thyroids and butter

In six more weeks, I'll be entering the final stage of my cancer treatment, with a dose of radioactive iodine.

Thyroid surgery like I had back on Dec. 8, while it removes the bulk of the cancer, never really eliminates it all. Invariably there are some small amounts of thyroid tissue left behind by the surgeon, and it's also fairly standard that some of the cancer cells metastasize and spread to other parts of the body, such as the adrenal glands or lymph nodes. Although I'm unlikely to grow a new thyroid in my armpit because of these cells, they are still cancerous and need to be eliminated.

Thankfully, part of the function of thyroid cells is to absorb iodine, and this ability passes on to thyroid cancer cells as well.

On March 3, I'll be getting a dose of I-131, an iodine isotope that will let hospital technicians see where all the cancer cells are when I get my radiometric body scans on March 6 and March 7. If I understand this correctly, they'll use this information to calculate the dosage of radioative iodine I'll need to destroy the cells when I get that treatment, most likely that Friday.

There is no threat to my healthy body tissues from the iodine, nor will I pose a threat to anyone else with my first iodine treatment. After my second treatment, however, I'm supposed to stay away from children for two days, and then avoid bodily contact with them (hugging, kissing, sitting in my lap) for the two days after that.

I'm still trying to figure that out, but it sounds an awful lot to me like I need to find somewhere else to stay for a few days where I'll have my own private bathroom and can avoid contact with other people. Hotels are out of the question, at least from what the nuclear medicine person told me today.

Three weeks before my first dose of iodine, I'm supposed to stop taking my thyroid medicine.This is going to make me increasingly sluggish and out of sorts in the days leading up to my treatment, but it's supposed to cause my body to start producing thyroid stimulation hormone. A blood test on March 1 will measure the amount of this hormone in my bloodstream, as well as levels of thyroglobulin and antithyroglobulin hormone. I'm sure there's a reason for this, but I don't know what it is.

I'd have to say that, on the whole, this appears to be the least pleasant part of having thyroid cancer. At least in the weeks between diagnosis and surgery, I had a lot of fun making jokes about it with people. I can't think of anything funny about having no energy for weeks on end, but if somebody has some suggestions, I'd love to hear them.