Special delivery and other news

Yesterday morning, after rolling out of bed around nine, Alexander and I were peering out the front windows to survey the day lily planting that my dad had completed a bit earlier. I was still in my pjs and was surprised to see my friend, Kristen Thompson, and her son, Jamie, walking up to our front door. I didn't even have time to run and comb my hair or make myself decent before answering the door. Kristen wasn't stopping by for a social visit though. She and Jamie had made me some banana-wheat muffins from the Thyca Low-iodine cookbook. They were still warm when she handed them to me! I could have hugged her and Jamie at that moment! And then, I ate one. I was in heaven!!! That special delivery made my day. Thanks, Kristen (and Jamie)!!! (As if that wasn't enough, she also made us dinner from the cook book so we could actually try to enjoy the day instead of doing a lot of cooking!)

Yesterday was actually a pretty busy day. I visited my surgeon for my 3 week, post-op visit. I was given the all clear. She says that the swelling around my incision will continue to subside and that I'm a trooper for getting through my recovery, especially considering that my TSH is above 100. All the medical personnel that I've run into are shocked that I'm awake. I think it's pretty amusing, actually (because if I laugh, I won't cry) that I've achieved a TSH that is three times as high as it needed to be. Ugh! The good news from Dr. Williams is that I'm able to pick up Alexander and that I'm healing up just as I should be.

I had a little bit of pampering time in the late afternoon since Judy picked me up and took me to my favorite venue for pedicures. I chose a coral color. When Isabella, that was the name of my little Vietnamese pedicurist (um, pedicure-giver?), asked me if I wanted a flower painted on my big toe, I looked at her and said, "how old do you think I am, six?" She giggled. And then, after thinking about it for about 8 seconds, I said, "oh, it could be fun." So, now I have a little flower on both of my big toes, each with a tiny little 'diamond' in the middle. I'm actually quite pleased with them and may try it again sometime. Alexander told me that they're very pretty so the party to whom it really matters has been appeased! He keeps holding my toes and examining them, probably wondering if they're stickers that he can take off and keep for himself.

In other news, I've finally had a call from my endocrinologist's office. I'm scheduled to go in for my radioactive iodine therapy on Wednesday, July 18, 2007. I'll eat the low-iodine diet until I go in on Wednesday. I've asked my doctor if I'll have to continue the diet in the hospital and hope that I'll receive an answer to my e-mail by Monday afternoon. I'm not sure what the protocol is for e-mailing a physician but she's pretty good about returning phone calls so hopefully she'll answer my e-mail questions promptly as well. I'm not sure, yet, whether I will have access to my computer while in the hospital but I hope to send home a blog entry or two, with Peter who I am quite confident can type and post them for me. He's much better about catching my typos so you'll probably enjoy them being typed by him.

Alexander and my Dad are set to head back to Indiana on Sunday morning. This will allow me to get some rest before my treatment. Peter will be working from home, cooking me low-iodine meals and making sure that I don't give in and eat a block of cheese. Keep my parents in your prayers since taking care of a very two year old acting two year old is very tiring.

One more note about the diet. Tonight we made the most fantastic meal! We had chicken tortilla soup, homemade guacamole with no-salt corn chips, and homemade salsa. Everything was made from scratch, even the chicken broth that we used in the soup. It was actually pretty fun to do all the cooking. Peter, my dad, and I each pitched in to make the meal a success. We're all very full and I am pleased to say that we have left-overs which we may have tomorrow for lunch!

I know that this blog is supposed to be about my cancer journey but I did want to mention Paul and Ericka Maple, friends of ours from church. They had a little girl, Eden Elizabeth, on Monday who has a rare chromosome abnormality. From the e-mails that we have received, it sounds as if Eden's condition is much worse than they originally expected. I know, first-hand, how it feels to be in their position. Please, please pray for this family.