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Keri"Do everything in life once...and the fun things twice!" |
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June 27 ALL CLEAR!!!After spending a VERY long hour in my dr's office (with no book, magazine, cell phone, laptop or palm) my dr finally came in. His news was worth the wait! He said that my scan was perfect...and so was my bloodwork!!! I always knew I was perfect...I'm glad that someone in the medical field now agrees :-)
The downside...he wanted to check my medication levels...so back to the lab I went for anyother needle in my arm.
He said that I will need to go in yearly for bloodwork but I won't need anything major for another 5 years (minimum) He also mentioned that things are changing in this field so quickly that I may just need the injections, bloodwork and possible ultrasounds instead of the diet (darn) and body scans!!
Thank you for all your prayers and support!! June 22 No Longer Radioactive!!!I went in for my scan at 8:45 this morning and according to the radiologist all is good! He said my scan was completely unremarkable...(which is a very good thing in scan terms) After the scan I went up to the lab for my last round of needles!! This blood test is to count TSH (thyroid hormone) levels. This is the last piece we are waiting on. I go to see my dr. on Wed. If all goes well no more scans for 5 years!! Of course my first stop this morning was to Starbucks for a mocha and orange-crème coffee cake! 19 days is a long time to be without any dairy (or Starbucks!) After our morning outing I came home and took a much needed nap. As you can imagine I haven't been sleeping too well these past few days. I then treated myself to a two hour facial. It was wonderfully relaxing :-) Mom and I just got back from our Mexican dinner (have I mentioned 19 days w/out dairy is a long time!!) I enjoyed my cheese enchiladas with sour cream :-) I'm now ready to head to bed! One very long week is over...now just 5 days to wait! June 20 Testing...Testing...and MORE testingI have been on a Low Iodine Diet (LID) for the past 17 days (but who's counting...yes, that is 17 days without a mocha!!) to deplete my body of all iodine. The past two days I have received thyrogen injections to increase the thyroid levels in my body. This morning I was given a tracer dose of radioactive iodine and went back at 1 for an uptake scan to get an idea of how many thyroid cells are still around. The "normal" range is 1 to .5 (I was below 1) so then I was given a larger radioactive iodine dose in preparation for my next scan.
Friday morning around 8:45 I will go in for a full body scan. The theory is...thyroid cells absorb iodine, so by depleting my body of it for two weeks any cells that are left will rapidly absorb the radioactive iodine and then will glow in the full body scan. We are praying that NOTHING will be glowing and that there are no thyroid/cancer cells left. Since this is my fifth year since being diagnosed if I have a clean scan I can go without testing for another 5 years!! If not then I will have to undergo full treatment again....we are trying not to think about that option.
For any questions on thyroids/scans or if you want to try the low iodine diet you can visit the thyca website. It has been a wonderful source of answers and support for me over the years. I have been a member since my diagnosis.
June 18 The Fun Begins...Thyroid Testing 2007Schedule for this week...
Monday - Thyrogen Injection
Tuesday - Thyrogen Injection and Blood Tests
Wednesday - Radioactive Dose and Uptake Scan
Thursday - Can't drive...so hanging around the house
Friday - Blood Tests then Full Body Scan at 8:45 (prayers are welcome :-)
6/18/07 - Monday
Had my first injection today. Now I know why they gave me a year off. That darn thing hurt. and The worst part is I have to go back tomorrow to get another in the otherside :-(
In the past few years thyrogen has come onto the market and aside from the pain it is a wonderous thing. When I had my testing before I had to be on the low iodine diet (LID) for two weeks and off meds for an entire month. Now, I still have to be on the LID, but I don't have to go off my meds. Everyone is happy about that! June 07 2007 Relay For LifeThanks to everyone who supported me in this year’s Relay For Life! I was able to raise $2,000!!! The relay is a great event. If you have never been I would highly suggest stopping by one this summer. There is one in just about every community throughout the county. Mom and I joined the other survivors in kicking off the relay by completing the first lap around the track. Each year it is just as emotional as the previous. The survivors are comprised of every age to each ethnicity. It really hits home that cancer can hit anyone. Family and friends line the track cheering on their loved ones. This year the relay was extra special for me. A friend of mine's mom passed away the day before. Like me, his mom was his best friend and it made me realize how lucky I am that my mom survived. It also reminded me hou quickly life can change. And that we have to be thankful for each day that we have. |
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