The human body is an amazing machine…we all have the same body organs and systems and yet we are as individual and unique as snowflakes. God made each one of us different and amazing. This is so very evident when speaking about what chemo, in my case, Interferon can do to the body. There are those that sail through the therapy with nary a side effect. I admire these people for their ability to adapt to the harshest of situations.

I have always been extremely tolerant to medications and surgeries and therapies. The one exception so far is Interferon. Right from the very beginning my body reacted as if it were under attack by a lethal enemy. From severe and persistent vomiting, to debilitating body pain and ultimately a destruction of my white blood cells, platelets and sending my liver into a toxic state, with the “splendid” side affect of turning on the switch to allow multiple basal cell cancers to grow rapidly.

Because of this, Interferon chemotherapy was discontinued. I will always question whether this was the right decision as the mitotic rate of the cancer was 15 which is very aggressive. I was not, however, willing to compromise and ultimately loose my liver to decrease my chance of recurrence by a mere 7%.

Thinking that once the Interferon was discontinued, I could get back to my pre-illness state. This is so far from the truth as to be labeled science fiction. My final dose of Interferon was on Halloween of 2013. The holidays came and went without any improvement of my symptoms of severe fatigue. I could make it through a busy workday but upon arriving home, struggled with the duties of a wife. Making dinner was quite a challenge and some days my husband wouldn’t even allow me to attempt it. He is not a cook, God love him, but is always so willing to go out in any weather to get anything that I might feel like eating.

The months were filled with so many different doctors appointments that I had a calendar just for this purpose. Multiple biopsies, multiple surgical resections to remove the prolific basal cell cancers, countless MRI’s and CT scans filled a very busy schedule. But low and behold, the fatigue started to lift. It was as if a curtain was being slowly raised to reveal a more alert and a renewed energy. Now, don’t think that my energy level was anywhere near normal. It certainly was not, but to complete a day’s work and be able to make dinner and clean up and actually stay up for a couple of hours was such a joy. I thought that finally I had turned a corner.

We had planned a trip to Florida as an escape from our horrible New England winter. This was planned in March. We did go on this trip but it was very taxing and depleted my newly renewed energy. Thinking that it was probably too soon to have attempted this trip, I just got back to my everyday living and working and the duties of home. This new wrinkle of resumed fatigue seemed to be getting worse and worse. I tried resuming an exercise regime of walking 3 – 4 times a week, 2 to 3 miles each time. Sometimes I could complete this and sometimes I would feel near collapse. To add to my concern, despite the fact that I was participating in as much exercise as I possibly could, and my eating habits had not changed one bit, I started to notice a slight gain in weight. This continued for a couple of months until at last I went to my primary care Physician. By the time I saw Dr. Greenier, I was in a bad way. I felt absolutely horrible, lacking any energy at all and feeling helpless to understand why. I had lost 2/3rds of my hair after the Interferon therapy, but was seeing some baby hair growing back, just to start loosing all my eyelashes. Clearly, there was something amiss. Dr. Greenier did blood work and sure enough, yet one more gift of the Interferon therapy, my thyroid was dead. This was causing the severe fatigue, weight gain, irritability and the loss of eyelashes and eyebrows.

I think that the only reason that I have been able to endure all of these setbacks is because my husband, my rock, my encouragement has never wavered. He has never lost his smile or his positive attitude. He repeatedly tells anyone who will listen that “life is indeed good”.

So treatment for my dead thyroid began 2 weeks ago and there is hope for renewed energy. My husband introduced me to Ogunquit, Maine during our courtship and it has been a favorite destination of ours ever since. We have made dear friends of the Innkeepers at Rockmere Lodge. My husband takes me there every year. We have just returned from this serene and magical place with a renewed peace of spirit and restored hope for a healthier summer.

One more challenge faced and conquered due to faith and hope and the cherished love and acceptance of my husband and family. LIFE IS INDEED GOOD.