Sorry for not posting anything in such a long time. Life, work and laziness got the best of me...
It's now been 10 weeks (10 WEEKS!!!) since the surgery. Tanya is continuing to heal; the scar is getting better, her calcium levels have stabilized, her voice is back to normal, and she is feeling pretty good overall. It took longer than expected to get the calcium levels to get back to normal (low-normal, but still normal). She has been going in weekly to get her calcium and PTH (para-thyroid hormone) levels checked, but hopefully that is now over.
At the suggestion of Dr. Hsieh, Tanya has been going to Physical therapy to work on her neck and right shoulder. Thanks to those appointments and the exercises she is doing at home she is starting to regain the strength and movement she had pre-surgery.
We have finally gotten to the point of setting the date for the radioactive iodine (I-131 or radioiodine) treatment. We are currently planning for February 15th. There is a lot to do before the treatment, including a low-iodine diet and some lab work. The low-iodine diet starts on Monday, and lasts until 3-4 days after treatment. That makes it about 2 1/2 weeks on it. Luckily we found a cookbook from ThyCa (Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association). It doesn't look terrible, just bland.
We did get good news in that Tanya will be able to get the Thyrogen injections prior to the I-131 treatment. This means that she doesn't need to go off of her thyroid meds (Levothyroxine), which will make her more comfortable. We were not sure until this week if she would even be able to get it, as it has been back-ordered for over a year. We will go in to Dr. Kimmel's (the Endocrinologist) office on the Monday and Tuesday before the I-131 treatment for one injection each day.
I'll post more info shortly. I promise... Really! :)
Glad to hear things are getting better. The low iodine diet is a little tough. I lived on home made rice, beans and salsa for 2.5 weeks. Boring! The radioactive treatment did not make me feel any different--just couldn't be around my family for 5 days : ( But in some ways, it was a little like a vacation! The thyrogen injections are definitely the way to go. Good luck Tanya and you will get through this soon. Hard part is already over with!
ReplyDeleteHey Ben! I'm so glad to hear that Tanya is doing better! I had to drink radioactive iodine 20+ years ago to treat Grave's Disease. It was totally painless. I did find it a little disturbing because the guy who prepared the little vial wore a lead suit. I was told to drink it but I wasn't offered lead suit! The hardest part, as Jess says, is keeping your distance from the family for a few days. Its difficult to remember that you're radioactive because you don't feel anything. I've also been taking Levothyroxine ever since the treatment. You guys are in my prayers!
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