Consultation

To be honest with you I am feeling a bit overwhelmed after the consultation  I had with Dr. Boll yesterday.  He is the Dr. who will be in charge of the radioactive iodine therapy.  There is so much information to digest and this next step is something that I am really not looking forward to.  I am only beginning to  understand what you have been through, Kathy. 

Before I go into what is going to happen and when, I will go into some information about thyroid cancer.  I have Papillary thyroid cancer that is follicular variant.  Follicular is also a type of thyroid cancer.  Follicular variant means it is irregular in shape and not necessarily contained in the thyroid, which was true about mine.  I have the most common  thyroid cancer and accounts for about 90% of thyroid cancers.  The long term outlook for patients is very good but I will have to have check-ups for the remainder of my life.  I also found out for the first time today that the thyroid cancer is Stage 1.  That could change.  At this point in time we do not know for sure if the thyroid cancer has spread.  It is unlikely but  possible. 

 

Now for what is going to happen and when.  On the 17th of May I will go off the thyroid medicine that I am on.  All of it has to be out of my system prior to the procedure.  Going off the thyroid medicine will then force the pituitary gland to make and release a thyroid stimulating hormone.   The Dr. wants that hormone level to reach 50 which is super high from what I was told.   I will develop Hypothyroidism.  Symptoms can include fatigue, forgetfulness, difficulty in concentrating, depression, dry skin and hair, weight gain (ohhhh wonderful!), puffy face and eyes and constipation.  On the 14th of June I will begin a low iodine diet in preparation.  This will help any remaining thyroid cells to better absorb the radioactive iodine that I will be given.   On the 19th of June I will have lab tests to see if my TSH  (thyroid stimulating hormone) level is high enough.  

 

At 8:30am on the 24th I will  be given a full body scan after ingesting a small dose of radioactive iodine.  This will help detect whether the thyroid cancer has spread to other parts of the body and will light up where the remainder of the thyroid cells are.  On 10:00am  on the 25th of June I will receive the radioactive iodine. 

For the following  five days I will need to pretty much seperate myself from others including Curt.  I need to sleep seperately, wash my clothes seperately from Curt’s, double/triple flush the toilet after using it, minimize food prep and a lot of other stuff.  The majority of the radioactive agent will be “passed” within the first two days as long as I drink lots of water to accomplish this.  Maybe this is too much information?     

I will have a follow up scan about a week later, I think I am remembering this correctly.  They will be more definitive with the staging after the procedure is done and the second scan.  I am praying that it has not gone anywhere else!

It is always a downer to go into one of these appointments and hear all of the side effects. (Radiation and radioactive iodine therapy could cause cancer.)   I don’t know why I was not expecting to hear of the possibility that this may have spread somewhere else.  I knew it could but to hear it no matter how remote the possibility  made the appointment a bit more sobering.  For a moment I wanted to scream and cry.  I am so glad that God remembers our “frame” and that we are dust.  He knows, he understands we are frail human beings who experience every emotion that he has given us. 

Ok, Lord.  It is back to remembering that you have everything under control and how very kind and merciful you have been to me/us…and you will continue to be, Lord, no matter what.

Tomorrow is my last day of radiation!!!!!  The Dr. has been very pleased with how good my skin looks.

This morning on the way to radiation I was thinking of an old hymn.  It goes…”His grace is sufficient for me.  And his love is abundant and free.  And what joy fills my soul just to know, just to know that his grace is sufficient for me.”

2 Corinthians 9&10

And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness.  Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong.

I am certainly not there but it is my goal to glory in these very temporary infirmities.  May Jesus help me to do so.

Love,

Carmel