These cute peach colored pills are the 200 mcg.
And these adorable, Hello Kitty pinkies are the 112mcg.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
6th month post surgical ultrasound and labs
November 1, 2010
Well things are rocking right along. Had my first post surgical ultrasound and saw Ellen, the nurse prac for my follow up. My TSH levels are at 2.5 so they are bumping my Synthroid up again from 200mcg to 225mcg or actually taking 2 112mcg tablets.
She said the ultrasound looked good, except that there was a lymph node that was noticeable. She didn't think it looked bad but only that it was noticeable, which could mean anything and not to worry too much about it.
We made a few changes to my other meds. Other wise, all looked good.
Ellen called me the next day, in reviewing my ultrasound with Dr. Blevins he didn't like it, so he wants to have it redone in 3 months. So on January 24th I'll be having another one. I have an appointment with Dr. Blevins the next day, so we shall see...
Well things are rocking right along. Had my first post surgical ultrasound and saw Ellen, the nurse prac for my follow up. My TSH levels are at 2.5 so they are bumping my Synthroid up again from 200mcg to 225mcg or actually taking 2 112mcg tablets.
She said the ultrasound looked good, except that there was a lymph node that was noticeable. She didn't think it looked bad but only that it was noticeable, which could mean anything and not to worry too much about it.
We made a few changes to my other meds. Other wise, all looked good.
Ellen called me the next day, in reviewing my ultrasound with Dr. Blevins he didn't like it, so he wants to have it redone in 3 months. So on January 24th I'll be having another one. I have an appointment with Dr. Blevins the next day, so we shall see...
Thursday, July 29, 2010
3 month post surgical follow up with endo
Boy am I behind on my blog, but nows a good time to catch up...so let's work backwards.
I had my three month post surgical follow up with Dr. Blevins (the endo) today. My thyroglobulins were perfect (his words). My TSH not so perfect it was 12. Should be somewhere between 0.3-5.1. Before surgery I was always in the 2's, after surgery I had to be above 30 to do my radioactive iodine, so I guess it's a good thing it has come down, but that's still to high. Which explains why I'm really tired in the afternoons and have some to really depend way too much on 5-hour energy shots (even though I only take part of it at a time). So his is bumping my Synthroid up from 150mcg to 200mcg. We will see how that does over the next three months. What sucks is I just refilled my meds. Mom says it's not a bad thing to have some extras around but 80 something pills is a bit more than a few. LOL oh well.
So we will check levels again in three months and he also wants to do an ultrasound again in three months. He said things are still healing, but it was all looking good. I'm still frustrated by the swelling and puffiness of my face and neck which are all normal common features to Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism. But it sucks that people who weigh 2-3 times more than I do can have perfect beautiful faces and skinny necks and I have the beach ball for a head. Forget the neck, I know it's in there somewhere, but who knows where. :) He said that generally takes about six months to start reducing so I guess once we get the meds to the right levels that should correct itself. (crosses fingers)
So I have appointments set for three months out and for six months out. So we shall see what they bring.
So let's see what all has happened since I posted last....
I returned to work full time. I went back full days from the get go, many really questioned my doing so. And believe me, there have been days that I questioned it too. But as Dr. Kriesel put it "you won't know where your limits are if you don't get back into your normal life." Normal life? Life has been far from normal since....May 2005. And what's normal? Cause what's "normal" for Jeff and I is hoodlum-ville for most. LOL
****
Wow...and I thought I was behind before. Guess I never posted this one. Well, I'll get that posted now and start the 6th months one. I know you all have been waiting way too long for it. LOL!!!! More to follow!
****
I had my three month post surgical follow up with Dr. Blevins (the endo) today. My thyroglobulins were perfect (his words). My TSH not so perfect it was 12. Should be somewhere between 0.3-5.1. Before surgery I was always in the 2's, after surgery I had to be above 30 to do my radioactive iodine, so I guess it's a good thing it has come down, but that's still to high. Which explains why I'm really tired in the afternoons and have some to really depend way too much on 5-hour energy shots (even though I only take part of it at a time). So his is bumping my Synthroid up from 150mcg to 200mcg. We will see how that does over the next three months. What sucks is I just refilled my meds. Mom says it's not a bad thing to have some extras around but 80 something pills is a bit more than a few. LOL oh well.
So we will check levels again in three months and he also wants to do an ultrasound again in three months. He said things are still healing, but it was all looking good. I'm still frustrated by the swelling and puffiness of my face and neck which are all normal common features to Hashimoto's and hypothyroidism. But it sucks that people who weigh 2-3 times more than I do can have perfect beautiful faces and skinny necks and I have the beach ball for a head. Forget the neck, I know it's in there somewhere, but who knows where. :) He said that generally takes about six months to start reducing so I guess once we get the meds to the right levels that should correct itself. (crosses fingers)
So I have appointments set for three months out and for six months out. So we shall see what they bring.
So let's see what all has happened since I posted last....
I returned to work full time. I went back full days from the get go, many really questioned my doing so. And believe me, there have been days that I questioned it too. But as Dr. Kriesel put it "you won't know where your limits are if you don't get back into your normal life." Normal life? Life has been far from normal since....May 2005. And what's normal? Cause what's "normal" for Jeff and I is hoodlum-ville for most. LOL
****
Wow...and I thought I was behind before. Guess I never posted this one. Well, I'll get that posted now and start the 6th months one. I know you all have been waiting way too long for it. LOL!!!! More to follow!
****
Friday, May 7, 2010
Second follow up with surgeon
May 6, 2010
Had my second follow up with Dr. Kriesel today. He said that I was healing extremely quickly. Which honestly is very unusual for me. I a normally the slowest healer and major scarrer. But not in this case. So, that has me wondering, if my body was battling against my thyroid as a foreign body has this always caused me to be a slow healer because the white cells, and antibodies and what-nots that handle the healing process have been busy fighting something that was suppose to be there? And now that that battle is "over" they can do what they are really needed to do? Just a thought....
He said I had some swelling in the throat. I'll need to remember to take my ice pack with me to work. We discussed my feeling tired in the afternoons/evenings (boy wish I'd known how bad it would be in the early evening...OMG! to the point of tears!) Since I it has only been two weeks since I'd been on Synthroid he said to watch it for two more weeks and if things don't improve to let him know and he'd take it from there. So we will wait and see.
We discussed the radioactive iodine and he agreed that the usually down play it's affects on a person. So again, realize that I've put my body through a lot in a month. (Gee...where have I heard that...oh yeah. Jeff!)
I asked what they did to my arm during surgery and explained to him the pains and issues I'd been having with it. I figured it may have been hyper extended but unlike other surgeries where my arms are stretched out he said they were down at my side. So I'm wondering if something didn't happen during the transfer from the OR table to the recovery bed or something. It is my left arm and that would have been the side that I would have been moved too. So who knows. He agreed that it would be good to have my chiro and massage therapist have a look and go at it.
He also agreed that adding my chiro back into my care routine is needed. I haven't been able to schedule an appt with them since the end of July before I left for New Mexico. I have SO needed it and have missed my appts and massages as well as that who office crew! I even missed out on their big "We've Moved" office warming party. Which sucked cause it was the day before my surgery and I was a wee bit busy. So I need to get that all figured out.
So what's the take...call him is things don't improve, get back in with my chiro, and keep on keepin' on! Oh and he and Jeff can't wait for the World Cup. Hummm...I have been missing my daily futball and/or rugby matches. LOL!!! That part of returning to work sucks!
Had my second follow up with Dr. Kriesel today. He said that I was healing extremely quickly. Which honestly is very unusual for me. I a normally the slowest healer and major scarrer. But not in this case. So, that has me wondering, if my body was battling against my thyroid as a foreign body has this always caused me to be a slow healer because the white cells, and antibodies and what-nots that handle the healing process have been busy fighting something that was suppose to be there? And now that that battle is "over" they can do what they are really needed to do? Just a thought....
He said I had some swelling in the throat. I'll need to remember to take my ice pack with me to work. We discussed my feeling tired in the afternoons/evenings (boy wish I'd known how bad it would be in the early evening...OMG! to the point of tears!) Since I it has only been two weeks since I'd been on Synthroid he said to watch it for two more weeks and if things don't improve to let him know and he'd take it from there. So we will wait and see.
We discussed the radioactive iodine and he agreed that the usually down play it's affects on a person. So again, realize that I've put my body through a lot in a month. (Gee...where have I heard that...oh yeah. Jeff!)
I asked what they did to my arm during surgery and explained to him the pains and issues I'd been having with it. I figured it may have been hyper extended but unlike other surgeries where my arms are stretched out he said they were down at my side. So I'm wondering if something didn't happen during the transfer from the OR table to the recovery bed or something. It is my left arm and that would have been the side that I would have been moved too. So who knows. He agreed that it would be good to have my chiro and massage therapist have a look and go at it.
He also agreed that adding my chiro back into my care routine is needed. I haven't been able to schedule an appt with them since the end of July before I left for New Mexico. I have SO needed it and have missed my appts and massages as well as that who office crew! I even missed out on their big "We've Moved" office warming party. Which sucked cause it was the day before my surgery and I was a wee bit busy. So I need to get that all figured out.
So what's the take...call him is things don't improve, get back in with my chiro, and keep on keepin' on! Oh and he and Jeff can't wait for the World Cup. Hummm...I have been missing my daily futball and/or rugby matches. LOL!!! That part of returning to work sucks!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Return to the salt mine...
Well, nothing like jumping in with both feet and cement socks.
What a week. Computer system changes and problems left and right, add a few phone issues. At least I have not had any nasty callers mine have all for the most part been very understanding our uncontrollable issues.
Each night I have gone home more tired than the night before. The last few nights exhausted to the point of tears. I've very glad that the weekend is here. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, but glad it's here none the less.
What a week. Computer system changes and problems left and right, add a few phone issues. At least I have not had any nasty callers mine have all for the most part been very understanding our uncontrollable issues.
Each night I have gone home more tired than the night before. The last few nights exhausted to the point of tears. I've very glad that the weekend is here. Not sure what I'm going to do with it, but glad it's here none the less.
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Phone Call
So Jeff and I are sitting there after making little piggies of ourselves on the BBQ. It's about 6:30pm and we are sitting there working on clearing out our DVR of Japanese game shows and my phone rings. Ring ring...ring ring...it's Dr. Blevings. Okay, well here we go, he's gotten results from the scan. Good or bad...here we go.
He did in fact have the results. The scan some uptake in the median of the neck where it is expected to be, basically where the thyroid used to be and NO WHERE ELSE!
w00t!
Where do we go from here? I have my next appointment with the endo in July. Until then, keep on keepin' on. Keep taking my Synthroid, if I find that I'm getting too tired or having other hypo or hyper type symptoms to give him a call. We'll discuss further scans and such at the next appointment but for now we have kicked the cancer to the curb and told it it's not welcome here.
(rabble-rabble) LOL!
This is what a full body scan looks like. This is NOT my scan. I hope to get a copy of it because I think they are so cool. And I've also tossed in the neck section that shows the butterfly "glow" LOL!!!
Interestingly enough the neck scan comes from a woman that suffered(s) from Hashimotos Disease. But looks like a butterfly doesn't it. And that's why the butterfly is the "mascot" for thyroid cancer/diseases.
As I sit and ponder all that has past it has been a sort of wild ride for the past 30 days. Surgery March 29, to treatment and a clean scan by April 29.
Or if you want to look even further back:
Biopsy January 26
Diagnosis January 27
Surgery March 29
Scan & "Done" April 29
Thursday - Scan Attempt Part 3
Let's try this scan thing one more time.
So far I've been lucky enough that I still have plenty of the I-131 in my system that I don't have to take more for the scan. But if we can't get this in the next day or so I'll have to take the scan dosing and that will add a few more days to my Radioactive Girl status.
Since we were planning on having the scan done by now Jeff told his team that he'd be available on Thursday and Friday so when it came time to head in to Round Rock he was in the middle of a few things so that meant I'd have to go on my own. OMG! Am I allowed to do that? Do I remember how to drive? Guess we'll find out! First off...where are my keys? It's not that bad actually, I've made a couple of trips into Liberty Hill to the market by myself. But this will be the farthest I've gone and the longest Jeff and I have been separated in a while. That's the hardest I think. LOL!!!
I get to Round Rock and I stand in line to check in and this office has a little waiting room check-in coordinator/helper. I explain to her why I was there, she starts asking about paperwork and this and that. I've never had any of that, they should have it, it's not like this isn't the third time I've been there this week. I explain that I didn't know anything about that but the last two time I've had to sign papers and that was it. She asked if they were going to say my paperwork. I don't know...Stephanie said nothing of that, but I would assume that since the issues have been mechanical not patient that she/they would. I didn't tell her the last part but that didn't keep her from scoffing at me. She takes my ID and insurance cards and directs me to the waiting area. At least it's not packed like yesterday.
After a few minutes Stephanie comes and gets me. I'll worry about my ID and cards later. She hands me another class of what I again presume is water. You know I really should ask. Looks like water, tastes like water, tastes just like the water she gave me to take my pills with so I'm pretty sure it's water. She has me lie on the slab/table/bed part of the machine, sticks the bolster under my knees, puts the bungee straps on my feet, then wraps the cocoon wraps on my arms. They were a bit odd at first the first day but after being in it for so long I kind of liked it. It helps keep your arms in the right spot so that you can relax them without having to worry about where they are or touching the cold metal and such.
She positions the camera screen over my neck area and we do the static image again. Since the machine was not working right the first time best to make sure it took a good image now that it's fixed. After about 10 minutes that was done and she moved the screen up to start at the top of my head. The whole body takes about 25 minutes to do. The camera screen starts at the head, goes down to the feet, then flips under and scans from the bottom up then goes back to the feet, flips back up again and comes back up. This is so much easier than an MRI. No loud noises no banging nothing. Nice and quiet. The machine beeps and we are done. That's it!
If it goes well, I should have to see Stephanie again for another six months to a year...we're pushing for a year. :) Hopefully I should know something soon. We shall see!
Once I get my ID and cards and such I head over to Rudy's and pick up some stuff so that we can have an early dinner. Jeff's been taking such good care of me that he deserves the night off.
So far I've been lucky enough that I still have plenty of the I-131 in my system that I don't have to take more for the scan. But if we can't get this in the next day or so I'll have to take the scan dosing and that will add a few more days to my Radioactive Girl status.
Since we were planning on having the scan done by now Jeff told his team that he'd be available on Thursday and Friday so when it came time to head in to Round Rock he was in the middle of a few things so that meant I'd have to go on my own. OMG! Am I allowed to do that? Do I remember how to drive? Guess we'll find out! First off...where are my keys? It's not that bad actually, I've made a couple of trips into Liberty Hill to the market by myself. But this will be the farthest I've gone and the longest Jeff and I have been separated in a while. That's the hardest I think. LOL!!!
I get to Round Rock and I stand in line to check in and this office has a little waiting room check-in coordinator/helper. I explain to her why I was there, she starts asking about paperwork and this and that. I've never had any of that, they should have it, it's not like this isn't the third time I've been there this week. I explain that I didn't know anything about that but the last two time I've had to sign papers and that was it. She asked if they were going to say my paperwork. I don't know...Stephanie said nothing of that, but I would assume that since the issues have been mechanical not patient that she/they would. I didn't tell her the last part but that didn't keep her from scoffing at me. She takes my ID and insurance cards and directs me to the waiting area. At least it's not packed like yesterday.
After a few minutes Stephanie comes and gets me. I'll worry about my ID and cards later. She hands me another class of what I again presume is water. You know I really should ask. Looks like water, tastes like water, tastes just like the water she gave me to take my pills with so I'm pretty sure it's water. She has me lie on the slab/table/bed part of the machine, sticks the bolster under my knees, puts the bungee straps on my feet, then wraps the cocoon wraps on my arms. They were a bit odd at first the first day but after being in it for so long I kind of liked it. It helps keep your arms in the right spot so that you can relax them without having to worry about where they are or touching the cold metal and such.
She positions the camera screen over my neck area and we do the static image again. Since the machine was not working right the first time best to make sure it took a good image now that it's fixed. After about 10 minutes that was done and she moved the screen up to start at the top of my head. The whole body takes about 25 minutes to do. The camera screen starts at the head, goes down to the feet, then flips under and scans from the bottom up then goes back to the feet, flips back up again and comes back up. This is so much easier than an MRI. No loud noises no banging nothing. Nice and quiet. The machine beeps and we are done. That's it!
If it goes well, I should have to see Stephanie again for another six months to a year...we're pushing for a year. :) Hopefully I should know something soon. We shall see!
Once I get my ID and cards and such I head over to Rudy's and pick up some stuff so that we can have an early dinner. Jeff's been taking such good care of me that he deserves the night off.
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