Other Events that week

• Visited my surgeon for blood tests
• visited my endo for blood tests on the same day felt like a pin cushion
• test included, TSH, CA and Vit. D, Pregnancy and Antibodies
• Felt absolutely exhausted due to my TSH being over 40!!!  I literally thought my bones were collapsing under the weight of my body.  I felt like every time I stood up I was walking sideways about to fall over from the dizziness.   
• Scheduled RAI pill administration the day before Thanksgiving since my levels were within range.  Although my endo. and my surgeon debated whether I needed to wait for my CA levels to improve before I took the RAI.  But there was no way I could wait another week to take the synthetic hormone medication!!!  (cant take it before RAI). 
• Went to receive RAI pill.  The oncologist took the pill out of a lead canister the size of a coke can.  He wore rubber gloves and held it at full arms length away from himself.  A bright yellow "Radioactive" sign emblazoned the canister and the tiny pill (looked exactly like a tylenol capsule).  "Drink Up!"  seemed to be completely against every instinct I had to swallow that pill, but I had to do it.  The Oncologist and two other nurses stared at me for about three minutes to make sure I didn't have a reaction, then I was free to walk out...as long as I stayed six feet away from others at all times. 
• Thanksgiving day-- had to stay six feet away from my husband and dog and my entire family, flush the toilet twice, and suck on hard candy every hour so that my salivary glands would not get damaged from the radiation. Have to wait 6 mos.--1 year to get pregnant due to the radiation as well.
• I could finally start taking Synthroid and Cytomel again and it was almost instant improvement on my fatigue!
• Still had to take 9 calcium per day and nasty antibiotic
• All this time, a rotten, cinnamon-like smell was radiating from my incision--it was infected because I now know that I am allergic to medical tape! It was oozing green when my surgeon removed the one long strand of stitch and prescribed some bactroban to apply to it twice daily.
• Well, I am allergic to backtroban as well!  and A&D ointment, and Aquaphor.  Soap and water was all I could use.
• It healed and scabbed, but the infection made the right side of the scar thicker than the left.  It is still red and somewhat painful today (April).  Oh, and I am allergic to Mederma, Vitamin E and Bio Oil.  Nice!
• I have a crooked, puffy-on-one-side scar right between my collar bones.  There is a round scar beneath the "smiley-face" scar (from that terrible tube), and you can see every little line from the stitches above and below the scar.  It aches in the morning and pulls on the tendons in my neck.  My brother lovingly calls me "Zipper Neck,"  but a lot of people seem to think it looks kind of "cool," like a vampire bite.  When people ask me what happened I tell them I got into a knife fight.
• It really angers me when people smoke around me--I just want to point at my neck and say "Look, I was extremely healthy, a marathon runner, and I got cancer for no apparent reason and an ugly, painful scar to remind me every day that anything can happen at any time to any body.  All you can do is live every day and love your family, friends and God.  You just never know.