My blog needs a new theme

Hey all, been awhile since I actually blogged, and I got to thinking that my blog needs a new theme. Triathlon is the reason I started it, but now this year there isn't much to write about. So, I am going to think about a new look & feel. Taking it down is an option, but I do enjoy keeping this blog, especially when I am racing a lot. Its a good chronicle of my life. So much has happened in my life since I started keeping this blog two years ago: I became a dad, I finished my postdoc and started a company, our family moved to Pennsylvania, and now getting thyroid cancer. So, anyway, I am now accepting suggestions for my changing up my blog a bit.

What else is up? I had my second doctors appointment of the week today with my neck surgeon. He's a great guy, and I have enjoyed being his patient. But it seems we have hit the end of the road, as my thyroid cancer treatment regimen no longer involves surgeries (hooray!). My other appointment was with my endocrinologist, who will manage my radioactive iodine therapy and my hormone levels in the interim. Speaking of which, since its been 3 weeks since I got my first surgery, and a week since my second, I am starting to feel the effects of being hypothryroid. Every day this week I being to tire like crazy about 2PM, and by the end of the work day I am wasted. I am sleeping later too, and cant even begin to think about working out. The idea is that my body will be starved of thyroid hormone, which causes my TSH levels to rise, in turn casuing any thryoid cells in my body (cancerous or otherwise) to crave iodine, thus making the radiation much more effective. So, it sucks in the short term, but knowing its good for me helps. Another 2 weeks, then I get hit with the radiation, then 3 days later I can begin synthroid and should start feeling better.

I also wanted to send a shout out to one of my readers. He has been a friend for several years, and did his first traithlon last weekend. Earlier this spring he was going to do one, but bailed out while sitting in his car all packed up for the race, on race morning. My encouragement and teasing (okay, mostly teasing) made him come back and try again. He finished strong and even though he said it kicked his butt he is ready to try another. He emailed me a nice letter and dedicated his race to me, since I can't race for awhile. It meant a lot, so thanks.

Back from surgery #2

Surgery #2 was a breeze! Felt so much better than after the first one, and I even got to go home last night. A little sore in the neck, which is be expected I suppose when you have 2 surgeries in two weeks time getting various crap cut out of your throat.

As for what's up next, I have a 1 week surgical follow up, then in two weeks I have to meet an endocrinologist. Now that I have no thyroid gland whatsoever, I'll need to have my thyroxine levels managed with medication for the rest of my life. But before we can do that, I have to get a wonker dose of radiation in the form of Iodine-131. I'm talking HOT. I'll have to be locked in solitary confinment for a couple days until I cool down, no joke. My urine and sweat will extremely radioactive, crazy huh? Lucky for me, thyroid cells are the only cells in the body that take up iodine, so radioactive iodine can act as a magic bullet of sorts to kill thyroid cancer wherever it may. After that, I'll get a post I-131 scan to make sure there are no more tumors, and then all this cancer crap should be behind us.

Thanks to everybody for your calls, texts, facebook comments, and emails. It meant a lot to me to see all the kind words rolling in the past week.

Under the knife...again

So, if you follow the tweets or Becca's blog, you know I came through surgery just fine. But I did get some bummer news on the pathology report. What we thought was a goiter was actually thyroid cancer. So, its back to the operating table this week to get the rest of my thyroid removed. Then I'll have an I-131 treatment and should be good to go. If you like browsing WedMD, what I officially have is "follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma." Its a bummer, but there are certainly worse things that could happen. Like I said before, if you have to get cancer, this one is pretty easy. I will post a tweat on Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Big Day Tomorrow

Well, tomorrow is my thyroidectomy. Wish me luck! I'll post a tweet once I come out the other side!