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Thursday, July 21, 2011

I'm *GLOWING*

Not too much, but still glowy :)

I survived radiation iodine. And it's all finished. I wish I could have written stuff down while I was in there, but I couldn't take anything out with me cause of the contamination so that was a no go.

But let me describe a bit. I had my I-123 full body scan Wednesday morning. They gave me a small dose of radiation on Tuesday and then I returned to see where the "uptake" occurred. This would essentially determine if the cancer had spread anywhere else and help them determine the treatment dose for Wednesday afternoon. I got the results immediately after the scan and everything looked clear- especially the lungs and neck which was great news! No more cancer!

So I waited around for them to get the dose of I-131 (treatment dose) in house. I was admitted around 1:30pm and taken to my room. It was a pretty standard hospital room except EVERYTHING was covered in plastic or some disposable coverings. The phone, the door handles, the remote control, the ENTIRE floor- everything covered. Gloves taped to the walls everywhere in case I would need to touch anything that was not covered. The radiation safety guy came in to quiz me and make sure I understood all the rules and safety precautions. Lots of rules. I thought they were a bit of overkill before, but seeing all the paperwork and how seriously they take everything at the hospital, I guess I realized it wasn't anything to mess around with. So I signed my life away and pinkie swore that I won't make out with anyone or serve anyone food for 7 days (14 for kids). They came up with the pill in a lead box. I took it and they left me alone.

I fasted for two hours and then they brought me dinner. I ate and the showering started. In order for the radiation to leave your body- it comes out of your pours, your bladder, any bodily fluids. So all night long- starting at about 6pm- I showered every two hours. You drink, you eat lemon flavored candy (to produce extra saliva), and you shower. My hair is like straw. Sleeping with wet hair is not fun. Plus the air conditioning was making it FREEZING in my room. So I'm pretty tired today.

So when I took the pill, they measured my radiation levels and I was at a 25. I have no idea what that means, they just told me that before I could leave- I had to be at a 14. The more you drink (and pee, really...) the faster you get ride of the bad stuff. This morning when they checked me, I was at a 4.5. I was cleared to go home!

So now I'm at home, tucked away in my upstairs nook. I've already had some cheese and have enjoyed every.single.bite. Nothing left to do now, but wait it out. Lockdown ends in 7 days and I finally get my life back.

PS- if you read all that, you get a delish snack full of iodine.

6 comments:

  1. You are one tough lady. What a crazy process to go through. Hope things continue to go well!

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  2. I am so glad you're looking forward to putting this chapter behind you. Hope you can enjoy your downtime. And that snack looks so yummy! ::nom::

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  3. Wow, what a crazy process. It's interesting to read about, but I imagine it's a nightmare. I'm happy this is behind you. Yay no cancer! I'm thinking about you always!

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  4. Congratulations on being cancer free!!

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  5. Pill in a lead box!?! Wow that is quite the image! I am super happy things are going so well with all of this yucky stuff. Lots of love your way!

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  6. Wow, you really painted a picture in my head - right out of a sci-fi novel! Woohoo for cancer free and ability to eat cheese!! Hope the next week flies by fast!

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