Endo says... - Part 2

Got a response from my Endo:

1) I can have my TSH level taken at any lab within my medical group. Lucky for me there is one about a mile away from my house. Everyone at the ThyCa meeting last week suggested that I always get my blood work for my thyroid tests done at the same lab every time, so I guess I'll be going to my local lab for everything going forward.

2) As for my HCC not taking up the radiation iodine therapy, he said that in some advanced cases of HCC it doesn't take up the iodine, but he believes mine will because I was diagnosed under the age of 45, and I should continue to hope for the best possible result. I have to say that from everything I have read in my books and on the internet, I have been glossing right over the age correlation, so it was never clear to me how or why it was known that the RAI didn't work. See the other quirky thing about HCC is that it usually shows up in people over the age of 45. So now it makes perfect sense to me why it doesn't normally take up RAI. When I first learned that I had HCC, I always wondered how it was that not only did I get the not so common variant of the second most common thyroid cancer, but also how on earth did I get the thyroid cancer reserved for people over the age of 45 when I just turned 40 when the lump on my left thyroid was discovered. Why me?!? Well, maybe I now have the answer to that question: Because I truly am lucky that it was found as early as it was and that I did something about it when I did. I'm not home free just yet, but I feel so much more positive and at ease about going through RAI now. This is very encouraging news!

Otherwise, today (Monday, June 28) was pretty exhausting, which is why I am posting this after midnight. My dad's post-stroke appt with his Cardiologist was at 9:30am. He had yet another reason to feel discouraged about his health situation since we were told the clot that caused the stroke may have been from his bypass surgery since he had atrial fibrillation during his surgery. This is why he has a very high risk of having another stroke within in the next couple of months. So, he was taken off Plavix and put on Coumadin, which requires weekly blood tests and a heart monitor. His doc did mention that he should be walking every day. So we need to include that as a daily activity for him in addition to his PT exercises. I remember it took me a while to get past the 'Why me' phase even before I found out I had HCC, so I just keep on reminding my Dad that these are all just minor set backs, that he is very lucky, despite these two major health events he has experienced within weeks of each other, because the outcome could have been far worse for him. Daily encouragement is what I have for him, and I pray that my dad will once again feel good about where is and where he is going with it.