Good Scan

sunnyaz
sunnyaz Member Posts: 582
in Thyroid Cancer #1
Had my scan today after my RAI. I took up the RAI and the doctor did not see any signs of metastasis. It was very strange looking at the uptake scan. I was shocked at how much my liver absorbed. Seems that it took the majority of the I-131 along with the Thyroid cells. My throat is killing me however and I feel like I've been hit by a Mack Truck. Hard to get a good night of sleep.

Every time I get to sleep I get a phone call from some medical bill collector. It's unbelievable how they hound you over medical bills. Some of them have even sent me to collection agencies! The sad part is that I have pretty good insurance. They got most of their money and now they won't quit until they get every penny. There should be a law!

Julie-SunnyAZ

Comments

  • JustAnnie
    JustAnnie Member Posts: 12
    #2
    I am right behind you
    Hi Julie,
    Sorry to hear the throat is killing you and the hounds of hell are at your heels for medical bills. I am going in Monday to start my RAI. Wednesday is the big day....Monday and Tues the Thyrogen shots and I am guessing the tracer dose? Then Wednesday a scan and then the radiation?? Guess I will find out! Thanks for posting as I really appreciate you sharing your experiences. Kinda helps me see what I will be getting into. They said I should be free to return to the world on Monday and feel fine... I sure hope so. Right into an 8 hr day. Hope I have the stamina and not tired.

    Oh, the LID diet was not so bad after all! Just a lot of cooking from scratch... and I have "my people" ready to run to McDonald's for a Big Mac on Friday evening when dietary restrictions are over!!! MMMMM.
    Take Care Julie!
    Annie
  • sunnyaz
    sunnyaz Member Posts: 582
    #3
    JustAnnie said:

    I am right behind you
    Hi Julie,
    Sorry to hear the throat is killing you and the hounds of hell are at your heels for medical bills. I am going in Monday to start my RAI. Wednesday is the big day....Monday and Tues the Thyrogen shots and I am guessing the tracer dose? Then Wednesday a scan and then the radiation?? Guess I will find out! Thanks for posting as I really appreciate you sharing your experiences. Kinda helps me see what I will be getting into. They said I should be free to return to the world on Monday and feel fine... I sure hope so. Right into an 8 hr day. Hope I have the stamina and not tired.

    Oh, the LID diet was not so bad after all! Just a lot of cooking from scratch... and I have "my people" ready to run to McDonald's for a Big Mac on Friday evening when dietary restrictions are over!!! MMMMM.
    Take Care Julie!
    Annie

    Behind Me
    Hi Annie,

    It's good to hear from you!

    Careful when you eat that first sinful meal. I went for Jalapeno poppers smothered in Ranch dressing for my first indulgence. Found out that my stomach wasn't up for the task. I guess I got used to healthy eating and my intestines rebelled. Sounded like my kidneys were having a bowling party. I went back to my frozen banana slices with natural unsalted peanut butter. It's become my new comfort food.

    I go back to work on Monday. I decided to take about nine days off including the day of the treatment. Everyone reacts differently to the treatment but just a heads up; I am really glad I took the extra days because today, which was day seven; I felt pretty yucky, but getting better. I felt really good the first, second and third day after the treatment (during my isolation). I had a lot of energy and even did aerobic work outs in my bedroom. I don't mean to scare you but, Wednesday and Thursday were the worst (day five and six). I had muscle pain, and upper body aches with a horrible sore throat.

    When I went for my scan today, the technician was happy to see me; as I am usually a ray of sunshine, and he said, "hey, how's it going?" I said, "I feel like crap; my head hurts, my throat is on fire and I think I'm gonna puke." His reply, "that good, huh?" Since I am typically a very happy person it really threw him off guard. He probably thought Satan was spewing out of me. At any minute my head might have made a 180 degree turn with green vomit like the exorcist. I had a big dose this time though; 178.3 mCi's. This was more than twice the first dose of 83.3 mCi's. I was feeling much better by the time I left Nuclear Medicine. This morning's nausea was only temporary and I felt better after I ate something and had some coffee.

    The good news is that it all paid off! The best thing ever was getting that phone call from my doctor when I got home from my scan telling me that there was no sign of cancer or metastasis. It made the discomfort seem so minor in comparison to the delight in his voice and the relief that I felt. Tonight I am feeling much better and everything is so bearable. I am getting back to real life for the first time in over fifteen months. My next check up will be in about three months, then six months, then one year. After that is to be determined as long as I stay cancer free.

    Please feel free to email me privately if you need to vent, have questions or concerns. It is my joy to share with you.

    Julie-SunnyAZ
  • veronica57
    veronica57 Member Posts: 98
    #4
    Hi Julie
    I've got bill collectors hounding me too. I just let them bark. My income is just enough to pay my household bills and personal expenses.

    It's been a while since I've been on the site. I'm still doing the chemo. The doc says the new growth is stable. However, we have to wait see if the existing nodules are shrinking as they supposedly were before. But I'm holding on.

    I'm glad you're uptaking the iodine. I hope your throat feels better soon. Stay positive.

    Veronica
  • alapah
    alapah Member Posts: 287
    #5
    veronica57 said:

    Hi Julie
    I've got bill collectors hounding me too. I just let them bark. My income is just enough to pay my household bills and personal expenses.

    It's been a while since I've been on the site. I'm still doing the chemo. The doc says the new growth is stable. However, we have to wait see if the existing nodules are shrinking as they supposedly were before. But I'm holding on.

    I'm glad you're uptaking the iodine. I hope your throat feels better soon. Stay positive.

    Veronica

    been wondering about you veronica
    thanks for posting. glad to hear things appear to be stable and hope you're feeling as good as possible.
    eileen
  • veronica57
    veronica57 Member Posts: 98
    #6
    alapah said:

    been wondering about you veronica
    thanks for posting. glad to hear things appear to be stable and hope you're feeling as good as possible.
    eileen

    Hi eileen
    Glad to hear from you. I hope everything is well with you. I'm not sure how to feel. The onco told me the nodules were shrinking. Then he said, they're not. But they appear stable. He wanted me to stop the chemo because he doesn't really hold out much hope, he says. I'm still doing the chemo and hoping for the best. I'm beginning to think again, that I need to find new doctors. The onco just confirmed my suspicions that there was a remaining nodule in my neck. He said, they been knew that, and in fact there were a few. Yet when I asked them earlier about it, they all(the onco, the surgeon, and the endo)told me no. Now, he's just hoping that the chemo would get rid of them. I'm still holding on to God and trying to stay strong. Thanks for writing. God bless you.

    Veronica
  • alapah
    alapah Member Posts: 287
    #7
    veronica57 said:

    Hi eileen
    Glad to hear from you. I hope everything is well with you. I'm not sure how to feel. The onco told me the nodules were shrinking. Then he said, they're not. But they appear stable. He wanted me to stop the chemo because he doesn't really hold out much hope, he says. I'm still doing the chemo and hoping for the best. I'm beginning to think again, that I need to find new doctors. The onco just confirmed my suspicions that there was a remaining nodule in my neck. He said, they been knew that, and in fact there were a few. Yet when I asked them earlier about it, they all(the onco, the surgeon, and the endo)told me no. Now, he's just hoping that the chemo would get rid of them. I'm still holding on to God and trying to stay strong. Thanks for writing. God bless you.

    Veronica

    Veronica, have you looked into...
    trials for your situation that involve chemo and other drugs? i know Mayo has one going on right now for folks who are iodine resistant but have persistent disease - it's a viral origin drug called VB111.
  • veronica57
    veronica57 Member Posts: 98
    #8
    alapah said:

    Veronica, have you looked into...
    trials for your situation that involve chemo and other drugs? i know Mayo has one going on right now for folks who are iodine resistant but have persistent disease - it's a viral origin drug called VB111.

    Trials
    Not really. I did ask the doc about it one time. But I wouldn't be able to afford the expense of traveling. My breathing is so bad now, I wouldn't be able to physically travel. I can barely walk from one room to another without being short of breath.
  • alapah
    alapah Member Posts: 287
    #9
    veronica57 said:

    Trials
    Not really. I did ask the doc about it one time. But I wouldn't be able to afford the expense of traveling. My breathing is so bad now, I wouldn't be able to physically travel. I can barely walk from one room to another without being short of breath.

    a cyber hug doesn't really do it
    but i want you to know you're very much in my thoughts and prayers. eileen

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