10.22.2010

Updates

Monday is exactly my half way point in school.
It's been great.

My chef instructor liked the way I work in class so he recommended me to Balthazar's bakery and since last Friday, I am newly employed!  It's been a very tiring week so far but I feel like it's been such a great thing that happened to me.  I'm that much closer to getting where I want to go.  Never had any industry experience but to be able to start out my future pastry career at such a well recognized establishment is such a great start.
I mean, there are people who have to start from little no named places for years before being able to get a job at such a well known place but I am starting there from the get go!

I really have my chef instructor to thank for the start of my prominent pastry career!

9.01.2010

Goodbye... SUCKA! An tribute to the one person I despise most in the world.

Oh S.  Pimpled, chubby, annoying S.
I have spent the last 4 years having to see your face the first thing in the morning, 5x a week.
You were worse than a disease.  I couldn't get rid of you but for 2 days a week.

I hate how you think you're the nicest person in the world.
I hate how you think you are SO considerate.
I hate how you look. Period.
I hate how you pretend to be sick, only when the boss is around, while being able to lift a 5 gallon water bottle all by yourself.  Exaggeration of illness, much?
I hate how you always say you should start exercising but you never do.
I hate how you complain about how shitty your husband treats you, but you treat him worse.
I hate how you pretend your voice is so soft spoken, when really its very harsh.  I heard you on the phone with your husband, drop the act.
I hate how you think you're so fashionable, but no amount of money will buy you style.
I hate how you think you could just buy several pairs of stilettos and think you're walking so pretty when really you look like a 50 year old dude in a midlife crisis.
I hate how you think you're always the victim, when really, the people around you are.

I will always remember in my heart how you treated me.  How you could get mad at me for not being considerate of staying away from you after I get RAI treatment for my CANCER, even though I said I won't be at work for 2 weeks.  It wasn't enough time in your mind.  You yelled that I wasn't "considerate enough".  That I wasn't thinking for your well being.  I wasn't thinking how YOU would feel. How even though I was the one getting treatment, I should be worried for YOUR health.  How YOU have a young sickly son.  That I should have been thinking of things I could do to protect YOU.  REALLY???  Really MS.CONSIDERATE?

Wow.  I thought having cancer and going through radioactive iodine was bad enough.  But you proved me wrong.  Knowing someone like you in my life was the worst thing that could have happened to me.

I am now getting rid of you for good.  You are the worst kind of disease and I am shedding you.
Don't act like you know me, should we ever cross paths.  I will not remain this nice. 
I won't be rude.  I won't be snide. I will be calm but cold.  Why?
Because you have it coming.  I won't wish ill will on you.  I just realize life is fair.  You'll have your share of grief.  You'll have your share of shit on your plate.  I hate you.

You'll get what's coming for you.  And you'll deserve every bit of it.
From your child treating you like shit, to your husband treating you like shit, you'll get what's coming for you.

Good riddance you ugly piece of sh*t.

8.30.2010

Update

It has been a very long time since I posted.  It's a sign that I've returned to normalcy in my life.
I did the low iodine diet, and the RAI (100 mcI) and it was uneventful, luckily for me.

Things are pretty much back to the way it used to be, except that I've started school and have been exhausted pretty much all the time.  Although I won't know that I'm "in the clear" for sure until next year, I don't think about my cancer much anymore.

But I realize that even though I feel ok about it now, when I talk about it, out loud to someone, I quiver.
I get very emotional, even though I am ok now. I start tearing at the sound of my own voice saying "I was diagnosed with..."  I don't know why.  I guess even though all this have happened, I am still not over the fact that I had a cancer.  It couldn't just be a benign tumor, it was full blown cancer.  The dreaded C word.

I still find it very strange to say it, but it is what it is.

***

I had 100 millicuries of Radio Active Iodine on 7/8.  I went in for thyrogen for two days before (7/6 and 7/7) and had 2 mci of I-123 to do a whole body scan on 7/8 and then received my RAI dose.
I went home, and pretty much just watched dramas on my couch, all covered in garbage bags and linen that will be thrown away.  I was so afraid of contaminating anything... Thinking back on it now, I am so glad it's over.  I think the worst part of this treatment was that I felt fine through out.  People would constantly ask me how I'm feeling, am I doing better, etc.  I was so confused as to how I was supposed to answer this.  Since I wasn't feeling sick from the get-go, it's hard to say that I'm "doing better".  Better than what?

I drank tons of water that day and went to bed. I was fine the next day when I woke up and figured, oh, it wasn't a big deal!  Boy was I wrong!  I woke up Saturday morning with my parotid salivary glands swollen and it was so painful!  I didn't realize anything was wrong until I was trying to drink some water.  I felt the saliva trying to squeeze out of its swollen glands and it couldn't and that was so painful!  I massaged the gland all day, ate spicy foods from that afternoon (I was told to stay on LID for 24 hours after RAI so by 12 the day after RAI, I was allowed to eat anything I wanted!) and remembered to pop in a grape everytime I woke up in the middle of the night.  This helped reduce the swelling greatly and by Sunday afternoon, the pain was gone.

Also, I noticed that my scar was very puffy and slighty raised and pinker a few days after RAI.  I guess it was normal and it meant that the treatment was working where it should be working (in the thyroid bed) because about 2 weeks later, the swelling went down.  I should have taken a picture but alas, I have not.

I went in for another scan a week later, 7/15, and was told there was uptake in the obvious places, seems like there is no metastasis (GREAT!~!) and went home.

3 months post TT my scar looks pretty good:













I stopped taking photos of my scar, I used to take one every day to see if there were any changes.  Now, I sometimes forget I have one!

I went to my endo just this past Saturday to get my first bloodwork done since RAI.  I need to wait 2 weeks for my results to come back, but judging by the WBS results, my endo said she will "assume" that I am cured unless there is reason to believe otherwise.  CURED! I know it's not really "cured" but just hearing it was really nice..

***

Since then, I started pastry school on 7/20.  A month has since gone by and I love school to death!  Except that I feel like I can't enjoy it AS much as I possibly can because I am so tired all the time.  I wake up at 6 to get C ready for work, I leave the house at 8, work from 9-5, school from 6-10, and by the time I come home and get ready for bed, it's past midnight.  Which means I get under 6 hours of sleep each night.  For normal people, this may be enough, but I used to be the type I needed at LEAST 8 hours to function.  I've been able to do it for a month now, but I realize I don't want to.  So, I am quitting my job (!) on 9/10.  So in 2 short weeks, I shall be unemployed.

It's a little nervewracking.  I haven't been unemployed in over 5 years.  But I realize this is something I need to do.  Not just because I'm tired, but because I feel like I should look for a new job (part time for now) in the pastry world.  Get me a little experience up my sleeve before school lets out.

Since the diagnosis and surgery, I feel like I have changed so much.  I know it's so cliché but I'm a new person because of all this.  In some ways, I am glad all this has happened to me because now I am on my way towards the life I would like to lead.  There really is light at the end of the tunnel!

6.29.2010

LID Day #1

I had 1/2 a cup of oatmeal with some honey and blueberries for breakfast.  Wasn't as good as I thought it would be in my head...  I'll use brown sugar next time.  I think that'll be better.  And maybe cut the blueberries.  It was sour against the warm oat and honey mixture... hm.  I'll try again for breakfast tomorrow as I haven't gotten used to the LID dieting for breakfast yet.

I'm kind of lucky because I usually LOVE salads.  I prefer them over other things most times anyway.  So this diet isn't so bad as I thought it would be.

For lunch I had grilled chicken mixed green salad with balsamic vinegrette, slices of fresh cucumber and celery as snacks.  I also had half corn on the cob with some bread and honey to dip.

Afternoon, I got hungry again so I finished the other half of the corn.

Before 5, I'll probably be hungry again so I left a piece of bread and some honey left so that I could have it before I get home.

Now for dinner... damn. I don't know what to have.  It's really too hot to cook and I've just been very tired since coming back from Baltimore... *sigh.
Maybe I'll just have some fruit and call it a night.

I also have to pack up another meal for lunch to take to work tomorrow as well.

I don't mind the diet so much, but the planning is what takes work.

6.28.2010

LID Tomorrow

I officially start my LID (low iodine diet) tomorrow.
I was told I need to just do this for a week, which technically means I could start on Thursday, but I figured I could use the first 2~3 days as practice... make sure I don't screw up!

I went out to the supermarket yesterday with C to pick up my food for the week.
Stocked up on blueberries, strawberries, celery, matzo crackers, applesauce, onions, bell peppers, fresh corn (yum! I love corn season!), etc.
I guess this could help me lose a few pounds! =)
Who knows, maybe I could also change my regular diet into a little more healthier lifestyle.

Also made whole wheat bread last night as well.  I'll be mostly living off of this bread, fruits and fresh vegetables.  Also basmati rice, when I have my carb cravings (which I normally never do).

4 more days of work and I'm outta here! Yay! Took a month off for July for my treatment and do some thinking about my future, my career goals, my path in life.  I really need this.  So I have a pretty busy week next week as well!
I decided to spend Monday with my baby sister to celebrate an early birthday (as I'll be radioactive on her actual birth date - which totally sucks)!
Tuesday, I go for a blood test and first thyrogen shot. Gonna go home after and set up the space in my living room where I'll be sleeping while radioactive.
Wednesday, second thyrogen shot. And will be meeting my friend who came down for the summer from Illinois.
Thursday - 5 mcI of RAI, scan, 100mcI RAI and go home.

Let the isolation time begin.

*

It worked out perfectly that C has a place to stay while I'm in isolation.  A great friend will be moving to a new place in a few days and offered C to stay with him while I am getting treatment.
It's a little unnerving though.  C and I've never been apart for more than 1 night in the last God-knows-how-long.  Sheesh.  I guess this will be good for me as well.  I will be taking this alone time to really figure out who I am, who I want to be, what I want to do, etc.  It's gonna be a total reflection on my life up until this moment, then into the future of who I want to be.

*

Had a tiring weekend driving to/from Baltimore to visit my new niece O.  She's such a sweet little thing.  Had a good time visiting but it's definitely not something I want to do often.  The drive is just so long and tiring.  It really drains you.

Anyway, enough blabbing I guess.  I am very tired today and I feel scatterbrained.  I am having a hard time focusing...

6.24.2010

Blood, Bruises, and Scars. Oh my!

I went in for a blood test on Tuesday to measure my TSH levels for the first time since surgery.
I haven't gotten my results yet, I'm hoping I will soon.
Depending on these results, I would either stay on my current 112 mcg dose of Synthroid, or be lowered to 100mcg.  I am really hoping I don't have any side effects from this... This is the part I dread most.

So I go to the hospital to get my blood drawn.  It's a first come first serve basis and they opened at 8:30 a.m.
So I get there 8:30 a.m. thinking I should be 3rd, maybe 4th?
Nope. I am number 10!  Ok, well, it still shouldn't be so bad.  I had a 10:30 appointment with the Nuclear Med doctor which was moved up to 9:45.
I waited over an HOUR.  By the time my name was called, it was 9:35 a.m. 
Only 1 person drawing blood.  But she was just so SLOW!!!!!!!!
On top of that, see what she did to me?
That is the spot I drew blood.  Now, I normally bruise easy, but never in my life had I had a bruise this big.
Damn. Never going back there AGAIN!

*

Anyway, went to see the Nuc Med doctor afterwards.  He was a very nice old man.
He was very confident and that eased my mind a bit.
I am still nervous about what if they find a glowing spot in my lungs? Or my liver? What then?
He said I am low risk and that this ablation dose should most likely "cure" me.
*le sigh*

I don't like wasting my thoughts on such things, but I can't help my thoughts lingering on this...

*

I will be visiting my sister to see her newborn baby girl this weekend.
I am very excited.  I wanted to get this visit over with before I do my RAI so that I don't have to worry about contaminating my baby niece...

I'm blabbering.  I guess I'm just nervous and stressed out about my further treatments...

Ahhh.... my blood test results are still not in.
Damn.

6.23.2010

Short Update

It's been over 6 weeks since surgery and I've been doing well.
It was quite a pain in the butt to try to schedule RAI but it's finally done.
I go for 2 days for Thyrogen and 100mci of radioactive iodine starting July 6th.
It's been an annoying, hectic, stressful journey, but I'm glad I am seeing the little light at the end...
I know the full battle isn't over yet, but I have hope.
The Nuclear Medicine doctor was very nice and assuring about my very low chance of reoccurence, that judging by my files, I should be "cured" after this treatment. 

"Cured."

Whatever that means...

It's just a hassle.  Having to always make sure my meds are in check, always making sure to make appointments with doctors on time to make sure I don't run out of meds.  Planning my days, vacations, holidays around these things.  It's a nightmare come true.  But I'm here.  Alive and well.

I read lots of blogs/support groups/etc about surviving Thyroid Cancer and a lot of people go through hell from the getgo.
I was fortunate enough to feel absolutely no change mentally/emotionally throughout this life altering event and is continuously thankful for this. 
I did meet with an Endocrinologist 2 Saturdays ago, and she wants to lower my Synthroid to 100mcg in August.  I am currently on 112 mcg but apparently this is too high for someone my size/height/weight.  I am crossing my fingers that this doesn't affect me in anyway... All these things that I now have to worry about.  It really sucks, but I guess this isn't as bad as it could be.

I've been just busy trying to make it through work everyday, waiting for all this to be over.
I am taking a month break from work next month while doing RAI so I am very looking forward to that. 
It'll be like a well deserved break.  It would be nice if C and I could go on vacation but that won't happen as 2 weeks I'll try to avoid people due to RAI and I actually start pastry school right after that.
I do have much to look forward to in the next coming weeks.

Through this crappy cancer experience, it has taught me so much and I am much a different person due to that.
I appreciate my life, want more out of it and realize that I needed this push to change the course of direction I was headed. 
I guess I was afraid to take chances, make life changing decisions, but now my mind is made.
Once RAI is over, I will be posting a lot more about my new journey in the world of food, any changes in my life due to this cancer, and my future career changes. 
I am very excited for my future endeavors and cannot wait to share it with the world!

Here is a photo of my scar taken on 6/19.  It gets redder when I get hot but mostly it's just like this.
Not bad for 6 weeks, huh?