Remember, thyroid cancer is usually referred to as a "slow growing" cancer. Move forward with it as quickly as possible, but keep in mind there is a good deal of flexibility in timing and scheduling. LOOK AHEAD and make the schedule work for you. For instance:
1. Consider whether it's better to schedule down time during your vacations and breaks, or whether it's better to miss classes. Julie never wanted to do thyca stuff during her vacations. She figured her school time was already exhausting, so why not make it a little worse, and then be able to really enjoy the breaks. Otherwise, she figured she'd be exhausted from the normal school schedule and then be exhausted during breaks, due to thyca routines.
2. If you decide to miss some classes, think about whether it's better to miss the beginning, middle or end of the semester. In her first year of thyca, Julie missed the first week of a semester. There were many introductory things she missed in that week that she wished she had been in class to hear. In the second year, she had surgery in October. This was much easier. She was already established in the classes, and had relationships and communication set up with the professors.
3. Consider the holidays! There are many stories of people coming out of RAI treatments and not being able to be around family members during the holidays. Another problem is when you experience a temporary loss of taste (or a metallic taste) from the RAI. Julie had RAI about 10 days before Thanksgiving. The morning of Thanksgiving, she was tasting the foods and loving them, but when we sat down to Thanksgiving dinner, she suddenly had this horrified look, as she exclaimed, "I CAN'T TASTE A THING!"
4. GET A CALENDAR!! Post all future events for thyca and school deadlines.
Mark down the deadlines for dropping classes, in case it becomes necessary.
Surgery date
Maximum days of missed classes for surgery
Start medications
Stop Synthroid (levoxyl) (preparing for RAI in 6 weeks)
Stop Cytomel (if you're taking it until the last two weeks)
Start LID
Blood work TSH/TG/pregnancy test
Pre-scanning dose (not always done)
Pre-scan(not always done)
RAI
Total isolation dates
Cautious isolation period
Start back on medications (possibly starting Cytomel AND Synthroid, and slowly backing off on the Cytomel)
WBS (whole body scan)
Mark 6-8 weeks post RAI, for when you should be feeling pretty normal, again
Follow up blood work and doctor appointments
Many of these dates are flexible, but some are not. Look at the whole picture, so you don't start the process and end up doing the tough parts at bad times.
5. STAY FLEXIBLE! Even a well planned program can have detours. Julie was ready for her second RAI in September of 2001. In fact, it was September 12th, and all the airports were shut down after the World Trade Center terrorist attack. RAI was postponed a week! But, all was well.
6. LID scheduling. Not everyone does the LID, but it's highly recommended by many. Those who do it, recommend it for two weeks. Actually, only one week is needed, but the extra week helps get you into a routine and gives you a week to make some goofs and shop for the right foods. Of course, it's best to get those foods and recipies BEFORE you start the diet, or are not thinking straight. And if possible, freeze some meals!
7. IODINE LEVEL SCHEDULING PROBLEMS: If you had a CT scan with iodine contrast dye, you may need to wait anywhere from 3 months to a year, before your iodine levels are low enough. Julie had to wait, 3 months, the first year. Then, she did a 24hr urine collection, with which they tested her iodine levels. They were just fine, so she proceded with RAI...but 3 months later than expected.
8. SCHEDULE CLASSES THAT CAN BE MISSED: The only class Julie had to drop in two years, was an art class in which they showed slides. If you weren't there to see the slides, there was no way to make it up. Consider this problem, when planning your class schedule.
Please inform me of any corrections or additions you think are needed. I will try to update and add to the list of links in the near future. I'd be happy to hear of information YOU would like to see provided.
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