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..
***
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!
