Endo says...

My RAI (radiation iodine therapy) is set for July 2, so I asked my Endo when I can start eating a normal diet after the I take the therapy dose. He said to wait 48 hours. So, for the record, I'll be on the low-iodine diet for 19 days total - that's almost three weeks! Argh!!!

I also asked for his thoughts about going on an 'anti-cancer' diet, such as cutting out sugar from my diet since sugar feeds cancer. He said he didn't think a low sugar diet would benefit me in terms of thyroid cancer. Not what I was expecting him to tell me, but I have to say that no one else at the ThyCa meeting last month or on the Thyroid cancer forum I visit on a regular basis has mentioned anything about diet other than the low-iodine diet. I have looked at a few books on anti-cancer diets. They all note that sugar feeds cancer. However a few of the items they suggest are good for fighting cancer (soy, cruciferous veggies) actually interfere with the absorption of thyroid hormones (T4 or thyroxine -- Synthroid, Levoxyl, etc. -- and T3 or triiodothyronine -- Cytomel), so they must be consumed four hours after taking thyroid meds. Interesting.

The nice thing is that he does agree that I should take as much time off as I need to recover from everything, going back to work sooner if I feel like I can handle it. That's good news. My boss is very supportive in the same way. I feel relieved that I can take another month or two off, but I also don't want to over do it. But, I don't think I have managed to relax yet and I'm down to a week before I stop taking Cytomel (and will become severely hypothyroid) and start the low-iodine diet (and will probably lose 10 pounds). I already have a few appts that will require a chauffeur during those 19 days, including the day I get the RAI. By next weekend (June 19/20), I'm sure all I will be able to do is relax if I'm always tired. I guess that will be a good thing then.

I know I need to stay positive about the RAI, but I keep going over all the 'what ifs', like "what if I lose my sense of taste or my salivary glands dry up and I lose all my teeth?", or "what if my entire body lights up when they do the first whole body scan, and nothing disappears when they do the second scan?", or the worst thing, which is "what if the HCC moved else where in my body and isn't taking up the radiation treatment so they think it is gone and it really isn't?" Ok, so I don't focus totally on these negatives all day every day, but I know they are possibilities, for anyone with papillary, follicular, or hurthle cell thyroid cancer, so I'm not going to pretend none of it can happen. So despite what my Endo says about anti-cancer diets, I think I will incorporate my own version of an anti-cancer diet to my arsenal (prayer, positive thoughts, and guided imagery/visualization every day) to fight my cancers and fears.