Out of Isolation!

 Today I'm officially out of isolation!  I almost feel human again--but honestly I'm totally exhausted.

 2 months ago was my surgery--my scar looks great!

I took a shower this morning (so Ben could hug me) and started wiping down everything to decontaminate what I've touched.

 This is my "I'm happy to be out of isolation" face, but also "I'm so tired already from trying to clean" face so I'll just fake it face.

 Ben happy to be able to be around me!!!

And this is closer to how I feel.

I'm ready to go back to bed, but can't because I'm washing the sheets & mattress cover and have to wait for them to dry.  And I also will need to make the bed again before I could go back to bed!!

I can tell this is going to take more than one day to get all the cleaning done!

So--mixed feelings.  Happy to be out of isolation, but honestly it wasn't too "bad"!  Ben was thrilled he didn't have to make me breakfast & lunch again and I'm also glad I can make my own food now too.  

What I've done so far today:  showered, wiped down everything in the bathroom, gathered all the towels/rugs from the ground (in my room), stripped the bed down, started the 1st load of laundry, fixed my own breakfast, got dressed ("real" clothes), and drove to get the mail.  It's lunch time, but I'm going to rest a bit before I get lunch ready.  Time to go do another load of laundry. 

I'm Officially Radio-Active!!

 Waiting for lunch--Subway doesn't use iodized salt in their bread & so I was able to get a ham sandwich!

 Only 3 more days on my LID!!

Got my hospital tag & waiting for the pill.

 Gotta take a true "Stewart" selfie ;)

Rusty has been so amazing during this "journey"!! 

 Tons of paperwork--every nuclear medicine dispersed is audited so there was a lot of paperwork!

 Didn't have time to take pictures because the Nuke techs didn't want me hanging around!!

All the paperwork & questions had to be answered BEFORE they would even bring the medicine in.

When I was done signing my life away the paperwork, they "kicked" Rusty out.  (He had to go bring the truck to the back door--literally!!)

As soon as he left, they brought my medicine in a thermos-looking container, took out a little vial

It looked similar to this--and quickly had swallow the capsule then sent me out the back door!!  

 I had to sit in the back seat.  On towels.

 I don't look like I'm glowing, but inside I am!!

Based on my dosage (125.7 mci), I should be isolated from adults for 8 days, and kids, pets, & pregnant women for 12 days. So I should be "safe" on the late afternoon of Tuesday, July 25th :)

I do get to start taking my thyroid replacement medicine Monday morning (July 17th) and hopefully within a week or 2 I'll start feeling better! (plus that will also be the end of my LID!!!) 45 days on the LID has been long!

My Whole Body Scan (WBS) is scheduled for Friday, July 28th to see how the radioactive iodine is working (where the uptake is). 

My Radio-Active Iodine Pill Treatment

I will be getting my RAI pill on Thursday, at 3:30 pm.  The hospital (EIRMC) could not get it tomorrow (as we had first planned), so 1 more day before I can start my "glow"

Ironically--I will be getting my pill exactly 1 year from my hysterectomy surgery.  Last year, I was in surgery on Wednesday, July 13, 2016.

This year--on Thursday, July 13, 2017, I will be in the hospital getting my RAI pill to kill off the rest of the cancer!!

On day 3 after treatment starts, I will begin taking my Thyroid Hormone Replacement medicines and hopefully get my body back to hyper-thyroid-ism (tricking my body into thinking my thyroid doesn't need to work at all--since I have no thyroid!!) 

AND...I can stop my LID & eat "normal"!!!

It will be 6 weeks & 3 days when I can stop my Low-Iodine Diet=45 days!!  I cannot wait!!!

About 2 weeks after treatment, I will go in for a whole body scan (WBS) & see where the RAI attached & where it will be "fighting/killing off" the rest of the cancer.  (This is called uptake)

Every 3 months I will be checked & at 6 & 12 months more scans. 

I will be "buddies" with my cancer doctors for the next 20 years.

Some Quick 4-1-1 (info.) about Thyroid, ThyCa & RAI

Thyroid

The job of the thyroid gland is to make hormones that help control heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and weight.

Radioactive iodine treatment

Your thyroid gland absorbs nearly all the iodine in your body. When a high dose of radioactive iodine (RAI), also called I-131, is taken into the body it collects in thyroid cells. The radiation then destroys all the thyroid cells, even the ones that are cancer, with little effect on the rest of your body.

For RAI therapy to be most effective, patients must have high levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH or thyrotropin) in the blood. This substance stimulates thyroid tissue (and cancer cells) to take up radioactive iodine. If the thyroid has been removed, one way to raise TSH levels is to not take thyroid hormone pills for several weeks. This causes very low thyroid hormone levels (a condition known as hypothyroidism), which in turn causes the pituitary gland to release more TSH. This intentional hypothyroidism is temporary, but it often causes symptoms like tiredness, depression, fatigue, weight gain, constipation, muscle aches, vision problems, and reduced concentration. 

Most doctors also recommend that the patient follow a low iodine diet (LID) for 1 or 2 weeks before treatment. (Except my doctor wants 4 weeks of the LID before he tests your iodine level!!)  This means avoiding foods that contain iodized salt and red dye #3, as well as dairy products, egg yolks, anything from the sea, and soy.

Risks and side effects

Your body will give off radiation for some time after you get RAI therapy. Depending on the dose of radio active iodine used, you need to stay isolated to prevent others from being exposed to radiation.  (I will be 8-14 days).  6 foot bubble around me.

Thyroid hormone replacement

If all or part of the thyroid gland is taken out with surgery or destroyed with radiation, you will need to take pills of thyroid hormone to replace the missing thyroid hormones your body needs.

Life After Surgery & Treatment

Most people do very well after treatment, but you may need follow-up care for the rest of your life. This is because most thyroid cancers (ThyCa) grow slowly and can come back even 10 to 20 years after treatment.

I'm Going to Laugh so I don't Cry!!

 I don't get very good cell phone reception inside the house, so when my cell phone rang, I was in the middle of getting dressed (had my top on, but no pants yet).  I thought of just stepping outside on the back porch because no one would be able to see me, but I last second just decided to pull my pants on quickly.

So by the time I tried to answer the phone, I had missed the call.  I quickly called Amy back (she was my ride to town to get my tooth fixed) & then turned around to go back inside.

And the darn door was LOCKED!!!  It opens from the inside, but it's locked from the outside!!  So I was locked out!

 And I was barefoot!

Callum's window was opened, but there was nooooo way I could squeeze in there (if I could have even climbed in that high off the ground!)

My shoe options

Where I can find a hidden house key (I know--it's not hidden anymore if I announce it to the world)--but at least I know the combination to the lock on the door (and don't need a KEY).

But ewwww!!!  Gross pigeon coup poop!!

Yucky!  So that should be the end of my story--right??  Nope!

There was NO hidden key!!  Arrrggg!

And this is when I was sooooo happy that I had decided to put my pants on.  Because I had to go over to Grandpa's to get the house key he has.  So thankfully he was able to find it (after about 10 minutes of looking through his tin box full of 100's of keys).

So the moral of the story:  put the hidden key back kids!!  or maybe always wear pants if you're going outside.

Or make sure the door is unlocked when you go outside.

Anyways--that was my adventure yesterday.

If you want to see the video I put together about this adventure, click here.

Thyroid Cancer Journey in a Nutshell

A quick recap of my Thyroid Cancer journey

May 1st--had trouble catching my breath (out of breath by 9 am!).

Went to doctor at 11 am.  Had EKG (normal), breathing treatment (didn't help one bit), so sent for CT angio scan (blood clots??).  By 4:30 pm (& 2 CT scans later with a mild reaction to the contrast), back to Dr. Baker's with knowledge that there was a growth on my thyroid growing posteriorly (thus why it's been hard to breathe). 

Got this amazing zippered bag in the mail from Laurie (who was in Casper at the hospital while Don was recovering from open heart triple by-pass surgery)

 Later that week--into get ultrasound of thyroid & biopsy.

Rusty was kind enough to buy me strawberry frozen yogurt (no sugar added!)

May 9th:  Phone call from doctor 

Diagnosis=papillary carcinoma of the thyroid (Thyroid Cancer)

May 16th:  Phone call from Pamela

My fun-filled, beloved sister, Laurie, passed away after having surgery on her carotid artery. 

My good-bye sign to the students & their replies

 Laurie's funeral

 

Funeral was Wednesday, May 24th.

Last day of school May 25th & Emmalee's birthday.

May 26th--Surgery to remove thyroid & cancer:

 Heart rate so crazy high.  Having hard time catching breath.

Another CT scan--but it's clear.

So 2 days later, trip to ER.  They give me medicine (in IV) to bring heart rate down.  They are not sure why it's elevated.  Schedule appointment with Dr. Baker & given new blood pressure med.  

Helps!  Finding short bursts of energy (after lots of lounging) 

 Enjoying time with the kids

 Fun sunshine bucket delivered to me from JoEllen Bramwell

June 16th--Rusty's brother, Bill, passes away from his brain cancer/tumor. 

June 2--Started the Low Iodine Diet (LID)

No iodine (sodium is okay, but have make sure salt is NOT iodized)

No dairy, no soy beans, and nothing from the sea.

 Rusty made me bread with un-iodized salt

I eat a lot of fruit & fresh (unsalted) peanut butter.

June 24th--Week 4 of LID, went off all thyroid medicine prepping for my iodine test (collection of urine for 24 hours)

June 30th-- Dropped off urine.  They have to send it out (Seatle I think) for it to be tested.

July 5th--Dr. Hinckley 6 week post-op. check-up.  Everything looking good.

Dr. Baker--back-of the head head aches from high blood pressure (182/112).  Put me back on the first blood pressure medicine in addition to the one he changed for my heart rate.

July 9th--Starting week 6 of LID.  I'm sooooooo ready to be done!

Waiting for results of iodine test so hopefully can get my blood work for thyroid levels & get the Radio-Active Iodine (RAI).

17 days without any thyroid medicines=major brain fog, exhaustion, fatigue, tiredness, aches, etc.

Oops--almost forgot:

July 8th--eating a delicious breakfast (hash browns, egg whites & safe sausage) & a piece of my bottom left molar breaks off.

call to dentist & could of gone in Saturday (emergency call) or can wait until Monday.  It doesn't hurt, so I'm going in tomorrow.

In between all of that, there has been a new summer job for Callum, 4-H for Ben & Emmalee, camping (Rusty, Callum, Ben, Emmalee, Ethan & Tiffany) in Montana, 3 birthdays, and a little bit of de-junking.