
Please help Rachel & her family.
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Hi im Serena a friend of Rachel's. We met through a great basketball team our kids were on together. We instantly clicked. Getting to know one another was great fun. We were new to Texas & Rachel welcomed us in with open arms.
Soon after we met Rachel's Roller coaster began. She is very active in her kids sporting events and is their #1 fan & supporter. Please if you can donate to her fight. It truly takes a village and we need to support our village.
March 16, 2024
Happy anniversary to us—no idea our world was getting ready to be shaken
Well, here I am. The last 6 months have been an absolute whirlwind--where do I begin?
I will begin back in October, October 18, 2023. I had a normal morning and went to work as normal. I do not remember feeling tired or hurting more than normal. I do not remember feeling more stressed than usual. I remember being at my desk and following a co-worker out the back door to talk about a case. I do not remember making it to the door. I do remember waking up on the ground with a group of people in my face and am ambulance sitting behind them.
I was taken to the emergency department and transferred to a hospital in Ft. Worth for the next 3 days, much of which I do not remember. I had a multitude of tests run and discharged with instructions to follow up with neurology. It was determined that I had a mini-migraine stroke. God does work in ways that we do not understand--or that we could even orchestrate. Kailyn was not happy with the care I received at the hospital and especially was not happy with the discharge, with very little answers at the time. We sent my patient portal information to one of my girls in Colorado, who promptly asked me what they said about my thyroid. I told her they never mentioned anything about my thyroid. She said it was noted in my records that my thyroid was enlarged and I needed to follow up with an endocrinologist. I put that on the back burner--I had half my thyroid removed in 1992 and thought it more critical to follow up with the neurologist. So we saw the neurologist and the cardiologist. I went through more tests and went to more appointments. Cardiology released me with no further issues. Neurology said they did not feel there was need for further treatment at this time but will continue to see me as needed.
So now it was time to move onto endocrinology. An ultrasound was done on my thyroid that showed 2 "nodules", one larger than the other so the next recommendation was a biopsy of the nodules. A biopsy was done and resulted with the nodules being benign. No worries now right? A sigh of relief! The endocrinologist referred me to a surgeon as an alternative since the larger nodule was in the grey area of the size they recommended to remove. So off to the surgeon I went. The surgeon, Dr. Walker, was very kind and said he was not sure why my whole thyroid was not removed back in 1992. He said either way, keeping it or removing it, was fine. He said he would lean toward removal since the larger nodule was causing some pain after the biopsy. I agreed so off we went to have the other half of my thyroid removed.
The surgery went well and recovery was slow but I am certainly older now so I knew things would look different. What I didn't expect was the exhaustion. Not just tired from anesthesia, utter exhaustion. Like sleeping for a whole day and wanting to sleep more. I couldn't seem to get past it. I would have a good day and then be worthless the next day. I thought it was worth mentioning at my post op appointment.
My post op appointment was scheduled on February 19, 2024. Mine and Vern's 15th wedding anniversary. We had a wonderful lunch and planned for some shopping after my appointment. I had a few questions but nothing I thought was out of the ordinary. Once Dr. Walker arrived in the room, all my questions flew out of my head before I had a chance to ask a thing. The only thing I remember was the word "CANCER" and nodding my head over and over. Even Vernon was silent.
We made it to the parking lot before I could breathe. We both said the same thing--I did not see that coming. We looked over the pathology report that was handed to me. 3 tumors--not 2. All 3 cancer. The larger tumor was identified as invasive follicular variant papillary carcinoma Stage 2. The removal appeared to have clean margins but the recommendation was radioactive iodine treatment.
I told them I didn't want to even begin anything until after Logan's wedding and my kids spring break. My endocrinologist met with me after my follow up appointment, He said he was shocked with my pathology results. He said biopsies detect more than 97% of cancers so he again was shocked. He felt ,my case would be better handled with an oncologist than himself so sent on a referral to oncology. I spent the last 3 weeks navigating the waters of insurance referrals and requesting labs and scans for oncology. And now here we are. The wedding is done. Spring break is wrapping up. Time to move to the next step.
My appointment with oncology was March 19. I followed up again with Dr. Walker on March 22. I hoped to end the week with a treatment plan.
If you have made it this far, thanks for hanging in there--I know it was a long read. Therapeutic for me to type it all out for sure!! I have not taken much time to really think about where this all goes. I have thought about my kids and what this could look like for them and that hurts me. I don't want to see them in pain.
So the journey begins.
March 20, 2024
My appointment with oncology. I can't really say I feel better or more confident after that meeting. I was hoping for a clear direction of where we are going but I did not get that.
So they took more labs. He wants to order thyroid injections to raise my TSH levels and then measure my tumor markers. Again—he has to get insurance approval for the injections so is hoping those can start in a couple weeks. I will need one injection a day for 4 consecutive days. Those will need to be done in Granbury, 45 minutes away. After the injections he measure the tumor markers and possibly a scan. At that point he will make a decision for Radioactive Iodine Treatment (RAI). He sends his patients to his colleague in Ft Worth for RAI but says I’ll need to be prepared to deal with that at home—and stay away from my kids(clearly he does not have kids).
Currently I feel like crap. I am so tired and feel nauseous--maybe I will finally lose some weight!!! He said I will continue to feel like crap and likely get worse through the injections.
The medication I’m currently on will need adjusted but that cannot happen until after he decides about RAI. Overall , he was very brief and short. He did not think my melanoma was related at all but will get those records to get more information on that.
So I don’t know that I feel like I have a better plan. Mostly more waiting and feeling like crap. I am not convinced I really like the oncologist--he did not have the best office communication but his notes were very clear so that made things a little better.
If you were one of the few to get this, you are one of the few I have told. It is a weird feeling to think of myself being the one with cancer....just one of those things I didn't think I would deal with--although my life seems to be a series of many " I'm so sorry this happened to you" events. I am tired of those....
People have asked what they can do. I have NO idea when they ask me and it feels so awkward in the moment. I have tried to think about that question--and I have told some people to ask Kailyn but that's not really the best answer. I am worried about my kids. Jaxson has had the hardest time and we have not really told much to the little girls, other than Mommy is sick. My big girls are learning to be more help. Vernon is working overtime. Kailyn helps run kids when needed. Logan and Bri have offered to come help when they are off. Prayers--so many prayers. Prayers for my family to stay connected, especially Vern and I. Prayers that I can find goodness in each day and time for each of my babies. Prayers that I see God working in the middle of this. Prayers for peace through the waiting. Prayers for emotional support--for all of us!!! And prayers for the practical things--energy to take care of dinners and laundry, for the extra responsibilities my kiddos are going to have to take on, finances as more medical bills come in and expenses increase going out of town so much.
This little blog is as much for me as it is for anyone else. This season will be more than another chapter. God will use this to His glory and this will not beat us.
March 21, 2024
The oncologist called. My TSH levels are high and my tumor markers are high so without the injections, he recommended the radioactive iodine treatment. He wants to do a CT scan next week to check for additional tumors and will start the referral process to the oncologist in Fort Worth and my insurance. So the treatment should start in the next 2 to 4 weeks.
March 22, 2024
Today started strong. I got an early call to schedule the CT scan for Wednesday.
The new oncologist called by noon to let me know they submitted the referral to my PCP and were waiting for that then she would be scheduling me to come in. She asked me to follow up with my PCP on that because she submitted it as urgent. I called my PCP who said they were working on it.
Today was not my best day. I am exhausted today and have been nauseous all day. I was able to make it to Ava’s softball game but came straight home to bed. I’m so over feeling so yucky!!!
Organizer and beneficiary
Serena Follman
Organizer
Dublin, TX
Rachel Williams Maddry
Beneficiary