Bloodwork back....

Got my bloodwork results last night from a voicemail from Dr. N.

On a positive note, I'm apparently undetectable since she said everything looked fine and she didn't mention my thryoglobulin--so yay?!  Vitamin levels, TSH level and insulin all were "fine".  Even my overall cholesterol came down from 228 to 197, and my triglycerides dropped significantly as well.  My HDL and LDL are still just on the north side of the border and seem to be stuck there despite my working out and watching my diet.  Should all be good, right?

No, something called a cardiac reactive protein, or C-reactive protein, is elevated.  I don't know how much since she didn't give me the number, but she was a little worried from the tone of her voice.  It seems that if this protein is elevated, it can indicate future problems with cardiovascular disease.  She wants to put me on a statin drug to see if it will lower the levels of inflammation;  she said it wasn't common practice, but that there is study out there showing some positive results in women.

Sigh.

I've read somewhere about higher levels of inflammation after radiation and cancer treatment, but I don't know anything about how to reduce the inflammation.  I have some research to do. Sis said she read somewhere that drinking aloe vera juice is recommended for cancer patients, but that just sounds gross to me.  Of course I've never tried it, so I shouldn't jump to conclusions here.  I'm not crazy about adding another drug to my routine==so far, I take levoxyl for my missing thyroid, something that begins with an L for high blood pressure, estrogen/progesterin to combat menopause symptoms, a daily vitamin, fish oil capsules and calcium chews.  I think that's plenty for someone my age. Is this part of the RAI aftermath?

I guess all my exercising is helping, but just knowing that there is something lurking in my heart that I can't control yet is a little freaky to me.  This just proves that I really do come from a lousy gene pool.
Off to do some research so I can ask Dr. N questions.

I am happy about the undetectable though....

Brain fog, forgot to post!

Just sitting and waiting...

Had my bloodwork done Sunday morning since it's the best time to hit the hospital lab with minimum wait time and since I hadn't eaten from the night before.  I had to fast since Dr. N wants to redo all my hormone and lipid levels.  It amazes me how "swimmy headed" I get as soon as the blood-letting begins when I have to fast--such a creepy feeling!  I don't mind the needle, so it's not that.  I sucked down a bottle of cranberry juice and a cheese stick once I was done giving away 7 vials of the red stuff, but felt kind of tired the rest of the day.  Mr. Wonderful came with me and we went to a busy diner down the street for breakfast afterwards.

From before the weekend of the 22nd...
Now, I have to wait  for the results.  Praying for undetectable and a positive change in the hormones and lipids stuff, although I probably should have done more prior to the lab visit, because now it's done, right?

I'm kind of beat tonight and plan to try to get to bed early...I have to get in a little earlier in the morning so I can photocopy some stuff I need for tomorrow.  It doesn't help that my ovaries and reproductive system have woken up and I have a period for the first time in 13 months.  WTF????  I did not miss this, and since the whole system is pretty much inoperational, it can shut down again for all I care.  I actually had to go buy pads yesterday--did the prices go way up or is it me?  That's probably contributing to my feeling tired.

Highlight yesterday was buying a gorgeous pair of black patent leather pumps for a wedding I have to go to this weekend--a bit of a splurge, but I like them.

The gene pool is overchlorinated?

Good news from my physical!  Well, if I don't count the impending bloodletting that has to happen...
I had my first physical in years with Dr. N, my new primary care/old endocrinologist this past Thursday.  Some highlights:

• She was very impressed with my exercise routine and my ability to keep it up (walked for 35 blistering minutes today to merengue music while in NH).
• She was also very impressed with my blood pressure numbers--luckily I've been checking it sporadically since she put me on BP meds this summer, and the numbers were consistently good.  She said she may even be able to get me off the meds if I keep up the exercise.  How's that for goal-setting? 
• She laughed at most of my menopause stories and helped brainstorm some solutions to some of my lingering symptoms that will most likely never go away.  How to adjust to a new normal rears its ugly head once again.
• She told me to stop worrying about a recurrence of thyca.  I should be more worried about the shitty gene pool that produced me and the potential risk factors from my forebears that could haunt me into an early grave. 

Some lowlights:

• After all my really conscientious efforts at controlling my weight since July 13th, the scale only budged 2 pounds.  TWO. DOS, DUE.  DEUX. WTF??? I was so not happy at that.  However, it was afternoon, and I can truly feel a difference in my clothes and leg muscles.  So I've gained muscle weight, right?
• My gene pool is a curse. Thanks Mom, Dad and assorted grandparents. 
• My throat was red.  Damn, cold season is upon us. My nose has been running all weekend, and kids are starting to come in sick to school. 
• Menopuase really and truly sucks.  Why don't men have an equivalent?  Oh, because that would be end of the human race once we all killed each other off out of sheer frustration. 

All in all, not bad.  I don't feel too horrible either.  I have to have some fasting bloodwork done in the next couple of weeks to see if any of my levels have improved, and she'll check the thyca tumor marker as well.  I'm hoping the exercise will pay dividends here.  I also have to have a bone density scan done so we can get a baseline because of the early menopause.  My mom ended up with osteoporosis, but she hated milk and probably didn't down calcium supplements like I do, and I love to drink milk.  Dr. N didn't seem too worried, just wanted to see where I"m at.

Whew. 

School is busy busy busy, but I think I'm keeping up.  Department meeting to run on Tuesday, so fingers are crossed that it will go well.  Highlight of my year so far is learning how to copy and burn DVDs. 

I'm in NH for the long weekend and using Sis's computer to update, so no pics.  We spent yesterday literally soaking up the sun on the beach since it was such a beautiful day--deep blue skies, hot sun, beautiful lake.  Today we went apple picking and outlet shopping, and then had a wonderful evening and dinner with old friends and a few bottles of wine.  Mr. Wonderful spent his day today playing in the Pirsch on a trip to a truck show in western MA.  So far it's been a great weekend and a bonus to have such amazing weather so late in the season.  I'm sure we'll pay for it somewhere else with a nor'easter blizzard in a few weeks. 

Off to bed soon.  Have to eat some apples...

Oops, slipped back under again.

Glug glug glug as I slip beneath the surface again.

It's October.  Where the hell did September go??  I can't believe next weekend is Columbus Day already!  And this week is midterm for us, so I have to get progress reports out.  This year is flying....

Hmm.  What to report about lately?  Not much in terms of thyca....I have a physical on Thursday with Dr. N, and I'm actually looking forward to it.  I'll probably have bloodwork done after the appointment, but hopefully she'll give me a thorough going over so I can re-align all my medical stuff.  I feel pretty good at the moment, but kind of don't want to admit it so I don't jinx myself.  I'm probably really hyper and that's how I'm functioning day to day--flying on thyroid hormones.  God only knows what other damage is being done.   I don't think I'll need a med adjustment right now, but maybe once winter settles in.  I'm still getting in my 30+ minutes of some kind of exercise almost every day, but I can't really tell where my weight is.  The scale isn't moving much, so maybe I'm gaining muscle poundage?  My blood pressure seems to be steady, and my menopause craziness seems to have settled down a bit.  Again, don't want to jinx myself.

I do have one nagging fear of thyca coming back though.  I can touch my neck again, so every now and then I feel around looking for lumps and bumps.  What if it's lurking in my lymph nodes, just waiting to make an appearance?  Maybe it's because I keep seeing posts on Facebook in my multiple thyca groups of incidents of recurrence (there are three I check regularly--they help me keep things in perspective most of the time).  I didn't have a whole body scan at one year, and I don't know if I should have insisted on it.  Dr. N seems to think I'm in good shape and that they got all of it.  I don't know why this is bugging me now....it's like a little black cloud in the back of my head.

That, and the weird cognitive blip that is still there when I type--I keep reversing letters.  So weird.

Off to collapse for now...here's hoping for a good report on Thursday!