My thyroglobulin levels are elevated, 6.2ng/ml. I don't even know what ng is. Nanograms? What I do know is that for someone who recently had a total thyroidectomy, my levels should be close to zero. And they are not. I read that anything above 5ng/ml indicates recurrent cancer. I also read that every 1ng translates to roughly 1g of thyroid (or thyroid cancer) tissue. If you round down, that's 6g. Six grams of cancer. I am sure this is not medically accurate. But in my mind I see the little brass weights we used on balance scales in science class. Small but also not insignificant. Especially significant if those 6g are located elsewhere in my body. Metastasic. The blood test can't tell us where they are living, only that they are somewhere inside me.
What does this mean? It means more treatment, more worry. More sickness, more missed work. More risks, more long-term side effects. More disruption to my life, and the lives of those around me. More of all the things I don't want at all. More, but I hope not too much.
Six grams of cancer. None of this seems real. In two months more tests, more blood work, more decisions. Until then, I will try not to think about it.
