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Day Before
Mar. 1st, 2004 09:11 amI haven't written in a while. I've got my TT (total thyroidectomy) tommorrow. I have to be at the hospital 6 AM tommorrow and have a lot to do today, but felt like LJ'ing for a bit.
I'm nervous about my surgery. I haven't been under general anesthesia since I was about 12, and honestly don't remember it. (Only the time I was sent off the operating table due to a cold, and threw up on the way home.) This part of the thyroid cancer journey scares me. The next few week/months don't. Going hypo(thyroid) makes you tired, grouchy, fuzzy brained (I've been there at some point in my life without thyroid problems). I have to be on a weird LID (low iodine diet) for 2 weeks or so before I get radiation. The low iodine diet is hard because things aren't labelled for iodine, mostly because 99.9% of the world should have it for their thyroid. I can't eat dairy, soy, or anything with iodine (kelp or seaweed based things), or iodized salt. I could eat a whole box of non-iodized salt if I wanted as sodium itself isn't a problem. (However, eating a whole box of salt isn't a good idea for other reasons :)) But I can eat fruit and veggies and if I get to Whole Foods, there's dark chocolate that's ok. Any diet that allows chocolate can't be that bad. And it's only for 2-3 weeks not forver - just so you have low iodine so that the radioactive iodine works better.
The radioactive treatment isn't bad. You go to the hospital and take a pill. You are isolated there for a few days because you have radiation. I've heard you may be tired, naseuas, and your mouth could bother you. Your hair doesn't fall out. Then you can go home and stay away from people for a little while longer. And once the radiation is down (2 days or so after your pill), you get to start thyroid medicine and will get your energy back. Handling the isolation with our son is the hardest part of that.
Even the medicine doesn't bother me. I know you have to take thyroid hormone daily. But if for some reason you didn't take it for a day, you would not imediately die. That's comfort enough for me. (It's not like a diabetic forgetting insulin).
My life won't be the same medically as there will be more doctor visits, Rx's, blood tests (at least not the fasting ones), and possibly future scans and treatment (but they don't do it less than every 6 months). But HOPEFULLY no more surgery ever in the neck. And I'm going to ENJOY this summer.
I hate the fact that tommorrow is Super Tuesday. Not for me, please stop reminding me. (However, somewhere there is a pregnant woman either due tommorrow or with a c-section scheduled who probably smiles every time they say that.)
I'd better go and make phone calls and tidy up.
I did mean to add that we were very busy this weekend, ran around as usual and socialized. Alan was a good boy. He's walking more each day. On Friday he even tried to run towards me, but it didn't work yet :( He even said mommy yesterday. (Mark, myself and MIL all heard it!)
I'm nervous about my surgery. I haven't been under general anesthesia since I was about 12, and honestly don't remember it. (Only the time I was sent off the operating table due to a cold, and threw up on the way home.) This part of the thyroid cancer journey scares me. The next few week/months don't. Going hypo(thyroid) makes you tired, grouchy, fuzzy brained (I've been there at some point in my life without thyroid problems). I have to be on a weird LID (low iodine diet) for 2 weeks or so before I get radiation. The low iodine diet is hard because things aren't labelled for iodine, mostly because 99.9% of the world should have it for their thyroid. I can't eat dairy, soy, or anything with iodine (kelp or seaweed based things), or iodized salt. I could eat a whole box of non-iodized salt if I wanted as sodium itself isn't a problem. (However, eating a whole box of salt isn't a good idea for other reasons :)) But I can eat fruit and veggies and if I get to Whole Foods, there's dark chocolate that's ok. Any diet that allows chocolate can't be that bad. And it's only for 2-3 weeks not forver - just so you have low iodine so that the radioactive iodine works better.
The radioactive treatment isn't bad. You go to the hospital and take a pill. You are isolated there for a few days because you have radiation. I've heard you may be tired, naseuas, and your mouth could bother you. Your hair doesn't fall out. Then you can go home and stay away from people for a little while longer. And once the radiation is down (2 days or so after your pill), you get to start thyroid medicine and will get your energy back. Handling the isolation with our son is the hardest part of that.
Even the medicine doesn't bother me. I know you have to take thyroid hormone daily. But if for some reason you didn't take it for a day, you would not imediately die. That's comfort enough for me. (It's not like a diabetic forgetting insulin).
My life won't be the same medically as there will be more doctor visits, Rx's, blood tests (at least not the fasting ones), and possibly future scans and treatment (but they don't do it less than every 6 months). But HOPEFULLY no more surgery ever in the neck. And I'm going to ENJOY this summer.
I hate the fact that tommorrow is Super Tuesday. Not for me, please stop reminding me. (However, somewhere there is a pregnant woman either due tommorrow or with a c-section scheduled who probably smiles every time they say that.)
I'd better go and make phone calls and tidy up.
I did mean to add that we were very busy this weekend, ran around as usual and socialized. Alan was a good boy. He's walking more each day. On Friday he even tried to run towards me, but it didn't work yet :( He even said mommy yesterday. (Mark, myself and MIL all heard it!)
