warning: re-entering Cancer Land

I saw my endo yesterday morning. I had a set of expectations that turned out to be completely wrong.

I expected that I would have to go off my T4 meds for 4 weeks, using extra T3 for 2 weeks, and then going with nothing for the last 2; then I'd get the Thyrogen shots and the scan.

Wrong! I get to stay on the T3 and the T4 the whole time. That's cool. I get to have the shots & scan as soon as they get the Thyrogen from their supplier. That sounds vaguely illegal, but it's not, although there is some run-around involved.

So, I had been thinking I had a good 2 weeks at least before I had to go back on the LID (low iodine diet). Wrong! That threw a wrench into our Mother's Day plans. Mimi's Cafe uses iodized salt, and that's where we were going Saturday evening. Flancer's, where we're planning lunch on Sunday doesn't, so that's still a go. YAY! I'm thinking I will give Claim Jumper a call and see what they say... I like it there.

Aside from these piddly concerns about eating and dinners out, my endo flatly stated that it is "likely" that I will need more treatment. Probably surgery, but also possibly RAI, in which case I would have to withdraw from meds for 4 weeks.

So, the plan is -- wait until the Thyrogen arrives, then get shots 3 consecutive days. Then get scanned. When it comes back positive, I'll probably go for another scan to localize the cancer so the surgeon can go in there and get it out. Ideally it will come back negative and I'll just take my summer vacation as we planned -- but the odds are vanishingly small that will happen. The dr felt a few little lumps in my neck she thought could be nodes.

I'm doing OK with this so far. In the back of my mind, I expected it. Doesn't mean I have to like it, but I will do what I have to do, just get through this and hope it will be the end of it.

One upshot of all this is that there will be a lot more cancer stuff around here in the forseeable future.

I have to say, I am thrilled to still be on my meds because in spite of the pending bad news, I still feel good, and I can still do things, and that is tremendously helpful.