BETRAYAL!

Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic, but we have sort of a running joke about "betrayal" at work that I'm sure my co-workers can appreciate.

Anyway, to tone down the very title of this blog, I'll use the words "misunderstanding" or "not-enough-information" or "slight minimization on the part of the doctors, nurses etc about my radioactive iodine treatment." But let's not get too wordy now! This was my initial understanding of what this whole ordeal was going to entail:

1. No thyroid pills for about 5-7 days (which at the time seemed like an eternity). Get really tired, lethargic, moody etc.

2. Get my blood tested to find if there is enough TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) in my blood.

3. (2-3 days later), get a scan for any remaining thyroid cells, take my radioactive pill, be on a date with my husband that Friday! Easy right?

So after getting my blood drawn and feeling the weight of the world because I've been denied thyroid hormones for SO long...the nurse informs me that my levels aren't where they need to be and that I was to have my blood drawn every Monday until they were at the right level. Until then, I could not take my thyroid meds.

Okay, what's the right level? 50.

And what level was my blood? 2.6

WHAT?!?! So, as it turns out, this process to take weeks, maybe even months. I don't know, I've never done this before! But it does explain why I haven't been feeling as awful as everyone says I should, I just thought that I was super tough and immune to affliction :-)

Anyway, my brother hates it when I say this, but, it is what it is! And for now I just take it one day at a time. I'm so new at this and I have no clue what to expect or what's coming. I've had a few rough days, but I've also had days where I have more energy then I know what to do with. Today...I'm really tired, and as weird as it sounds, I'm actually really glad. The worse I feel, hopefully the closer I am to get this inconvenience over with. I've been feeling a lot like people have to pick up my slack and continue to cover for me while I lay around because I am so exhausted. I'm used to things being fast paced and a little chaotic, and I like it like that!

In the long run I've realized that i have so much to be grateful for in this situation. I know that the reason doctors look at this as such an easy procedure is because they have seen the real deal and what radiation can REALLY do to a person. I know people that have suffered and ARE suffering the affects of radiation treatment, the nausea, weight loss, and all of the horrible things that comes with treating aggressive cancers. I'm very fortunate, because this is nothing. I hope that I never take that for granted and get through this with all the gratitude I have to offer, because this will be over soon and I will get tell people that I survived cancer...again!