Day 74: I'm radioactive!

Yesterday, on 9-11-09, 74 days after my surgery, I take the last step in recovery and officially became radioactive. We went to the hospital, two different people gave me a set of instructions about flushing, washing, keeping to myself, etc., then they gave me an anti-nausea pill and took me into a little lead-lined room where they carefully took this little plastic bottle from a lead container, told me to swallow the big blue pill inside, then RUN! RUN HOME QUICKLY! (The tech had a great sense of humor, and since he personally had gone through what I currently am going through, the comic relief was well received. When I complained about how the hypothyroid state was so crappy, and mentioned that my TSH was probably close to 80 by this point, he rolled his eyes at me and called me a "little whiner" since at the point where he went radioactive, he was virtually catatonic and his TSH was 135! Okay, point taken, I was lucky to be functioning at this level and I should be thankful.)

So, it's Saturday afternoon, and has been 24 hours since I took the pill. Nearly 80% of the radiation should be out of my system at this point, mainly through urine, but also sweat and saliva. All in all, I feel "normal", at least normal compared to how I've been feeling for the last month. I have had a bit of nausea, but think part of that is all of the sour candies I was instructed to eat to keep my salivary glands working. (The one side effect from the radiation.) I stay secluded until Monday morning, then that afternoon I will go back to the hospital for a geiger-counter reading, which should be relatively low. After that I still have to stay 6 feet or so away from anyone for the remainder of the week, but don't have to be isolated. On Thursday, 17 Sept., I will have another body scan to double check that everything worked, then I'm done!

GOOD NEWS IS: My doctor deferred opinion on when I could start Synthroid to the radiologist, and he said I could start the hormone on MONDAY!! So only a day and a half more and I get to finally start taking the magic (in my mind) pill that will allow me to finally start getting back to normal.

Since I recently made this blog available for anyone, for any of you out there who have recently been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, I will give a list of various symptoms that you will most likely go through while being starved of the thyroid hormone. Not to scare anyone, but it really has been so much more uncomfortable than I ever could have imagined, so if I can help anyone understand what might happen to them, and put their mind to rest whilst it's happening, I have done my job with this blog. Here goes:

• Extreme fatigue and lethargy
• Lack of concentration
• Foggy thinking/decision making
• Muscle weakness (I can barely walk across the room some days)
• Muscle cramping, burning, stinging
• Extreme edema, especially limbs (hands, fingers, feet, calves, forearms)
• Hands and fingers fall asleep seconds after starting to use them, also when sleeping
• Stomach distention (sometimes feel pregnant because of stomach fullness)
• Lower back pain/sciatic nerve pain
• Fullness in the throat/neck
• Headache/dizziness/orthostatic hypotension (sudden drop in blood pressure when standing)
• Tinnitus (constant high pitched hum in both ears -- and I do mean CONSTANT)
• Constipation
• Weak, husky, gravely voice
  

Every day something new seems to pop up, and I know it's all related to having no thyroid or supplement hormone, but I still worry. I keep googling for a post from someone that may confirm what I'm feeling as being related to this state, so for those of you like me, I hope this list gives you a bit of peace. I know it doesn't help with the near-maddening state you may be in, but believe me, peace of mind can go a long way. I suggest stretching as much as possible, or go through yoga or tai-chi or qigong if you know it, just keep moving as much as you can to keep the sinews long and the circulation going.