My little fashionista

This is what Miss Abby insisted on wearing to school today.

Back to school

This first week of school has been pretty hectic so far, but also good for the 3 of us. Evan seems to really like high school. He's taking French for his language requirement which is probably more exciting to me than him. I can't wait to be able to talk to each other en francais. Abby loves 2nd grade. I really admire her confidence and enthusiasm for school. She sees everything in a positive light. She must get that from her Daddy, because I'm always full of anxiety.

I like my classes and professors so far. I have had a ton of homework already, but yesterday I was able to do some of it (reading homework) while lounging at the pool. So that made it a little easier to deal with. I am looking forward to starting my remaining class tomorrow and meeting that professor. It's pretty exciting to think that this is the beginning of my last year as an undergrad. It is definitely a challenge for me to start off the year while hypothyroid. Anytime I sit down to reading homework, I wind up falling asleep. But I keep reminding myself that in about 2 weeks or so I'll turn the corner and start feeling like myself again. It's hard, but I'm not going to let cancer stand in my way anymore.

Anyway, some pictures of the kids from their first day!

Evan having an early morning cup of tea. He's so like Josh...they both love tea.

Miss Abby and her cool new hot pink backpack.




In front of her new school!

I think I'm ready...

Tomorrow is the first day of school for me and the kids. They are ready and maybe even excited. Well, at least the little one is. I think I'm excited about going back. It is after all, the beginning of my last year as an undergrad. It's also my 1st full time semester since I returned to school after Abby was born.

I have all of my supplies....

Staggering amount of textbooks? Yep!

Cute new school supplies? Yep!





Fun new tote bag to carry it all? Yep!

Crushing amount of student loans? You betcha!

But I'm still not sure that I feel ready. I am not really ready to give up lazy morning of snuggling and watching cartoons. I'm not ready to give up days of swimming and lounging at the pool with the kids. I'm not ready for the quiet house that comes with their return to school. Despite some of the frustrating days we've had, I will miss them A LOT.

I'm not ready to go back to class feeling hypothyroid. I don't want to have to explain to a fresh round of professors that when I fall asleep in class, "It's not that I'm bored, it's just that I don't have my thyroid and I can't help it". I'm not ready for all the things on my to-do list this fall. The start of the semester also means that I have to start preparing for my post-graduate life. Where am I going to study? What am I going to study? Can I even afford to go where I want to? Will they accept me? Eeek!

Nevertheless, I have my cute school supplies and my stack of books. So I guess that means I'm ready? Now, what am I going to wear?

Not just a cupcake, *the* cupcake

Awhile ago, my sister and I noticed this bakery for the first time in Sycamore. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It's in an older strip mall kind of tucked away. Once you open their door, you are transported to baked good heaven. Since that 1st time we sampled cupcakes from Sweet Dream Desserts, I've been back many times. I've tried the mini bread loaves, the cupcakes, the cookies, and the cinnamon roll. It was all heavenly. My favorite is the cupcakes though. Picture a Hostess chocolate cupcake, now imagine that cupcake tasting a million times better...that's a Sweet Dream cupcake.

New suit

Abby in her new bathing suit.

Yummy, yummy iodine

To celebrate the end of the 3 week long low iodine diet and my good scan, Josh took me out for dinner. The thing I was missing most during the LID was cheese so what better way to indulge than with a pizza. It was really nice to be able to eat pizza & beer nuggets....two things that there's no way I could even eaten on the LID.

Take that cancer!

After I had my scan this morning, the radiologist gave me the all clear that the pictures were good and wouldn't need to re-scan me. I was thrilled....if you've had to have a whole body scan, you understand why. It sucks to lie perfectly still, hands over your head with a big square machine like less than an inch from your face. Since I knew the scan was all clear, I felt pretty confident that the low iodine diet was over...after all I was expecting good results and not to hear that I needed treatment. So I celebrated with an iced mocha coffee from Burger King. I headed back over to the hospital to get my blood drawn and as I was sitting in the parking lot finishing my coffee, my doctor's office called with my scan results. Nothing showed up! I still can't believe I had results in under 30 minutes. Kudos to the radiology department at Delnor Hospital!!!!

I do still have to clear the hurdle of a good thyroglobulin test result but I am not worried. I had that tested not long ago and it was <.2 which is about as good as result as I can get.

Day 5

I'm in my comfy clothes and all ready to leave for the hospital for my scan. I'm even going to wear some awesome old gym socks with my flip flops. I went to bed at 8:30 last night and slept all the way until 6:30 and it was still hard to get up for my alarm.

I know I'll be okay, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little scared. I don't want anything to show up in that scan. I don't want anything to show up in my blood test afterwards either. I broke up with cancer in 2006 and I am not interested in getting back together!

In fact, this is how I feel about cancer:

Day 4

Had a break from going to the hospital for any reason, but really started to feel hypothyroid. Headaches, feeling cold, extreme tiredness and best of all the nausea continued. I'm hoping that the nausea was just still from the radiation and it goes away.

Taking time to smell the flowers

I finally got around to putting together our photos from the botanical garden in Peoria into a slideshow. Our trip to the garden was something I wanted to do to celebrate my 3rd year of remission. Each year to celebrate my remission I like to do something as a family with a focus on life. What celebrates life better than a beautiful garden? We had a lovely morning walking through the dewy grass and looking at the pretty flowers and plants. We even saw a fluffy little baby bird on our walk.

Days 2 & 3

So I'm about 1/2 way through scan week now. I feel like I can see the end in sight!

Day 2: Yesterday I had my 2nd dose of Thyrogen. Why does the 2nd shot always hurt more than the first one anyway? Ouch! I started feeling tired and some mind fog yesterday so hypothyroidism is making its appearance. But we spent the afternoon at the pool so I didn't have to think or do much.

Day 2: Apparently enjoying a morning delicacy of a low iodine blueberry muffin was not allowed prior to get radiation. I so wish my endo or the hospital had told me that would be an issue. So after having a quite frustrating trip out to the hospital, I have to do it again in just over an hour. Hopefully this time I won't have to deal with the construction or have a slow-moving, brake happy RV in front of me.

PS: Dear Thyroid, I hate you a whole big bunch today. Because of you I've gotten 2 shots this week, had to give up iodine for the past 2 1/2 weeks and now today I get some more radiation. Like I need more radiation!

PSS: If I have to glow in the dark, can my "glow" be pink?

A lovely day for a picnic in the park

Yesterday (Sunday) we had a small gathering of family, my 2 best friends, their spouses and children for a picnic in the park to celebrate Abby and my Dad's birthdays. (Happy Birthday today Dad!)

Josh was the grillmaster and cooked up some yummy hot dogs and cheeseburgers. I enjoyed an iodine-inclusive meal....yum! We played bean bags, bocce and just enjoyed hanging out. Abby got some cool new Barbie stuff which she has been playing with nonstop since we got home and a beautiful bracelet made by Rob.

Abby and the Goldstein family....



My hubby, the cook.




Hanging out...







My Mom and sister....





Why do my kids always make such odd faces for photos?





Love this one!





The Greens!




"blowing" out the candles


Time for presents!






Naptime!

*THE END*

Day 1

Today is Day 1 of scan week. I had to get myself and Abby up early to go to the hospital for my first shot of Thyrogen which will make me hypothyroid as my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) shoots up high enough to have the scan. I told Abby that I would be getting a shot in my bum this morning. So of course in the quiet waiting room she wanted to talk about my shot in the butt and her fears that I would scream when they gave it to me.

I asked her, "Do you want to stay in the waiting room and play your Nintendo DS or walk back with me when I get the shot?"
Her reply: "I want to stay in the waiting room so I don't have to hear you scream!".
I said: "I'm an adult and adults don't get to scream about shots".

I told my nurse about my conversation with Abby. She thanked me for not planning to scream. Not that it would matter...they'd still give me the shot. Although I'm not fond of big needles in my bum (actually more my hip), I did NOT scream. The screaming comes later...when the hospital bills arrive.

Tomorrow, second dose of Thyrogen via injection in the morning.

Tomorrow is day 1 of my week of the thyroid scan. Tomorrow I get my 1st shot. Tomorrow I start to go hypothyroid which means being tired, foggy, slow and having headaches. I'm sad. I feel like I'm going away somewhere for the next 6-8 weeks. Somewhere where I won't be Megan. I won't feel myself...whatever that is anymore. I think I've long since accepted this version of "normal" even though it isn't. Oh what I would give to feel the way I did pre-diagnosis.

I know that the scan is necessary. I need to know that I am still in remission. I know that the low iodine diet, the shots, the being hypothyroid is all part of that. But I have a hard time not feeling sad and a little angry that it also means that I only get to feel "normal" 10 months out of the year. Beating the cancer wasn't the hard part. Living life without a thyroid...that's the hard part.

At least at the end of the week, the diet is over. :-)