To RAI or not to RAI

I have a few really important things on my mind - it happens occasionally.

First - I have cookie dough in my fridge that is calling me names (pansy, wimp, &*#$, etc). I really want to show it a thing or two! I can just imagine forming the scrumptious dough into little tasty clusters and placing them ever-so-perfectly onto an ungreased cookie sheet and... Sorry. I'm just saying.

Second - I am the YW basketball coach in my ward and we had practice the other night. The girls didn't know anything about playing positions (guard, forward), the 3-second rule in the key, etc etc. I mean - what are schools teaching kids these days? Reading? Math? Pfft!

Third - Why does my beloved cat, Creature, seem so depressed all the time lately? We play. I feed him. I give him lots of luv loves. I have strategically placed baskets throughout my house because they are the only places he will sleep. I brush his beautiful black fur lovingly. Can cats get depressed? Is it the snow? Hmmm, worth researching. I'll let you know.

Here is my beautiful ebony-furred boy:





















Lastly, and certainly the least important thought on my mind - should I or should I not have the RAI treatment for my thyroid cancer. Mind if we go there for a minute?

The typical protocol a patient follows when diagnosed with thyroid cancer resembles the following outline:

1) Surgery to remove the pesky thyroid (done that - check!)
2) Start an interim thyroid medication such as Cytomel (Check!)
3) About a month or so after surgery - meet with Endocrinologist (Scheduled for next Tuesday)
4) Stop all thyroid medication until after RAI - (This is where I have my hangup - see rant below)
5) Begin Low Iodine Diet, aka LID - (I can do this if i have to - though I may kick, scream, and throw snowballs at people eating Crazy Bread and/or other delicious iodine-riddled treats)
6) RAI treatment (radio-active iodine) - all of the above steps lead up to this treatment.
7) Remain in isolation for a few days and then limited contact with others for 2 weeks.
7) Begin long-term medication such as Synthroid
8) Have yearly checkups and labs - possibly more RAI down the road

Refer back to #4.

The simple phrase 'stop all thyroid medication' can have huge ramifications on a person. The optimal plan is to send yourself into a 'hypothyroid state' and starve the body of iodine preceeding the radioactive iodine treatment. Then, a person takes a radioactive iodine pill and remains isolated until the radioactive traces have been eliminated. Because the body has been starved of iodine, the thyroid remnants absorb the RAI like a sponge, thus, any remaining thyroid tissue is killed - which is a good thing since that is where the cancer cells were found. By killing the thyroid tissue that the surgeon was unable to get to - the chance of cancer recurring or spreading is greatly reduced.

I have no problem being isolated after the RAI - actually it sounds kind of nice. After all, I do have teenagers. It's the hypothyroid state that leaves me troubled.

Here are some of the symptoms according to eMedicinehealth.net:
Fatigue, weakness, intolerance to cold, depression, WEIGHT GAIN, muscle aches and cramps

Also, according to my ThyCa group, one should not drive while in a hypothyroid state. Most people I've talked to tell me being hypo and then RAI are the hardest phases of beating thyroid cancer.

Okay, I'm being whiney. After all, I just viewed a website from someone who has gone through colorectal cancer. I would not want to go through that. I am grateful my cancer was contained in the thyroid. It didn't spread to lymph nodes or anywhere else. The cancer was also very small.

Which is why I'm having difficulty with the RAI and hypothyroid state. Apparently, and I'll know more on Tuesday when I meet with the endocrinologist, my cancer is small enough and was caught early enough that I don't technically need to have the RAI treatment, thus avoiding being hypothyroid.

Decisions. Decisions.

I'm really looking forward to my appt on Tuesday. So many questions will be answered.

So, back to the cookie dough. I self-destructed and ate one. Well, two. Okay, I ate 4! I'm so unworthy!! This can never happen again. Have I mentioned that I'm an emotional eater?!

Here's to a better tomorrow.

Progress

Here's an update of my progress so far.

• I have signed up for the Bryce Canyon Half Marathon and reserved the hotel room
• I have been logging my weight and activities into fitnessjournal.org
• I have seriously increased my fruit and vegetable intake
• I have cut down on portion sizes and have been drinking more water.

Drumroll please...

I have lost 7 pounds since December! It's very exciting for me. Please hold your applause. Really. No, really - it's not that big of a deal. STOP CLAPPING.

Ahem.

I'm struggling with energy still and am having a very hard time with exercise. I think some of that might be because of my thyroid shenanigans - but I suppose it could also be sheer laziness.

What are you doing to be healthy and get into or stay in shape? What activities are you planning for this year or even this next week? What are your weaknesses or shortcomings when it comes to diet and exercise?

I know this will be a great year and we can all achieve our personal goals. I only have awesome friends and family and we can sooo do this!

Fun with Fotos

And this is Larissa:



And this is Connor:

Bryce Canyon Half Marathon

Bryce Canyon Half Marathon - July 19, 2008
Most people will be running - but I will be walking and/or crawling.
I know of at least three people participating in this event - me, Todd, and Bean (who started this whole thing). Who else is in?

Let's do it! Be there or be square!

Here is the link to their website:
http://brycecanyonhalfmarathon.com/

Self Disclosure

I broach this subject with trepidation as you may not know my secret.

First, some history.

It started back in 2001 while running. I loved to run back then. LOVED, I say. But it was at this unfortunate time in my life that I hurt my knee. Shortly thereafter, it was the kidney stones. Devils! I wouldn't wish them on my worst enemy. Wait. Hmmm. No…not even my worst enemy. But, I also started to not feel very well at this time in my life (we suspect because of my parathyroid – see previous blog). For comfort and to deaden the frustration, I would frequent the ever-delicious Farr’s Ice Cream in downtown Ogden. YUMMY! Oh the memories of their decadent, creamy, mouthwatering and oh so comforting peanut butter and chocolate ice cream. Yeah baby!! Just writing about it now sends a thrill down my parched throat. I enjoyed blissful ignorance during those days. I say ignorance because apparently ice cream has calories. Who knew?!

Let’s put this in simple mathematical terms:

Hurt knee + kidney stones = Lack of physical activity
Lack of physical activity + frustration = Gloom

So,
Frustration + gloom = Farr’s Ice Cream (obviously)

Therefore,
Lack of physical activity + gloom + Farr's Ice Cream = Stoutness

Just trust me.

I can’t quite bring myself to say the 3-letter F-word. But we all know what I’m referring to.

Hence, the secret I’ve been harboring: I’ve become plump. Pudgy. Stout. Curved. Even rotund. My extra girth has made me, shall I say, less spry than I used to be. A little more sedentary. I’ve also found that I love fast food restaurants and they really love me.

As you can clearly see, it wasn’t my fault that I put on weight. (That’s my story and I’m sticking to it)! I've become very very good at the blame game. I've tried very hard to conceal my condition - black clothing, makeup shading, only creeping around in public during the dark of night. However, I can't keep up the facade. Something MUST be done to correct the situation.

Why? Because my extra girth has created other recent problems like high blood pressure and cholesterol. Sigh. Also - I can’t enjoy things that I really love like hiking my beloved red country down in Southern Utah. Actually – I can still hike – but with the speed, grace, and agility of a buck-toothed hippo.

So, I need some help. Motivation. Input.

I'm pretty sure I only have about 1.2 readers, slightly up from last month, but I really need a little more support than that (pass this post along to your friends and compadres). I'm interested in learning what you do (or have done) to lose weight. How does one stay motivated and away from ice cream? What programs out there will help me achieve my ambitious goal of becoming healthy? Any ideas for dealing with or getting around knee pain?

I've accumulated a vast array of books on the subject but I'm slightly daunted at the task of choosing the best plan. I know I have the internet right at my disposal - which is full of useful weight-loss information. And believe me - I've researched. But I'm looking for something a little more personal. It will mean more to me to hear directly from someone who has lost poundage. You will be my hero!!

Secretly, I'm very interested in running in a marthon. There - I said it! More than the fact that I want to look better is the prospect of being able to enjoy adventurous activities again. Running, hiking, kayaking etc.

Please comment, email, or approach me in person (unless you're creepy and plan to corner me in some secluded alley while I'm on one of my 'dark of night' outings).

Thank you! Here's to a healthier and less rotund New Year!

Todd's Obsession

My snow warrior....keeping us safe from the evils that lurk.







And his fearless minions....

A Peak into the Mind of Darren. (Read at your own risk).

I've been feeling a bit nostalgic lately. Darren hasn't even left yet and I'm already missing him.

I was browsing on our computer today and found a stockpile of his files - things he's found online and pictures he's 'doctored'. The following is a very small sampling:

Darren adds his thoughts to Larissa's heart-wrenching picture after she hit her head on the trampoline. He's always been a tender soul.














Darren has embraced this motto fully.













I'm sensing sub-conscious anger/dominance issues in Darren. By the way - what ARE those things in the background chasing this poor, innocent kitty?






Darren labeled this self-photo "Darren the pimp".








Darren's misfortune while living in Texas. He put dish soap in the dishwasher. This picture makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside while maniacal glee envelopes my very soul.







I have no words for this picture





Darren is fun. He is creative. Clever. Smart. Strong-willed. Talented. There were (are) times that I wanted to pull my hair out because of him (still do!)... because he wouldn't (won't) do things the way I wanted (want) them done!

Proof:

• One time I went outside to find him cutting strange shapes out of our shrubbery in the front yard.
• He made an audio tape of himself spewing very hideous and scary-sounding monster noises. He left it under his sisters' bunk bed while they were going to sleep. We spent the rest of the evening trying to console two screeching and sobbing girls.
• I found a dead snake in my freezer the very first week of my marriage to Todd. Apparently Darren, age 10, found roadkill he wanted to skin.
• One evening Todd and I came home from a blessed night away from the kids. We worried about what we would find as we put Darren in charge. (eek.) We found that our entire main floor was riddled with a 'carnival'. Games, treats, puzzles, etc. Each of the kids had their own 'stations' of which they were in charge. Todd and I had to 'pay' to play each of the games. Todd and I went to bed broke....well, more broke than usual.
• Darren's favorite stunt was hiding in the coat closet right as guests came over. After about 5 minutes, he would pound on the closet door and yell "Mom? Dad? Can I come out now?"
• Once, when I had kidney stones, he rode his bike to the grocery store and spent his quarters on the 'claw machine'. He came home with about 5 stuffed animals of various shapes and sizes.
• When he was 12, he mailed Todd and I a bill for his allowance.

It can never be said that Darren is boring. I found and kept this little poem when Darren was younger. It fit him to the T! Now that he is older I see endless possibilities for him. Darren loves the world and everything in it. The world is his playground. Go for it, Darren!

The Noncomformist

Every family has at least one: the child who will not conform, the rebel, the loner. As a pre-schooler, he's the one who gets locked in restrooms because he stayed behind to find out where the water went when you pushed down the handle, who gets his arm stuck in a piece of construction pipe, who rejects store-bought toys in favor of making tunnels out of old oatmeal boxes.

In school, he gets check marks for daydreaming, for not being neat, for not working to capacity. In his pre-occupation with other things, he is unaware that he drives his family crazy, arriving late for dinner every night and wearing his underwear (or dinosaur suit) to bed to save time in the morning.

As he grows older, there aren't enough weekends for his projects. In the garage is his "pumping heart," devised out of plastic sandwich bags, tubing and cake coloring. Cluttering the bedroom are the remains of his puppet show.

Parents are awed by genius, content with an average child, compassionate toward the slow learner. But the child who is none of these only puzzles, confuses and tries their patience. "What's to become of him?" they ask each other.

True, he is accident-prone because he daydreams, and he maintains a closet that the insurance company refuses to insure. But he reminds us that life is a precious gift to be lived to its fullest. And as Henry David Thoreau said, "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is becuase he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears.

~Erma Bombeck