Here We Go Again:(

The time has come to prepare for my post treatment body scan to see if the treatment was a success. So that means for the next two weeks I have to be on a low/no iodine diet. That means no iodized salt (which is in everything packaged), dairy products, seafood, egg yolks, chocolate (waaaa!), soybeans, potato skins, rhubarb, or iodine containing vitamins. To prepare for this lovely venture I thought I'd start getting prepared early so I wrote my "diet start date" on the calender...July 27th. And that's where the preparation ended. I had planned to make a large variety of pre-prepared non-iodine meals to freeze for myself so that I didn't have to worry at all. And while I didn't have to actually eat it. So much for that, the day snuck up on me like a thief in the night. Luckily however, my wonderful mother-in-law Carol spent her entire afternoon Sunday cooking for ME! Yea! Mind you this was after she had worked all week and spent the weekend at a family retreat 5 hours away. Wow! I feel so blessed...again. The first time I went through this Carol filled my fridge, freezer and pantry with non-iodine foods for 4 weeks. It was such a blessing since I had NO thyroid hormone and was very weak and tired all the time with no energy to cook. Thank you so much Carol. Love ya bunches! So here's to 2 weeks of craving cheese, seafood and chocolate, some inevitable weight gain, and feeling starved because just the word diet makes me hungry. Seriously, this morning I was satisfied after one delicious non-iodine banana muffin, but had to eat three so I wouldn't starve. Hence, the weight gain. Lord help me.

ThyCa

After a rocky start to my day I have found the ability to laugh in the face of my ThyCa (Thyroid Cancer). I'm finally coming to a point of facing the sickness instead of running from it and denying it. Though I hate it and the changes it has put my body through it feels good to laugh. I would have never found this funny in my healthier days, but today it's better than stand-up. Currently I am struggling with a heart arrhythmia and a curious lump under my right arm in the breast tissue not to mention low levels of thyroid hormone. I'm getting through however, God reminds me every day that he is holding me through it all. Even when I try to forget what I've been through I see my scar in the mirror and remember that without it I wouldn't be who I am today. I logged on to the website thyca.org and was able to find some relief in humor. It may not be funny to any of you but to me it is hilarious. Sing it to Camp Town Races...
ThyCa patients sing this song,
Doo-dah, doo-dah.
ThyCa listserv's five miles long,
Oh, the doo-dah day.

See them chatting 'bout the foods to eat,
Doo-dah, doo-dah.
Low-iodine diet - most do cheat,
Oh, the doo-dah day.

Goin' to crave all night!
Goin' to crave all day!
I can't wait for a ham and cheese.
Weight gain, go away!

When you're hypo, you're brain's in a fog,
Doo-dah, doo-dah.
All you wanna do is sleep like a log,
Oh, the doo-dah day.

It's isolation time for me,
Doo-dah, doo-dah.
Drink and pucker, puke and pee
Oh, the doo-dah day

Goin' to glow all night!
Goin' to glow all day!
The room's decorated with plastic wrap,
Wonder how long I gotta stay?!

Tee Hee!

Girly Stuff

Okay so if my daughter had her way I would have to paint her toenails and fingernails every day. She loves it. She does a pretty good job holding still and letting them dry. We have fun doing pedicures together which I would have never imagined we'd do until she was a teenager. What a girly girl!

Pool Time

This summer I offered to watch one of my sister's day care kids Hadlee. She has been a lot of fun. She's about 19 months and too cute. She and Adrie play really well together. Here they are playing in the pool. Adrie loves to dip her head in the water over the side of the pool and as Hadlee tried to do the same she toppled right over into the water. She thought that was a mean trick.

The Garden

Conan started a garden this year in our yard to the side of the house where the previous owners had one. It has really started to take off. Especially the zuccini. These pics are from just a couple weeks after he planted everything and the garden is already much fuller. We have tomatoes, zuccini, pumpkin (which is the little tiny yellow thing in the pic), peppers, watermelon, and cantalope. I may be missing something. So far we've only been able to enjoy the zuccini and it is delicious. Conan does a very good job taking care of it. I've done nothing but enjoy the vegetable of his labor. Tee hee!