wrong way round which amused the nurse until I corrected it. No one was allowed in with me as it would have taken extra time to fill out more paper work. I had to have an MRI with contrast when I thought I would just be getting a normal MRI. 
I sat down for the nurse to insert a needle into my arm to inject the dye half way through my scan. The nurse forgot to cap the tube sticking out of my arm so a pool of my blood collected on the floor, down my arm and on my gown. She then apologised admitting she had forgotten to cap the tube and cleaned me up. I just shrugged and politely replied with "ah it's OK, I have plenty of blood, I am sure I wont miss a little pool here and there".  I was then led into the MRI room where I lay down on the table and had a plastic case type thing put over my neck, chest and stomach and another one over my head which completely stopped me from moving. I felt as though I was imprisoned, about to be eaten by this giant metal machine whilst thinking to myself, all you have to do is stay perfectly still, how hard can it be when you are already strapped in? I was wearing ear plugs and headphones so that I could talk to the nurse whilst in the MRI machine. Once in there it was very loud and I can get bored quite easily so decided to turn the sounds into songs. For some reason Oh Ho Ho It's magic kept popping into my head. It amused me for a little while I suppose. Half way through the contrast dye was injected to make my veins more apparent during the scan. I have heard that a lot of people experience a warm sensation but to me it was freezing cold, like ice entering my veins and working its way up my arm. After a while it turned warm but my arms went numb so I kept on making fists with my hands to see if me improving my circulation would make a difference... it didn't. 
After an hour it was finally over and I came out with marks all over me from being strapped down for so long. The feeling of the needle being taken out of my arm after an hour was amazing as it was annoying me the whole time I was being scanned.  After I had got changed I was greeted with warm love filled cuddles from my sister and boyfriend as I re-entered the reception. My arm hurt a while after the procedure but gradually felt better throughout the day. I was hoping to include pictures of my experience into my blog but the nurse would not allow them to be taken. 
It got to 7pm and I got a call from the hospital. The first thought that popped into my head was " it is a bit late for them to be calling me now isn't it"? 
The call informed me of my appointment for my surgery consultation on the 26th and that instead of giving me the option to have a month or so to decide the date of my surgery like they originally intended, I now have to have it on the 30th September due to my scans.

I have looked for any useful videos or links related to MRI scans and contrasts that might be helpful so here they are:

MRI scan- Bupa UK

MRI exam

What is getting an MRI like?  

I know this is not the happiest blog right now so here is a picture of a cat looking fabulous to cheer you up a little:

26th September- Signing the thyroidectomy papers

Today I went to the hospital to sign the papers for my thyroidectomy and have my surgery consultation. My Surgeon told my mum, dad and boyfriend who came with me all the risks that would be involved in detail so that we would be prepared if anything did happen during surgery. There were a few possible risks such as:

• Infection
• Not being able to talk properly or having a husky voice
• Not being able to shout or talk loudly
• Tracheostomy
• Bleeding 
• Sore hoarse throat
• Not being able to talk at all

After hearing the risks my surgeon said I would be getting my surgery on Friday when I had already got a call saying it would be the Monday so my boyfriend told her and she rang someone to sort out the dates. Turns out they mixed up the dates so on the Monday I would have been having my deviated septum fixed instead of my thyroidectomy. I could have been going into the hospital for one thing and coming out with another if she did not check! That got sorted out and I was taken to another room for the surgery consultation which consisted of questions such as:

• Family history
• Address/ name/ D.O.B
• Next of kin
• Previous surgeries
• Medication you are taking
• Pregnancy

I was also informed about how long the surgery might take, what ward I would be staying in, if people were allowed in with me, the routine of the procedure. I had to do a few swab tests and have my blood pressure, height and weight checked.
After all this was dealt with I had to have a few blood tests to check if I was anaemic, for a blood transfusion and a few other things. I told the nurse that she might as well use the same arm that the MRI contrast went in so that I did not have two sore arms. She took four bottles which was unexpected and left my arm feeling quite sore due to the previous bruising. 

Mixed feelings?

My family left the hospital that day feeling a lot better about the operation whilst I was still feeling unsure about a few things but I am bound to as I am the one who is having the operation when I have never had an operation before. I know that I am in good hands with a skilled surgeon and that she will do a great job but I am really nervous and the operation is not far away. Will be having my neck cut open in three days, It is enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. I will be fine though and believe that my surgeon is quite skilled in the throat surgery department. Wish me luck!

My next post will include how my operation went and how I feel during recovery. 

Breaking the "C" word to the family

Who would you tell first? 

After finding out that I had Cancer I left calling anyone for a few hours as I thought it would be best if I did not get upset whilst talking to my family and close friends but I also knew that my mum and sister would call that day to see what happened.

A few hours later my sister text me and I did not want to tell her before telling my mum so I tried to stall having a conversation for a bit by saying I need to talk to her later, then I rang my mum. 

We started off talking by having a normal conversation until she asked how the appointment at the hospital went, where I replied saying we were waiting for ages to be seen. Eventually I got round to telling her the results. She was distraught which is obviously understandable. Her reaction made me cry a little bit and I tried to calm her down saying not to worry and everything is OK and it is going to be OK but I don't think that helped. 

My sister/ twin kept on trying to ring me so I answered. She sounded upset so I asked why she was upset. She said she had a bad feeling and asked me to tell her about the hospital appointment. I told her I had bad news and asked if she was away from people. She said she was around people as she was about to start work which made me not want to tell her but she was persistent on hearing the news so I just came out with it. She burst out crying whispering " I knew it" and I tried to calm her down and reassure her that everything will be OK.

My dad was rather chill about the whole ordeal, acted normal and seemed to be fine. It was as if we were having a normal conversation. It was nice and the reaction that I needed at the time to make me feel a bit better about myself. Later on though I found out that he was just as upset as the rest of the family but did not want me to know about it. He had told my aunt as he needed to talk to someone and I got a text off her telling me to stay strong.

My little brother did not take the news very well and was very upset, he did not even want me to ring him but that was most likely my fault for telling him in the wrong way. I won't make the same mistake with my little sister.

Instant reactions

I am still in the process of telling family the news and it is hard as you don't know how to tell them. Everyone reacts differently. I seemed to get quite a few people using profanities and questioning what they heard quite a bit. I think that the best way to tell them is to just be honest and blunt about it so that it is over and done with and then support them whilst they are upset. I think it might be the shock of hearing that someone you love has Cancer, it just gets to a person as you don't expect someone you know to get it. When telling younger people I don't think they need to know all the details as it might sound too scary, they will most likely be happier with just the basics as they will probably find alone a lot to take in. 

How am I feeling about it all?

At the moment I am very unsure on how I am suppose to feel or how other people in the same situation are feeling. I don't feel any different and therefore I don't act any different. I feel fairly numb apart from a few times when I get butterflies in my stomach or my heart starts to beat quite fast when I think about what is ahead. On occasions I might feel like I want to cry for a few seconds but then I am able to hold back the tears and carry on as normal.


Provided here is a link to help you figure out a way of telling the people you love and care for. I found it when I was thinking of how to tell my younger sister about the news:

Macmillan Cancer support- telling your friends and family.

My next post will include me going for my MRI scan and signing the papers for the thyroidectomy. 

If you have any questions just leave a comment and I will try to help you.

Went For Deviated Septum, Came Out With Cancer

Hello there, if you are reading this I am guessing that either you have Thyroid Cancer or you know someone who has it. Well that is the reason I am writing this Blog, so that more people can find the information that they want and need. If you are one of my friends and this is the first you have heard of me having Cancer that is because I don't want a huge fuss being made about it, asking if I am OK is fine but lets stop it at that.

Included in this Blog will be information on how to find out if you have Thyroid Cancer, the tests you have to endure, the operation and some of my own personal experiences with dealing with Cancer. I hope reading this will help you and I will try to keep you updated on everything that is important.

Where did it all begin?

It was the summer holidays for us students and I was living at my boyfriends as his lovely parents decided to give me a place to stay after finishing my first year of Animation. I started to notice that I had a cough and was not able to breathe properly through my nose for a while which stopped me from having a good nights sleep. I also had a sore throat that seemed to want to be persistent. I left it thinking it was probably just a cold lasting a little bit longer than usual or my Hay-fever until a lump in my throat started to form. I could only feel it when I swallowed  but it was not painful and did not bother me too much so I left it for a while. However I did moan about it to my boyfriend who attempted to put up with my complaints. A few months later I decided to go to see a Doctor about not being able to breath properly.

2nd August- first time seeing a Doctor

I went to Omskirk walk in centre where the Doctor told me I had a deviated septum and to go and see my Doctor in Preston. She gave me some nasal drops which did not work, I still can't breathe as well as some antihistamines that made me feel sick.

16th August

I managed to see my Doctor in Preston on the same day that I was handing all of my work into university. He was as happy and helpful being his usual self. I told him my symptoms and he agreed that I had a deviated septum. I told him that I could feel a lump in my throat so he felt it and said he thought I had a swollen thyroid so took some blood tests and arranged for me to see an ENT specialist for my septum. 

30th August- ENT appointment 

This is where things start to get interesting. I went to the hospital and the Doctor did a nasal scope exam where she sprayed this horrible tasting numbing spray in my mouth and up my nose. Then she put a scope in my nose and down into my throat to check if my septum was deviated. Afterwards she told me to swallow then looked at me and asked if she could feel my throat so I looked puzzled and said yes. She looked at me and said she was going to order an ultrasound and possibly a biopsy if I needed one as she could feel my thyroid was swollen and could also feel a lump. She then got me to sign some forms and ordered for me to have some blood tests for my septoplasty to fix my deviated septum.

On the same day I also got my test results back from the 16th August saying everything was normal.

11th September- Ultrasound and fine needle aspiration biopsy 

I went into the hospital with my boyfriend for my ultrasound which I was waiting quite a while for. I did not have a very good experience from the hospital that day as the nurse I was with would not talk to me at all or smile as well as a few things going wrong. I got called in for my ultrasound, this was very simple and did not take long. All that they do is get you to stretch your neck out over a pillow, put gel on your neck and use the probe to see if your nodule is solid or not. If it is solid you have to have a fine needle aspiration. 

I had to wait over an hour to get this done and felt as though they had forgotten about me. When I finally managed to get it done I was not asked to fill any consent forms and was not told about anything that was about to happen during the procedure. For me this was rather painful, my eyes were almost watering. The doctor did not wait long enough after injecting the numbing needle so I felt the first two samples being taken and he took a lot longer than just a few seconds. Not to mention him accidentally cutting my chin with the third needle! I left that day with two plasters on my neck and a bruise, felt like a child again.

My neck showed a bruise on the first day which grew bigger after a few days.
Obviously this is not the case for a lot of other people and the fine needle aspiration is usually less complicated.

I probably had someone who was new or learning as I was at a teaching hospital so they must have been nervous which might have been the reason they did not smile or talk to me.  Here is a video of how it should actually be done:

19th September- Results day

I went to the hospital for my fine needle aspiration results and blood test results. Despite having an appointment at 10:30am I was still waiting an hour later to be seen, obviously the boyfriend was not happy (bless him) as he was dying from boredom. Anyway we was finally called in to be seen. She told us just to sit down outside the door a few minutes whilst she showed the Doctor my results. I must admit I got a bit worried but was telling myself don't be silly its probably just what they usually do.

We was called into the room and it was really quiet for about a minute until the Doctor looked up at me from the results and said:

 "OK Janelle, I have your results........ I am afraid it is bad news"

I just looked over at my boyfriend and he looked back at me and I looked back at the Doctor whilst replying with a simple "OK". 

The Doctor continued to talk.

"Your results show that you have thyroid cancer".

For some reason the first reaction I had was to look over to my boyfriend who had his head in his hands and ask him if he was OK.

The Doctor just looked at me waiting for a reaction, I told her to carry on talking and she did.

" We think that you might have papillary cancer which is the most common type of thyroid cancer, we will have to operate and remove the whole of your thyroid and you will have to be on tablets for the rest of your life"

By this point I started crying so she stopped talking and passed me a tissue. I was apologising for crying and she told me it was a normal reaction. I told her to continue with what she was saying. The nurse was looking over at me like her little heart was breaking and she wanted to give me a cuddle, she kept almost getting up off her chair. She must have only been in her early twenties. 

The Doctor continued talking.

"Your cancer is in the centre of your thyroid which means it could be resting on the nerve to your vocal chords, we won't know if it is until we operate but if it is we will have to cut it and you won't be able to talk again"

I started crying again being a little softy and apologising for crying, now I was given the box of tissues to make sure I had enough for the trickling tears and runny nose. At this point my boyfriend was by my side for support stroking my back whilst the Doctor was talking. The Doctor decided she would talk about it in more detail when I go back for my surgery consultation with my parents and to sign the forms to have my thyroid out. She also told me I would have to have an MRI scan to see if it has spread and exactly where it is. 

My Doctor called in a cancer key worker who had a little chat with me about what to expect and he told me my emotions will be all over the place for the next month or so. He also said if I need to talk about anything he is there or can put me into a support group. He then gave me a folder with some books on understanding thyroid cancer which I have not read yet as well as a diary to write down pretty much everything you could possibly think of. It is split up into sections for everything from what you eat to your medication. 

By the time I left the hospital I was no longer crying and felt as if nothing had happened, completely normal. I might have and might still be in shock or I might just be coping with the news like a boss, we will find out when things start to get a little more serious.

My next post will include how I broke the news to my family and how I am currently feeling about the whole ordeal. If you have any questions feel free to ask by leaving a comment and I will try to help or give advice on the experiences I have had so far. Just remember to smile and keep your head up.

Here is a link to the NHS website that has a lot of information on thyroid cancer  from coping with the news to how common it is and the different types of thyroid cancer. 

NHS Thyroid Cancer