The THYROID Thread

[mrsklamc]

Had my radiation pill yesterday afternoon. Feeling ok so far. Mostly tired and having a hard time eating dry foods like bread and cookies. But happy to be eating and drinking normal foods again. I have some discomfort but not a lot. Had a few lemon drops so far today. Thanks again for all the support!!

I hope everything goes well for you. I hope this doesn't happen but I wanted to warn you about something I wasn't warned about (or didn't remember being warned about)....a week after the pill I lost all sense of taste. It came back after two or three weeks, I just wanted you to be prepared just in case. Like I said, hopefully not, but....

 

[luvmarypoppins]

dischick - glad you are hanging in there. I too had the dry swallowing poroblems. I still have them. Npw my biggest problems are bread sometimes and french fries.I didnt have the taste bud sensation loss like Micayla, but I do remember spending an awful lot of time in the bathroom all week. Like every 1/2 hour after I ate I would be in the bathroom. What did you miss the most over the last 2 weeks did you eat now? My rad. onc. also told me stuff cpuld taste like metal but I didnt experience that. I know we are all different, so it will be interesting to read your eperience over the week too.

Micayala - I dont know how you feel, but I am sure its not fun. Wishing you all the best. You are blessed to have your dh cook for you. I cooked for the family the lst week and then it was too much torture for me the 2nd week, so since my dh was away at a conference I told them to order out, make your own lunch etc. It worked out better for me. I also didnt eat when they did. I didnt want to look at it etc. So do you have any meals planned etc?
In May I wanted to try a stuffed pepper, but I didnt do it.

Also wondering if anyones endo ordered a bone density test. Mine wants me to have one. I dont know if its because of the cancer, just age related or vit d stuff etc. She gave me the script and I need to get it done soon.

I am thinking of writing a little pain journal before I go see the surgeon. Also they cancelled my visit for this tues. to aug. 10th but my wound is not draining too bad so that is good, its just the pain. Oh well. I have everyone praying for me, so that is helping for sure.

 

[mrsklamc]

I think osteoporosis is listed as a possible side effect of synthroid so we'll probably all get checked eventually. I'm very short so I was always high risk anyway- need to do some weight bearing excercise.

I'm feeling pretty ok so far- not exhausted but just not quite me.

So far I'm mostly eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and unsalted peanut butter and jelly, and DH will make lunch in foil in the evenings until I get sick of that. He made a spaghetti sauce last time that was pretty good, and I think I am going to make some granola this afternoon if I still have energy left.

He or I will give a shot to frying eggplant, too- neither of us has ever had it.

 

[dischick4778]

Part of the problem is I'm Italian, so a lot of the foods I missed involve bread. And it's just not working out for me yet. Lol. I tried to have some bread with sauce last night and a small piece of pizza today. The taste is there, but the bread and pizza dough felt so dry. Also, because of all the water I'm drinking to flush out the rad, I'm not really hungry. But I start my synthroid tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to having more energy.

mrsklamc - you are very lucky to have your dh to help with cooking. Luckily I had some energy throughout the prep process and was able to cook for myself. My dh does not cook and I call him every day to make sure he has ordered food or eaten something for the day while he's home taking care of our son.

Some good news to share ot - my little boy is 6 months old, weighs 15 lbs and is 27 inches long. He had his Dr visit today which dad took him to and dh nearly cried when they gave the baby his shots. I'm sorry I missed it but it made my dh feel really useful, so I'm glad he was able to have that experience since I usually take care of all that stuff.

 

[mrsklamc]

Dischick- I'm glad your DH got to have that experience too...wanted you guys to know if you use a stovetop popcorn popper with oil (ours is called a whirley pop) it tastes more like buttered popcorn.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

dischick - just wondering how you are doing? You are in the home stretch, hmm, I am having visions of Belmont raceway. (sorry, I have a weird sense of humor). I have never even been there, but only stuck in the traffic on race day once going to NJ. Hang in there.

Micayla - how goes the diet? I also had the idea of grilling myself a little shish ke bob type thing with the meat and veg etc. but that didnt work out.

I am doing o.k. We will see what the surgeon says next week. In the meantime this upcoming week I will kill some time and go to the dentist, get the bone density test and throw in a mammogram whule I am at it. Next its the eye dr. appot. to make and my reg. dr. who I avoid like the plague.

 

[mrsklamc]

Diet is going ok. Today is the first day that I am craving something I can't have (day 5 of 17.) I am surprised I still feel so good; it must be the TSH that makes you feel so awful if the drugs are all gone by now? Kinda wish I hadn't taken off work so early.

 

[dischick4778]

luvmarypoppins - Thanks for checking in. Synthroid is a wonder, didn't realize what I was missing until I started taking it. LOL. However, I want my taste and saliva back! Eating is such a pain still. Nothing tastes good, everything is dry, and not much agrees with my stomach. How long does this last?! After the LID I am ready for real food mentally, but everytime I eat I wish I hadn't. Is the upset stomach more from the radiation or the adjustment back to normal foods after the LID? Sounds like you are keeping yourself busy! I do need a dentist visit myself, thanks for the reminder.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

dischick - I am glad the synthroid is helping. I think I started at like 150 or 175 but they uped it to 200. I am hyper to say the least and any little thing sets me off and makes me cry. My dh asked the endo to lower it, she said no as they like to keep the cancer patients high. So they must live with me, heah I gotta live with the cancer.

Yeah I felt like you did all week and I always ran to the bathroom a little after I ate. I think it lasted about 10 days. I think the radiation does a number on your digestive system. Even this May when I had just the tracer for the scan which was about 5 mci, somewhere around there. They said lst the pill then the next 2 days I had to take milk of magnesia. I said, why must I do this? They said we dont want any of the radiation remaining in your digestive system, then on the 3rd day I had the scan. I am glad so far next year all I have is the 2 thyrogen shots and the blood test.

 

[mrsklamc]

luvmarypoppins - Thanks for checking in. Synthroid is a wonder, didn't realize what I was missing until I started taking it. LOL. However, I want my taste and saliva back! Eating is such a pain still. Nothing tastes good, everything is dry, and not much agrees with my stomach. How long does this last?! After the LID I am ready for real food mentally, but everytime I eat I wish I hadn't. Is the upset stomach more from the radiation or the adjustment back to normal foods after the LID? Sounds like you are keeping yourself busy! I do need a dentist visit myself, thanks for the reminder.

I think the upset stomach is due to the radiation, because I was upset for a few days and I wasn't allowed to go back on a regular diet for a week. I lost my taste about that same day and it was gone for a couple of weeks. I'm so sorry you are dealing with this.

 

[Christine]

The upset stomach is called radiation gastritis (my nuclear physician told me this). Effects the lining of your stomach. I have a sensitive stomach anyway. I was VERY nauseous after my large doses. I find the tracer dose and a 30 mci dose did not affect me though.

My doc had me take Gaviscon four times a day and a Pepcid in the morning and in the evening. That seemed to help until it healed on its own.

 

[dischick4778]

Ugh, why must we endure these things. Isn't having the cancer bad enough not to need all these side effects on top of it? Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone in it though, it's good to hear others have had similar experiences and that it does get better.

Going for scan tomorrow. Will keep you updated.

 

[mrsklamc]

I just googled 'iodine test strips' and got a ton of hits on google. I wonder why we can't just use these on foods like milk? I'm not going to but it really makes me wonder...

 

[Christine]

The other day I was reading an article about cancer in a magazine. It said that all forms of cancer had dropped with the exception of one--thyroid cancer--which was on the rise at 37,000 cases diagnosed per year.

I wonder how long it will take them to figure out what is causing the escalation of new cases.

 

[mrsklamc]

I don't know. I've sure put a lot of thought into mine and come up blank; well, blank other than some crazy theories. I know my grandma was hyperthyroid and had a dose to lower that, and it would have been like her to ignore the precautions. I have no idea when she had it done though. My mother used to tell me as a kid not to stand in front of the microwave or I would get cancer. My husband says that's insane. I used to go to my grandparents' house in the summer which was near a military outpost and in my wildest imaginings I've wondered if they had something going on there.
My endo says at one point they tracked a rash of cases to radioactive material being scattered over pastures in the midwest, and many people who drank milk from those cows got thyroid cancer. I've wondered many times how they could track something like that down so specifically.

 

[mrsklamc]

I kinda can't believe how good I feel. This is day 6 off cytomel...I've been trailing off in the middle of sentences sometimes or forgetting what I'm doing while I'm doing it, but overall pretty good. Not going to work though because I don't trust myself not to forget what I'm supposed to be doing while driving!

 

[dischick4778]

Got a good report at hospital today. Scan showed nothing new from pre radiation scan. Hospital Dr said follow up with your endo in 2-3 months and we'll see you in a year for follow up scan. Yay. I am going home to my husband and son tomorrow. Can't wait!!

 

[Christine]

Got a good report at hospital today. Scan showed nothing new from pre radiation scan. Hospital Dr said follow up with your endo in 2-3 months and we'll see you in a year for follow up scan. Yay. I am going home to my husband and son tomorrow. Can't wait!!

Hurray!!!! That's great news. I bet you feel fabulous!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Got a good report at hospital today. Scan showed nothing new from pre radiation scan. Hospital Dr said follow up with your endo in 2-3 months and we'll see you in a year for follow up scan. Yay. I am going home to my husband and son tomorrow. Can't wait!!

Great news! So happy for you, now go and celebrate

 

[luvmarypoppins]

The other day I was reading an article about cancer in a magazine. It said that all forms of cancer had dropped with the exception of one--thyroid cancer--which was on the rise at 37,000 cases diagnosed per year.

I wonder how long it will take them to figure out what is causing the escalation of new cases.

I had this same experience before my surgery. I had to go get a pulmonary function test as they thought the cancer was affecting my lungs. (It was only the trachea). They said we have seen so many thyroid cases lately, wonder why? I do know around here there was alot of farming but doubt they used chemicals etc.