Saw Dr. Blevins first, the endocrinologist. He hadn't gotten a copy of the pathology report yet, but because my nodule on the left side that we know for sure had cancer is right at the deciding size for whether or not radioactive iodine (I-131) is done I'll have to take it. There was a small chance that I might now have to but because it is right at that line, I have to. He said I was looking good and wrote me my first script for Synthroid. Which will now function as my thyroid for the rest of my life. I'm not to take it yet, but I take it the day after I take my radiation pill.
Because of my ER visit the other night we know what my TSH level was on Thursday, but he wants me back in a week to do blood work again to check my TSH and other stuff. Depending on how those come out he may push my I-131 treatment up. Could be a whole month and a half sooner than expected. ooooh I am no where near ready for that! But we will face that when we know more. He also gives me a lab slip for blood work for my next appt in a couple of months.
In preparation for the I-131 treatment he wants me to follow the low iodine diet starting...now and directs me to www.thyca.org. Been there, I glanced over it but didn't really read in depth. Guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow.
We check out and since we didn't grab anything for breakfast we are both starving we decide to head over to Mighty Fine for some tasty burgers. I know I'm suppose to start that diet now, but um....yeah no clue on what the guidelines are so it will have to wait until tomorrow till I can research it.
We get to Might Fine and luckily beat the lunch crowd. We get yellow cheese burgers, split a fry ( there is no small, medium or large it's just fries and lots of them!) get a couple of drinks and split a chocolate shake.
Because I'm only one week post surgery it's still a bit difficult to swallow. I have to be careful as to not take to large a bite and have to have plenty of liquids to help make sure things move down. The cold, thick, shake not only feels really good on my throat but helps in making sure things don't get "hung up."
I was so hungry, other than part of the bun I ate the whole thing. AND IT WAS GOOOOOOOOOD!
Time for the next doctor appointment. We gather up and head over to Dr. Kriesel's office. He too agreed I was looking well. The pathology report was in and there was cancer in BOTH lobes. So as much as I didn't want to do it it was good that I didn't fight too hard in taking the whole gland. Had I, I'd be finding myself back in the hospital going back into surgery to take the other side. Both lobes shows Hashimoto's thyroiditis/disease (which we just learned of in December/January...I'll get more into that later) and one side had a parathyroid or let's say a small piece of one. He said that my thyroid was very firm and fibrous which ties back to the Hashimoto's. It was very much a gland that had been under attack for a very long time, probably the majority, if not all, of my life.
But in the end the margins were very clean and they did take 1 lymph node which came back as clean also so they feel very sure that it was caught early and should only have to do one round of the I-131. But the full body scan that is done after the treatment will be the deciding factor on that. So stay tuned!
He removes my steri-strips. Which I am so happy about because they starting to come off on their own and are itching and driving me crazy (which isn't a long drive mind you). He laughed because when they start getting to that the body is ready for them to be gone. He gives care instructions and instructs to keep it slathered (his word) in Neosporin or the like. We're done, he wants to see me back in a month, but if anything changes or happens to call. We set the next appointment and head out.
Jeff is very good at monitoring how I'm doing. He can tell, even better than I can I think, how my energy levels are. But still, he let's me weigh in on it. LOL! He asks if I'm up for a few errands, and I am. If I do run down I can always take a nap in the Jeep.
So we pop over to the Apple so store so that he can check on an issue with is iphone, which turned out not to be a real issue so that was fast. Jeff asks if I'm up for a drive. By that time the sun is starting to come out a bit so a drive would be nice. Getting out of the house is really a nice change and I can always take a nap if I need too. So we head off to boundaries unbeknownst to me.
Along the way a sunbeam catches me and I do nap off and on as we drive south. I awake to find a large mountain covered in animals with a bright yellow piper cub hovering over it...for as long as I'm up to it. Ah Cabela's!
I find me a new 12 gauge shotgun I would LOVE to have but at $1500 is a wee bit out of my price range. But OMG it was the lightest 12 gauge I have ever laid hands on. It's an Italian made Fausti and beautiful. Jeff gets some ammo for the Mosin, which they had like a dozen or more Mosin's on the rack for $149. Ours is priceless but hey if someone wanted an old Russian firearm there's the real deal man...and cheap! We wander around for a bit, then I hit my wall and am done. We check out and head for home.
We stopped for dinner in Round Rock that way we didn't have to worry about anything once we got home and I could just snuggle up on the couch with my Bou and watch TV or snooze.
About 10 minutes of TV time and I was out like a light.
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