Finally, phase two of my treatment has been scheduled!

Finally, phase two of my treatment for thyroid cancer has been scheduled. yeah! i am to start things on july 19th- two months to the day of my surgery. my doctor signed off on the plan to have it done at a hospital near my home, so i can be at home and not in the hospital. i will start off on monday, july 19th, with one injection of thyrogen. then on tuesday, i will have another one. wednesday, i get the I-131. thursday i guess i get to rest.hahaha. then on friday, and this is news to me, as of today, i will get a thyroglobulin test. thyroglobulin is a protein that is made only by thyroid cells- both cancerous and non-cancerous. no other cells in our bodies make this. ideally, once you have had surgery to remove your entire thyroid( like me) and have the RAI to destroy any sneaky cells that got away, you should not have any of this protein in your body. if you do, then perhaps the thyroid cancer has returned.

of course it is not that simple. is anything medical??? about 25% of all thyroid cancer patients, especially women, have immune systems that somehow produce antibodies against our own thyroglobulin. so the thyroglobulin AND the thyroglobulin antibody levels have to be measured. if the thyroglobulin antibody level is elevated, then the thyroglobulin level can not be trusted. if the antibody level is very,very low then the thyroglobulin test can be an accurate test for persistent thyroid cancer.

sometime the following week, i will be scheduled for the whole body scan. i am not sure when that will be because the radiologist will schedule that either on the consultation visit on july 12th, or the week of july 19th. i have decided to take two full weeks off for the treatments, scans,tests,etc. besides, my co-workers do not want me to return until i stop glowing. to be honest, i need the time off. this has been a roller coaster ride for me, and i need some time to prepare and reflect on what has/will happen to me. perhaps i am too pollyanna about things, but i just have to be. yes, i have had some difficult moments, and i have cried and been depressed. but i have to get on with things, for my family as well as myself.i really do try to make the very best of things that i can. i had rather laugh than cry, actually.

i have been playing the "inspirational" cd that my daughter made for me when we found out that i had cancer. my theme song is "Touch of Grey" by the grateful dead. now more than ever, i need to believe that i will survive. i promise to do my best.