Radioactive Iodine Treatment: Day 2 update

Hey guys! Im currently in day 2 of my radiation treatment and so far everything has gone fairly smooth. Let me back up for a minute to update you on the past week.

On Monday and Tuesday, March 31st and April 1, I had Thyrogen shots to prepare my body for radiation. One in each butt cheek. Nice. Before Thyrogen shots were available, one would have to stop taking their thyroid medication, causing them to go super hypothyroid. Like, "I can barely get out of bed or focus on what you're saying"-hypo.  I had no significant side effects from the shots besides slight fatigue at the end of Tuesday. So if insurance with pay for them, Thyrogen shots are the way to go!

I didn't sleep well Tuesday night, as I was anxious for the next day. I had to be at the hospital at 9:00 Wednesday morning to run the standard pregnancy tests. You cannot have this treatment if you are pregnant. I of course, was not pregnant. I knew this, but it was sad and weird to hear.

The next several hours consisted of a lot of waiting. I talked to the doctors who explained in science-terms what the radiation will do to my body, the risks, the precautions, and so forth. At noon they called me back to take the pill, which was in a heavy lead encasing. It looked like any other normal capsule, almost like a vitamin. Nothing too crazy. I didn't feel any different, but once I swallowed the pill I was instantly radioactive. Unfortunately, I was still unable to control objects with my mind or shoot spider webs from my wrists.

I immediately left the hospital, got in my car, and drove home to Fayetteville. (Josh did not come with me to Little Rock for this reason alone, as it was best not to be in the same car for the drive home.)

Now today is Friday and I'm practically 48 hours out. "Isolation" hasn't been too terrible so far; I can't share the bed with Josh or the dogs and they have to stay at least 6 feet away at all times. To pass the time I've watched the last season of Game of Thrones (the new season comes out on Sunday!), episodes of Friday Night Lights, and I've completed a lot of Sudoku puzzles. The radiation leaves my body through body fluids, namely bathroom activities, so I'm drinking water like it is my job and taking at least two showers a day. My neck/throat area is painful; sometimes it just feels sore and other times it feels like my throat is burning from the inside. This is to be expected, as this is the area the radiation is being absorbed the most. Also, I feel overall tired and achey, but that is common as well.

I'm overall pleased with the way things are going and I am SO thankful the past few days have been relatively easy. I've heard some horror stories and was preparing myself for the worst. The doctor also gave me the "okay" to resume a normal diet today, so I've already chowed down on a kolache and cinnamon roll and drank a big cup of milk. Delightful.

I go back to UAMS for a whole body scan on April 10th to see where in my body the radiation was absorbed, aka: where the cancer has spread. Please pray and plead with me that the cancer hasn't spread anywhere else and that we get a great and healthy report next week.

Now I'm off to order me a pizza. Yum!