It’s funny how time can feel longer or shorter than it actually is. Take for example, doctor’s appointments. We tend to make them so far in advance, and then they disappear from our minds. Or, we totally forget to make…
Let’s Catch Up!
Is anyone else hitting a “pandemic wall,” so to speak? I was doing fairly well sticking to my daily routine…until last month that is. By the end of January, I felt as though I had lost all sense of time…
How I Cope with Scanxiety as a Cancer Survivor
It seems appropriate that my yearly neck ultrasound and six-month appointment with my endocrinologist occurs in January (and always on the 17th, no less), which not only marks the start of a new year but is also Thyroid Disease Awareness…
The Follow-Up
Last week, I saw my endocrinologist for what should have been my six-month follow-up, but was more like nine months (it was bit delayed due to my travel plans back in October and needing to reschedule the appointment). Even though…
Struggling with Scanxiety? 5 Ways to Cope with Upcoming Scans
Scanxiety…the very real (and often times, terrifying) feeling a cancer patient or survivor has when an upcoming scan is approaching. Perhaps you’ve experienced your own version of scanxiety when your doctor sends you for blood work or some other test….
The Glamorous Life of a Thyroid Warrior
It’s amazing to me how much the simple act of getting my blood drawn these days can instill so much panic. Pre-thyroid cancer, I wouldn’t have batted an eyelash over having to go for lab work. I wouldn’t have cared…
Life Lately
We all need a break from time-to-time. While taking a day off from our day job may not always be feasible, enjoying a respite from our side-hustle should be. After the weekend, I felt like I needed a break. I…
What My Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis Taught Me
This past weekend, April 2nd, marked the three-year anniversary of my thyroid cancer diagnosis (you can read the full story here). It’s not something I choose to commemorate, but rather something my mind never lets me forget. Like it was…
The Doctor Will See You Now…
Three years after my thyroid surgery, the struggle to find a good endocrinologist is real. If you are a fellow thyroid patient, perhaps you can relate. The first time I heard the word endocrinologist I had no idea what kind…
The March Agenda
The new month feels a little shorter when you sleep through the first week of it. I’m finally starting to feel like myself again after losing the battle to cold-maggedon (thank you Sudafed and Robitussin!). Today will be the first…
Losing My Butterfly
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the base of the neck. Ironically, Vanessa, in Greek, means butterfly. Two years ago yesterday, on April 2, 2013, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and lost my butterfly. I remember…
Supporting ThyroidChange
{Image Courtesy of ThyroidChange} In observance of Thyroid Awareness Month, I am pleased to introduce and support ThyroidChange, a nonprofit organization, which began in 2012 by a thyroid patient looking for answers and options amongst the medical community. As a…