I'll get through this...

Let me begin by thanking everyone for their thoughts and prayers. I never realized how many people cared! j/k Seriously though, I really appreciate you all!!!

Today started with a follow up appointment with my surgeon. He is VERY pleased with the healing of my incision. (I know....I never posted a picture the other night....soon, I promise) He doesn't need to see me back for 3 months, so that is good news!

Next, we went to see my Endo and talk to him about what the next step should be. I will try to explain this the best I can. He has put me on a VERY STRICT low iodine diet. The list of things I can't eat is much longer than the things I can. This is going to be a challenge for me! But, it is necessary for me to do for the next step to work properly. I also will not be taking any thyroid replacement meds during this time. So....lack of food....no thyroid meds.....I will not be very pleasant to be around for the next 3 weeks or so. If you see me, expect me to be really tired and really crabby.....(I know, what else is new, right?!?! lol)

So, I will follow the diet and no meds, and on the 23rd, I will go have labs done to see where my levels are. They need me to be extremely "hypo" for the treatment to work. I go see the Dr. again to get these results on the 26th. He will say yes or no as to if I am ready for treatment at this time.

Once I am ready for the treatment, I will swallow one lonely little pill. Thats it....well, kinda anyway. I will swallow one pill of radioactive iodine, and while only one pill, it is a STRONG dose. Strong enough that I am going to have to be in complete isolation for 5 days. (still trying to figure out all the details of how that is going to work....) This iodine will be absorbed by the thyroid tissue still remaining (which is where the cancer is) and it will destroy this tissue.

About 10-14 days after I take the magical pill, I will go in for a full body scan. This will let us know for a fact that the cancer hasn't spread anywhere else.

And then, that is it. I will get back on my thyroid meds, and I will be good as new....or something like that. :)

Really quick, I wanted to thank the amazing company that Steve works for. They have been so understanding with his scheduling through all of this. And then, they had a BIG, YUMMY dinner ready for us when we got home tonight. Thank you guys SO MUCH!

Again, thank you all so much for your support. I want to leave you with the "slogan", for lack of a better word, that is being used for the new sermon series at church. The series just started this past Sunday, and I felt as if this series is just for me. I am so glad that everyone in our church family is letting Max just talk to me for a few weeks.... :)

"I'll get through this. It won't be painless. It won't be quick. But God will use this mess for good. I won't be foolish or naive, but nor will I despair. With God's help, I know, I will get through this."

God Bless you all, and thank you all again!!!

~rlb