A Few Answers

• Yes and no to the night-light question. I do glow in the dark but not that can be seen with the naked eye. I have seen it while at the hospital and it is a bit weird.


• Regardless of the situation it can make for some pretty good jokes. The doctor told me yesterday that I had basically swallowed Chernobyl. I guess the dose was relatively large compared to last years.


• I also cannot go into any federal facilities. Apparently the radiation sensors are super sensitive and I would set them off. I was told possibly as long as two months. I thought it would be a fun experiment, the doctor laughed and said "yeah until you find yourself face down, spread eagle, in handcuffs." Good point, I do have documentation I can carry with me that explains my condition.


• Keisters -Primanti Brothers is off the list, remember the deadly potato allergy? But the game is a go. We have TV up and down and I have already planned my nap so I can stay awake for the BIG GAME! I have never seen my kids so excited for a game. Kurt talks about it every day and they all left the house in full Steelers gear today.
• Speaking of food....Right now it all tastes like it is laced in poison. The radioactive iodine runs through the excretory system and is pretty nasty. I have to suck on sour candy to keep my salivary glands from getting clogged. I don't generally eat much sugar, the combination is upsetting my stomach. I can really only tolerate just one, maybe two meals a day at this point.
• Janene you need to invite me onto your blog, I keep forgetting to ask so I hope you read this.
• All -in - all things are good. Although I don't feel as horrible as last year, I am still without much energy. I have lots to read and that seems to be the most satisfying thing to, I really hate to watch TV, and it seems the more I read the less I like TV. I am not reading anything with substance which is intentional, sometimes it is nice to just read fluff, I'm in a fluff mood. A friend from church must share my love of mystery and intrigue since she brought me a book by one of my favorite authors. I will start it today.
• I will do my best to update this as regularly as possible. Thanks for your prayers.

My Cancer Update

For the last month I have been in "prep" mode for my cancer testing. No medication, and a low iodine diet are part of that "prep". I had my tests this week and yesterday we got the news that it is not gone. This is NOT a surprise, we were told to expect it. It is rare for thyroid cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes to be eradicated the first year. Since treatments are only done once a year, tests are also done just once a year. When I had my blood work done in August it was testing positive for thyroglobulin, there should have been none, I didn't know that. I figured it was due in part to my thyroid medication. I still have a lot to learn. I guess last week my thyroglobulin levels were actually in the "normal" range. That shocked me because not only do I not have a thyroid, I haven't had any thyroid medication for 3 weeks.

On the positive side, there is less cancer than last year. I no longer have any showing up in lymph tissue in my chest. The doctors are pleased about that. What shows up in my neck is not significantly different but apparently that is not a big deal, just a bit disappointing.

To make a long story short, I am back in isolation and have been given a full treatment dose of Radioactive Iodine. For all you scientists out there the dose is 143.o2 mcu. I am at home in isolation. With a little convincing the doctors have allowed me to lock myself in our basement. My sister Steffani is here and our ward is fabulous about checking on us and bringing in meals.

Thank you everyone for your prayers. If you have questions I would prefer you email them or ask them in the comments section of my blog. I don't really like having to answer the same questions over the phone, I am exhausted and talking on the phone is draining. If you want to call, great just tell me something funny or great about your day. Thanks. I am really looking forward to a hamburger next week! Anyone want to join me!?!

Lost My First Tooth, and Second, and.....

Some kids just like to do this all at once. Elizabeth lost her first tooth the week before Christmas. She has now lost 3 more and has two loose. I guess she is in a hurry to get this done and over with. Reid and Lexi are also helping to keep the tooth fairy busy. I think she has been here at least 7 times over the last month.