"chain,chain,chain,chain,chain,...chain of fools. you got me where you want me. i ain't nothing but your fool. ya treated me me mean, oh, you treated me cruel. ...my doctor said, "Take it easy."... chain of fools. one of these mornings the chain is going to break.. chain of fools, chain of fools, .." Chain of fools, written by Don Covey, and i always listen to Aretha Franklin sing this one!

i had my ultrasound of my neck and lymph nodes, as well as extensive blood work done last week. it is  an out of town trip,about a nine hour round trip, so we spent the night with my daughter and son-in-law. ( that is always something that i look forward to  when i have to do these tests). of course, my blood work results will not be back for about a week or so, but i got the ultrasound results right away. here is the official wording: " No residual tissue or enlarged lymph nodes visualized in either the right or left neck". YIPEE!!  i asked the ultrasound technician to please go over the right area of my neck, near my ear, because when i had my initial visit with the surgeon, two years ago, he was sure i had a positive lymph node in the area under my ear. of course, he biopsied that lymph node and it came back negative. never hurts to check,though. and the ultrasound technician was very nice about doing so.

i hate to admit this, but i was extremely nervous about this test, this time. i have to have these tests done  every six months( the next one is already scheduled for september 27th). i have said that i am grateful that my doctor gives me such good care, but these tests cause a lot of  anxiety for me and my husband. i am not exactly sure why, but i was afraid that there was something wrong this time. when i had my I-131 treatment almost two years ago , the radiologist told me that i had one positive lymph node, and that my tumors were unencapsulated, and diffusely infiltrative into my lymphatic system. two of my parathyroids were malignant, as well. i would not worry as much( ok. i would worry some, because i am a worrier by nature) if everything had been in a neat little package and had not spread. that said though, my initial  full body scan showed that everything was confined to my neck area, and had not spread to my lungs or beyond. sometimes i feel that this cancer has been like a ball and chain around my neck. it is not what defines me, but it certainly is in the definition, if you know what i mean.

if you were to look me up in Websters dictionary, and if i were to be in there, here is what you would see:

bea young-smith, n. 1. devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. 2. spiritual;  loves her family and friends. 3. registered pharmacist. believes that the most important part of her job is to counsel patients and help educate them about their health care so that they can make good choices and be as healthy as possible. 4. thyroid/parathyroid cancer survivor.


i am grateful to be a survivor. and i try to be as positive as i can be in my life. i want to have a good, happy life and not drag this cancer around  with me like a ball and chain. it gets in my way! it makes me angry, and it has definitely changed my life. not all of the changes have been negative,though. through this blog i have met some incredible people. i really appreciate their presence in my life, and i have learned so much from them. and i have had the privilege to meet some other thyroid cancer survivors in my work and we have shared our stories and information. i guess like everybody's life, my life is a work in progress. i just have the added advantage of knowing that i must make the best of my life and be grateful and happy for everything good that comes my way. i am about ready to lose the ball and chain,though. anybody have a saw?