To simplify

So my post yesterday explained a little about how hard I find it at times to explain all this thyroid cancer stuff to people.  Things come up, like WBS (most of us thyroid cancer patients know this as whole body scans) and RAI (or radioactive iodine treatment) that we as thyroid cancer patients learn to understand… eventually.  But how do you explain all this to your co-workers in a way that isn’t giving them too much information, but sharing something with them so they will understand that you might be going through some things, feeling tired, anxious or irritable because of any number of things related to thyroid stuff! I decided to share this email with a handful of people at work so they would somewhat understand why I might be acting a bit differently in the upcoming month.

My email:

Hi there,

I just wanted to update the team on what is happening with me in the next month and a half.  As most of you know, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last year and underwent surgery to remove my thyroid and all of the lymph nodes  on the right side of my neck. This should have removed all of the cancer, but I still have follow-up tests that I must go through each year/month etc.  As a result of having my thyroid removed I have to take thyroid medication daily to regulate my hormones, heart, metabolism etc. To make a long story short, I will have to stop taking my medication in the middle of January and will have a whole body scan to check to see if I am cancer free.  The result of stopping my medication is a very tired, emotional, and possibly anxious me.  Please keep this in mind if you see me acting funny! The best thing for you to do is to ask me how I am doing and to try to be understanding.

(omitted the last paragraph because it talks about logistics and job duties etc. not important to this post.)