T-3 Days

Hypothyroidism is upon me, with three days until D-day (or R-day, as the case may be).  Headache, fatigue, hoarse voice, poor vision, irritability, bloating, weight gain, swollen face and HUGE bags under my eyes.  My eyes are getting smaller and smaller every day - by Friday, I'm sure they will be slits.   I look haggard, but at least I know that this "not taking medicine" thing is working.  I'm sure I'll make my TSH over 30 goal, based solely on symptoms.  I'm fully feeling the effects of not having a thyroid at the moment.  I have been subsisting on apples, pico di gallo, and homemade taquitos, which has not been bad at all thus far.    I'm in Rapid City, South Dakota, on my way to Rochester, after spending the week in Wyoming with my family for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.  Thursday will be lab work and a small dose of radiation.  Friday will be whole body scan, an appointment with my doctor, and then the full dose of radioiodine (if the scan shows that radioiodine will work).  There's a possibility that the cancer won't pick up the radioiodine, in which case we'll just scrap the whole thing and I'll go home without treatment.  I hope that's not the case.

So, I'm ready.

Let's do this thing.

ADDENDUM:  Initial lab results are already back and emailed to me from this morning. How I love the efficiency of Mayo!  Good news- I’m not pregnant (ha!). They had to check, even though I told them so;). TSH, which we’ve kept suppressed under .1 for two years, is now up to 58. It needs to be over 30 for treatment, so that’s good. The disconcerting thing is that my TG tumor marker number, which was 3 last we checked and I was super pumped about that, is now the highest it’s ever been at 106. And I was concerned with 8 a few months ago!!  I know that since March when I had the PET scan I never got back to fully suppressed, and that can affect the tumor marker. Just- never been triple digits before- those numbers are usually reserved for lung Mets, and that’s bad news. Not panicking, though. I’m very hypothyroitic right now, and the cancer is feasting on all that TSH. Just a scary number. And means I’ll probably have a pretty dang big dose of radiation tomorrow.

Go ahead and gorge, stupid cancer.   I’m coming for you tomorrow.

Prayers appreciated.