Saturday, March 7, 2009
Whole Body Scan and Home to My Babies
I don't consider myself a nervous person - a worrier, yes, but not nervous. Turns out I am. I'm also like a little yippy dog (the kind I was so annoyed by during my 7 days of isolation) who piddles when they're nervous. I only drank one cup of tea for breakfast and I think I seriously peed a dozen times before my scan at 10:00 yesterday morning. I have no idea where all the water was coming from.I don't consider myself a claustrophobic person, but I think I am a bit. I laid down on the body scan table and it sucked me in underneath a plate that was seriously so close to my face that I could feel my own breath slap me back in the face making me hotter than I already was because of being nervous and claustrophobic. The plate stayed like that - practically bending my nose hairs - for five minutes as it took pictures of radioactive material in my head and neck, then it moved down for 5 minutes of my chest, then down for another 5 minutes of my stomach area. Another 5 minutes of pictures of my head and neck and I was finally free of the machine. Oh, during all of this I couldn't move a muscle and I was literally strapped in like I was in a loony bin, complete with leg straps and an "arm sling" that was very straight jacket like.
My Doctor emailed last night to tell me that the scan showed uptake of radiation only in the neck area which is great news. It means that the only thyroid tissue (i.e., cancer) left in my body appears to be in my thyroid bed (neck) which is being ablated by the radiation. There weren't any hot spots elsewhere in my body (like my lungs or armpit, like I was worried about). The next step is a blood test and then another scan (without the 152.2 millicuries of radiation and isolation) in 9 months. After that I hope to only be followed once a year with an ultrasound that says, in no uncertain terms, NO MORE CANCER. That's my hope and prayer!
Thanks for all of your warm thoughts and prayers through last week's isolation. Needless to say, it was a joy coming home to Huz and my beautiful angel-faced Claire. I can't believe how much she's grown in a week! And my Huz. What can I say? A week away makes for a great reunion ifyouknowwhatImean. Also? Turns out an ice cream turtle pie makes a fine welcome home present.
Labels: Thyroid Cancer
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