Thyroid scar update...10 months after final surgery.

I quit using Scar Away about a month ago because I ran out and the patch was irritating my skin.

I started using Bio-Oil 3 weeks ago as a supplement and it looks great. It only gets "red" when I am hot or working out. Yay!!

Progress.....

Katie

"take your thyroid medicine 30 min to an hour before you eat!"

I have always stayed true to this...making sure I take my medicine long, long before I eat in the morning. This is very hard to do when traveling or staying in other people's homes.

My boyfriend and I traveled to see his sister's family over the weekend.

I set my alarm to take my levothyroxine 112 at 6:00 am but didn't want to get up and search a new house for water... Side note... This house is undergoing a kitchen renovation.

Anyway, I took my meds when I woke up and then ate a biscuit. No big deal right? I didn't think it would be too bad since I am pretty consistent with taking my meds.

Once I got back home from trip, I slept 5 hours straight and woke up feeling nauseous. I've noticed that I feel this way when I don't take the meds at all (for treatment).

Lesson learned!!!!

Last treatment results...

Here is a card my endocrinologist sent me today! Praise God!

Happy me..... 

-Katie

LID recipes for dinner!

Again, I got all of my recipes from... http://thyca.org/Cookbook.pdf ---GREAT resource!!

You can have up to 6 oz. of fresh/cooked meat a day, so I usually saved this for dinner/supper (if I didn't eat any chicken salad for lunch...).  Here are some recipes I made this time...

The BBQ chicken was my favorite! Yum...Yum! It did take 3 hours, but I had nothing else to do, plus I made enough for 2 other meals! I ate it with fresh green beans, potato salad (also in cook book), or fried squash and onions. 

This was another good one. I didn't make any homemade bread, so I just ate it without...no big deal. I had no salt ketchup to dip it in and was fine. I ate this with either fresh green beans, fried squash and onions, or corn on the cob!

This was another good one. I made this the first go around with ground beef, but I made it with ground turkey this time. It felt healthier and didn't taste any different to me once I added all the other ingredients. I served this over basmati rice and had various vegetables with it. Great tasting! It also freezes well!

LID recipes for lunch!

I loved being on the low-iodine diet during the summer when fresh fruits and vegetables were readily available! You can have up to 5 servings of vegetables and 4 servings of fruit a day!

For lunch, most days, I made salads... fresh iceberg lettuce, fresh tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, onions. I made two different dressings that were easy. These are also from the http://thyca.org/Cookbook.pdf .

 The French Vinaigrette was my personal favorite and least ingredients...I usually used this on my salads mentioned above. 


The italian dressing wasn't my favorite but it was great with just cucumbers and tomatoes...not lettuce or onions. 

Some days, I also ate chicken salad with homemade mayonnaise from the book. I had chicken salad, cucumbers, and a piece of fruit. 

BE CAREFUL while making the mayo. When putting in the corn oil, it gets really thick in the blender, just like it warns in the recipe! If it is not getting thick, something mixed wrong. I had to redo 3 batches...by just pouring it all out and starting over. 

Easy! I bought fresh, on the bone chicken breasts and boiled them for about 45 minutes. I pulled all the chicken off and put in the food chopper. Afterwards, I mixed in all ingredients (sometimes, I added grapes!) and then the mayo recipe from above. Yum! Yum!

Low iodine diet recipes...BREAKFAST!

This go around, I tried a few new things for breakfast. Here are some recipes from http://thyca.org/Cookbook.pdf


THERE ARE LOTS MORE! I didn't have to do it as long the second go around...but they are all pretty easy.

 I ate the muffins most days since it made 10. (yes, it says 6, but it made 10. I ate 1 or 2 and had a banana or peaches. 

 These were easier than they sound! I used 1 potato and it made a lot! I also added chopped onions to the pan when cooking. (I put no salt ketchup on it when it was done!). I also made eggs from egg whites to make it more of a complete meal. I did not mix them together. 

This was another easy one to make. I didn't cook the potatoes long enough the first time, but it was still good! 

I beat cancer...

This morning, I went into the hospital again for my total body scan. The waiting room was very lively...more than usual. My mom came along with me since she was in town, so she got most of the fun and excitement... :) 


The total body scan was a little different (I think it was just a different machine.) than last time. It still took up most of the room that we were in, but wasn't as "new." 


The tech asked me if I was claustrophobic because it gets/scans really  close.  I usually don't, so we carried on. I laid on a "table" that slides in and out of the machine. She slid me down towards the area that scans and it all started. *By the way, she was not lying when she said it got close. I've done this once before and I feel like I was closed inside of a box 2 inches from the tip of my nose. Claustrophobic? Just a little, but I knew if I didn't do it, I would have to come back...not happening. The scan took a total of 43 minutes, give or take a few seconds. Once I was all done, I went back into the waiting room, where my mom got to know some people more than she had planned. :) After about 20 minutes, my pictures were finished and I was off to my endocrinologist. 


After leaving the hospital, I went straight to his office so he could see the report and scan. After a few minutes, he came in and started explaining that he saw "activity" in the area where he shouldn't see any "activity." Then he stepped out to talk to the radiologist at the hospital...
Once he came back, he explained that the tech did not make me lift my head up far enough and the "activity" was my salivary glands. Apparently, the tech (who had "other" things to do...?) didn't have me on the pillow properly and my salivary glands looked like they were down in my "used to be thyroid area" having a party. No worries...The radiologist said it happens and apologized. My endocrinologist said that everything turned out the way he wanted it to and would look at my blood work when it came back. The blood work is another way of confirming that everything "worked." 


Yay! Whoop! :) 


All this comes 7 days before my year anniversary of my first thyroid surgery, where I found out I had cancer. I beat cancer... Almost a year has gone by, and I have many people to thank but will give God all the glory. My faith has grown so much stronger over the past year, and I hope I will be a small testimony of how great He truly is. How can people not believe? I serve a mighty God; the Great Physician. 

This is my mom and me... Relay for Life 2012. 

Updated picture...after 7 1/2 weeks of Scar Away.

Getting better, hunh? I quit using the "patch" and am just using the roll-on stick (as of the start of week 8). I feel like my skin is sensitive to the sticky stuff on the patch. 

Day 2 & 3

On Tuesday, I went into the hospital for the second Thyrogen injection. Like the first one, it was a small needle and very quick. The only change was the location. The nurse put it in the right hip. I don't think that I had any side effects to the injection. My endocrinologist said it was something our bodies already produce, so it's not like it was anything new. My skin is a little sensitive to Band-Aids, so each of the spots were a little itchy.

On Wednesday morning, I went back to the hospital for the I-131 treatment. I feel like I shouldn't say 131 because it was only 4 mCi. (Huge difference-especially in terms of isolation). It was kind of funny because there were a lot of patients in the nuclear medicine part of hospital, where I was, so the head of nuclear meds took me into the room where I will get my total body scan on Friday. She apologized, but it wasn't really a big deal that there wasn't a "room" for me. I am sure other people had more extensive treatments that they were getting.

Anyway, I didn't take the picture of the container this time, but I have one from the first treatment...

The container looked very similar to this one, but smaller and the top had a different time and different dosage amount. It is funny how "big" and "thick" the metal container is and knowing that whatever is inside will go in my body?!? Anyway, the director of nuclear meds opened it up and took a teeny tiny tube out and poured the pill into a small cup. Again, I heard the words, "DON'T TOUCH IT!" I had to just throw it back in my mouth and swallow as much water as possible. No biggie...right? She made sure it was all the way down, and I was on my way out of the hospital. Gosh, I am so blessed that it is nothing more. God is amazing, and it is so wonderful that he has given the knowledge to cancer/medical researchers to prevent me to do anything more. 

Unlike the last time, I was told 2 or 3 times that there are no restrictions this time. (So, I went straight to Publix after the hospital. ha!) I didn't have to stay in my room or flush the toilet 20 times after each use. (Really not 20 times, but it felt like it the first go around.) I will wait a few days before seeing my "fresh out of the oven" niece, Sophia. 

Precious, right? It is little people like her (and my other nieces, Emmy and Mckenna, that are what gives me my encouragement....along with my family and Nate. :) 

Day 1: Stop Meds and Thyrogen Injection

Today, I stopped taking Levothyroxine 112 mcg and went to the hospital for an injection of Thyrogen. 


My appointment was at 8:15 a.m. this morning, but I arrived around 7:45 a.m. just in case I needed to do lots of paperwork. To my surprise, my pre-registration took care of most of the paperwork. I just had to give some signatures and initials for my consent to do the treatment. Easy...


A very sweet, elderly lady (volunteer) walked me down to the basement (nuclear medicine). As we departed, she let me know that should would be praying for me on her walk back. :) 


Because of how potent the RAI treatment can be to your body, I had to give blood so they could determine if I was pregnant or not...Once the results came back, the radiology supervisor called me back to explain the series of injections, pill, and scan that I will be doing this week. I learned that I would be getting the Thryogen injection in my hip...today: left side; tomorrow: right side. I was a little nervous, but I am not that scared of needles, so I figured it wouldn't be bad. 


A nurse came in and had me pull my shorts down a little. She felt around for the bone and then..stick! I don't know why I was nervous. It was a small needle and the "juice" burned a little going in, but other than that, it was nothing. 


I leave the hospital and headed home to eat...I was starving at this point. Since I am on the low-iodine diet, I had to come home and make something for breakfast. (Plain Oatmeal was not in the cards today...YUCK!).  I made apple (sauce) muffins from scratch. I had them during my first treatment, and they are GOOD! 

It is a very easy recipe and very tasty. (Reminds me a little of fall/autumn.) 

Speaking of the diet, it is a little easier to do it in the summer when fruits and vegetables are fresh. :)

Overall, today wasn't too bad. My energy level has slowly died throughout the day. Luckily, I am a teacher and I am on summer break! I had enough energy to make my 3 meals today and go to hospital, but I had to lay down for the majority of the day. It will only get worse as the Levothyroxine moves out of my system completely. 

-I know the Lord will give me the strength that I need. He always does. 

drum roll please.......survey says: "another treatment"

So, as I guessed, I will be going through another radioactive iodine treatment. This time, it will not be as strong, but is a much longer process...a week to be exact. 

On the Friday before this process, I will start the low iodine diet AGAIN...I can't express how excited I am. :/ On the Monday of the first hospital visit, I will stop taking my thyroid medicine (Levothyroxine 112 mcg). Then the treatment process begins again... with a few added injections. 

If you cannot tell from the snap shot, I will be going in on Monday and Tuesday for an injection of Thyrogen. Basically, your body produces a hormone (TSH) that stimulates thyroid/thyroid cells and this injection will be two direct shots of this hormone to stimulate any thyroid cells that are left in my body so the radioactive iodine will be more drawn to these areas. (Basically WWIII will be going on in my neck.)


Then, on Wednesday, I will go in to take a pill of radioactive iodine. Compared to last time (30 MCI), I will only be taking 4 MCI. This is a huge difference when it comes to isolation. I will have to be away from pregnant women and babies for a few days after the treatment, but not 12 days, like the first treatment. (This is great because my third niece will be born any day!)

On the Friday of my treatment week, I will go in for another full body scan to watch my body light up like a neon Christmas tree. After the scan, I will go in for blood work and talk about the process with my endocrinologist. As he said today, this should be the end of the treatments, but we will not know 100% until the blood work is completed. 

Just as this process started, I have faith that God has it all under control. I am just thankful that He has given my doctors the knowledge to help me get 100% better. Not all cancer patients can say this, and I am so glad that I can. I feel like my story can help so many others going through this process. 

"With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."  Mark 10: 27


*What great relief to know that God has it all under control. 

Scar treatment....

I have been using "Scar Away" for about a week now and wanted to take a picture of the scar and then again in a few weeks.
Basically, I wear a scar patch for 12 hours a day and then leave it off for 12 hours. Today, I bought "Scar Away" serum that I will be rubbing on it 2-3 times a day while the patch is off.
Hopefully this will reduce the redness and prevent it from getting any redder as the summer approaches.
I will be updating you on progress and treatment dates in June.

-KC

Never ending treatments....

I went to see my endocrinologist yesterday morning; expecting another ultrasound of my neck to check out the sizes of the enlarged lymph nodes, but to my surprise...no ultrasound! Yeah!

Dr. B said that after studying the pictures from the ultrasound in January that he is not too concerned about the lymph nodes. Apparently it is more common than I thought. Many people have enlarged lymph nodes in their necks after receiving a dose of radioactive iodine.

My thyroid levels all looked good from my blood work a few days earlier.

Dr. B discussed how he would like for me to do another dose of the radioactive iodine...soon. Years ago, it was common to give the highest dose the first go around, which is RAI-131. Some people still get that high dose if their thyroid cancer is more serious. Luckily mine wasn't too much of a serious case, so I received RAI-30. Obviously, there is a huge gap in the numbers, showing that I had a low dose. Anyways....
Since I had such a low dose, Dr. B would like to give me a shot for something to do with thyroglobulin and then a few days later, I would swallow another RAI-30 dose.
I'm okay with doing the treatment again for precautionary measures. Luckily he is letting me wait until school gets out because I have NO days to take off... :)

I know God is in control and will be with me as He always is and has been...

pictures....

It has been almost 6 months since my last surgery. Here is a picture of the scar!!

just an update..

I haven't been on in a while so I thought I would catch up on things since November.

1. I believe I am at the right dosage with 112mcg. In the beginning, I was incredibly tired, but it may have been my body just getting used to the medicine.

2. I saw my endocrinologist in January for some blood work and a general check-up. I learned that during my full body scan (after the radioactive iodine), the radiologist that read the report was concerned of some enlarged lymph nodes in my neck. My endocrinologist wasn't too worried about it at the time, but this time he wanted to do an ultrasound to make sure nothing had gotten worse.
During the ultrasound, he saw several enlarged lymph nodes right under my jaw...not near my thyroid area. He measured the largest ones and I will go back in April. If they are any bigger or the same size, he said he would have to do something further. I am crossing my fingers and praying that they get smaller...even if it is a slow shrinkage.

3. I look at my scar daily and realize that God brought me through so much. If there is any day that I am feeling down, I just look down and realize that God is amazing....

-KC