rai

I can just feel the clock today. Tick, tick, tick. My scan growing ever closer.

It's funny, after 3 years since the diagnosis of cancer I continue to approach these with so much apprehension. It should be decreasing right? After 3 years of getting an 'all clear' you'd think you'd slowly start to fear it less.

Unfortunately, you don't.

What's so scary about cancer is how traumatic the experience is. Not only is your body physically strained from going through surgeries and treatments, but your mind has to process everything too. It's scary, and the treatment can last for a long time.

Last time, the physician was able to tell me immediately a snapshot of what the results looked like. This is a different hospital, but I'm hoping for that as well. Good or bad, it's better to know.

#Cancer #cancerrecovery #ThyroidCancer #rai #RadioactiveIodine #MentalHealth #ChronicIllness #nuclearimaging

To follow along, you can view the previous post here: https://themighty.com/content/5bbe7b22e6bd8100acfc747a/

Honestly the worst thing so far? I'm hungry and can't eat yet!

I had to fast 2 hours ahead of RAI and 1 hour after and now I'm starving. Why did my appointment have to fall 2 hours after lunchtime?????

Mostly I'm feeling tired right now. I know the nausea from this is going to come, and I'm dreading that symptom. Otherwise, I'm doing OK and just trying to keep myself in a good headspace.

#ThyroidCancer #Cancer #cancerrecovery #rai #RadioactiveIodine #MySymptoms
To follow along, click here for my previous post: https://themighty.com/content/5bbe2b61773a5900ac27b147/

Unfortunately, I can't get superpowers from this type of radiation.

Radioactive Iodine or RAI is exactly what it sounds like. It's a radioactive iodine isotope. You can look up I-123 if you'd like to know more about the science of this treatment.

But basically, the two injections blasted the thyroid hormone called TSH into my system. TSH is only absorbed by thyroid tissue, however a scan can't see that hormone. Fortunately, Iodine is ONLY absorbed by thyroid tissue. So by giving me a Radioactive form of it, they can pick up any presence of the Iodine/TSH in my body through nuclear imaging.

Since I had a total thyroidectomy, I shouldn't have any thyroid tissue left in my body. Ideally the TSH and the RAI are just going to flush themselves out & my scan will look pretty boring. However, if it does light up, it means the presence of new thyroid tissue, which could mean a reoccurrence of cancer.

I still have a few hours until I head to the hospital to receive RAI, and I can't tell if I'm more nervous about the treatment or just visiting the hospital.

#Cancer #ThyroidCancer #cancerrecovery #rai #RadioactiveIodine #Thyroidectomy #MentalHealth #ChronicIllness

See my previous post in this series to follow along: https://themighty.com/content/5bbd1436332c8000ad17ee9c/