Feeling Better

This evening I am starting to feel much better...it was probably because I've watched 4 movies so far in 3 days, which I seriously can't tell you the last time, I have ever done that.  Maybe when I was a kid!!!  My face and neck are still a little swollen, but I have no pain and the nausea is almost gone.  Many thanks to Patty for bringing over Outback for dinner last night and Melissa for pizza tonight.  It is nice to have a dose of Aussie Cheese fries and pizza to round out the end of my healthy low-iodine diet I had been on for a week (what seemed like forever!).  I really enjoy eating healthy, but a break every now and then is nice too :)  I really miss my family, so am incredibly thankful that tomorrow Nate and Mikayla will be coming back.  I can already anticipate the hugs!!!  Hopefully it is all up from here from a feeling good standpoint.  I expect my energy levels to continue to increase and the swelling to go away.  Thanks to everyone for the support and prayers.  I couldn't have gone through any of this without my amazing support system.  Much love to all!!!!

I'm Radioactive

Yesterday I went to the hospital.  They had me check in like I was a regular patient and gave me a write band with an ID.  I then went to the nuclear medicine department where I was brought to a little room where they handed me a vile with two pills.  They stepped out of the room, had me take the two pills, measured my radioactive level and sent me home.  Pretty painless, I thought.  I then went home to my empty house and just relaxed all afternoon.  I watched the Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog and started reading a really interesting book called "Heaven in For Real" - an account of a 4-year old's near death experience and his compelling discussions on how he saw a glimpse of heaven.

This morning, I woke up around 5:30am and my salivary glads were really swollen and painful.  They had told me it may affect these glands, so I was supposed to chew gum and hard candies yesterday to help with this.  So I sat in bed for a half hour and chewed some gum and it slowly felt better.  I didn't really get up until 10 today because I was exhaused.  Today my throat and glands are swollen and I am having some nausea, which are all common side effects.  Luckily, I really have nothing to do but relax, so that is nice.  I finished the book this morning and thought it was a really enjoyable read if anyone is interested.  I think that is the first full book I have read in about a year, which is attributed to being a busy mom of a toddler!  Back to some rest and more movies/books.  I anticipate only feeling better from here.

Good News

Today I called the nuclear medicine group and got connected to Donna, the most wonderful lady!  She told me they could fit me in today and that I should be at the hospital in an hour.  So I went and had the consultation with the doctor today and tomorrow they will administer the radioactive iodine pill at 1:30.  Since I will have to be isolated for this, Nate and Mikayla will be staying with friends for the next few days and I will be at home.  Fortunately I only need to be away from people for 3 days, so they can come back on Saturday.  Today I am feeling extra tired, so am so thankful to have it moved up a week.  What a blessing!  The day after I take the radioactive iodine pill I will start my permanent thyroid medicine, so that should help me start to feel better.  It should take about a week for me to get my energy back, so I don't plan to go back to work until July 25th.

Thanks to everyone for thier thoughts and prayers.

Update

The past few weeks, my life has been a whirlwind of emotions.  Most everyone knows that my mom was killed in a car accident on Monday the 20th.  This was extremely tragic for our family because we were all so close and she was the most amazing person we all have ever known.  I spent that week going through memorial arrangements, coordinating with family and just "getting through" it all.  Despite everything, I decided to not delay my treatment for my thyrooid cancer, so I got off my thyroid medication and started my low iodine diet last Sunday.  On Monday I did bloodwork and met wtih my endocrinologist for a check up.  That day they said my thyroid levels had alread dropped enough for me to start the radioactive iodine treatment.  They referred me to the Nuclear Medicine Group through the hospital where I will have an initial consultation and be givin the radioactive iodine.  This is currently scheduled for July 12th - consultation and July 13th - pill administration.  The reason it is taking so long is that is the only time the doctor was available.  I have to go through a scheduling person to do this, so don't actually talk to people in the department.  Since I don't want to be tired for that long, I plan to call the department on Tuesday to see if they can fit me in any sooner.  I was feeling pretty good up until yesterday, but now I am really wearing down.  Each day I have to sleep in and when Mikayla takes her nap, I do too.  Whenever I get tired my brain gets fuzzy, so I start to forget things.  I am thankful because I have friends who are bringing me dinners every day so I don't have to worry about what I am eating, which is absolutely wonderful!

This past Thurday I had my follow-up appointment with the surgeon at the Mayo clinic and he was pleased with my healing, especially my voice.  It is coming back really well, which is encouraging.

The only way I am making it through this difficult time is because of my relationship with God, and support from my husband, family, and friends.  This is not something one can do on thier own.  I am tired and broken, but I am ok.  I am blessed by the love and encouragement that is surrounding me now and I know my mom is watching over me.  Every day is different and has new challenges, but I am making it through and looking forward to the end of July when I have my energy back.  Much love to all.

Cooking

I love to cook.  Not bake....cook. And I love to try new recipes.  This Saturday I get off my thyroid medication and need to start my new low-iodine diet.  I plan on cooking some new recipes that I found in this low iodine cookbook and freezing them for when I get really tired.  If anyone is interested in making me some food while I am tired, check this link out!

http://www.thyca.org/ThyCa%20Cookbook%20011804.pdf

Updates

Good news!  I got my bloodwork back today and it looks like my calcium is improving.  Now I only have to take 6 calcium pills a day rather than 9 ;)  I guess that means my 3 parathyroids that are left are recovering, so that is great.

I spoke with my doctor and we changed the date for me to get off the temporary hormone and to start my new diet to June 25th.  After that, I will get bloodwork each week to see what my hormone levels are.  Once they reach the magic level they will make an appointment for me with the Dr. from the nuclear medicine group to get my radioactive iodine pill.  The unfortunate thing is that this makes it difficult to plan because I won't know exactly when I am going to get the pill until the last minute.  The goal is for it to happen around the week of July 10th.

For now, I am feeling great.  I even did a jog/walk on Monday for 30 minutes and it felt wonderful.  Life is good :)

More Information

I spent the past two weekends celebrating my 30th birthday and it was awesome!!!  I seriously have the most amazing family and friends and am so thankful that they made it so special for me.  The best part is I have felt really well the past week.  My energy level has been good and I've been sleeping good at night. 

Today I had my follow-up appointment with my endocrinologist to discuss the rest of my treatment.  The plan is to do my radioactive iodine treatment after the 4th of July.  To prepare for the treatment, I stop taking the temporary thyroid hormone, which will put me in a hypothyroidism state meaning I will be tired and cold.  The plan is to stop taking the medication on June 20th.  After this date I will be getting my blood checked weekly to evaluate my thyroid hormone levels to see when they are low enough to undergo the treatment.  I also will have an iodine-restricted diet for the few weeks before the treatment.  The purpose of this is to rid my body of as much iodine as possible so the radioactive iodine is more effective.  The doctor gave me a list of foods that I CAN eat during this diet:

Fresh meat
Poultry
Potatoes or rice
Wheat or rye bread
Fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables

I am not allowed to eat anything from a restaurant, dairy, seafood, chocolate, soy products...Basically I should be super healthy after the few weeks of this diet are up!

I will be meeting with a doctor from the nuclear medicine department who will administer the radioactive iodine to me.  I still have to set that appointment up, so I don't know the exact date of the treatment yet.  My doctor gave me some paperwork with some post-treatment information and said I would get more details from the nuclear medicine group.  Once I take the radioactive iodine pill I will have to have limited contact with people for 3-5 days.  More details to come....