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Today's post isn't particularly inspirational. It is just an update. (I know, some of you are tremendously relieved right now... no more of that tear-jerker, have to think about it stuff!!). Last week some pretty heavy news got dumped on us and, like we ALL must do, we went to bed each night woke up each morning (some of us more easily than others) and took what each day brought us.

So far I have had 2 surgeries, the first of which revealed that I have thyroid cancer- we were NOT expecting that! My goal for that first surgery was just to get rid of a sensation that something is stuck in my throat (which has not gone away BTW). The good news about thyroid cancer is that it has a very contained scope of treatment methods and they are 95% successful. That other 5% is usually linked to unrelated health conditions that affect effectiveness.

Now that we have gotten over the shock, and survived the rather traumatic second surgery, we haven't changed our strategy. We are going to take each step as it comes. We are choosing not to over or under think. I was stopped in a restaurant last Thursday by a ministry acquaintance. She saw me and said that she needed to share something with me that was written in a card not yet sent. Her message for me was that the words "What if..." are not from the Lord. I am clinging onto that. Wondering "What if..." about what has already happened opens the door for blame casting or doubt. Wondering "What if..." about anything beyond today (treatment, plans, work, prognosis) robs today of it's joy. 

Without any what-if's, here is the scoop on what happens next. It is pretty uneventful, so don't expect another one of these for awhile! The second set of pathology reports did not make things better or worse. The course of treatment was the same either way. Now that the thyroid is removed we must wait 4-6 weeks for my body to be depleted of thyroid hormone (basically I will spend the summer being tired, cold, fat, and grumpy- doesn't that sound fabulous?). This unpleasant process is how they confirm that they removed all of the offending tissue. Even a small remnant of the original thyroid will continue to feed the cancer. Next, I will be given a small dose of radioactive iodine and scanned. Thyroid tissue (which the cancer cells are) is the only tissue in your body that absorbs iodine and it does so very readily. All remaining cancer that the surgery missed will soak up the radiation and show up on the scan. This scan will determine the extent of remaining treatment. 

Treatment is a therapeutic dose of radioactive iodine taken in a pill form. It is a very targeted treatment because that radiation will only be sucked up by the cancer. As far as I can tell, I will experience few side effects. The chuckle for today regarding this stage is that the doctor mentioned I would need to stay away from small children for awhile. This is funny for a couple of reasons: 

1. Um... do you KNOW what I do for a living?? Kind of hard to stay away from kids when you're the principal of a K-12 school! Maybe we should fundraise for a special space-suit I can wear to work.
2. I assumed that the separation was to protect me. You know, my immune system or something. Actually it is quite the opposite- I must be isolated to protect all of you from me! I will be a walking A-Bomb for a short period of time. I think my family will have to wear radiation detectors or something. (People- we are talking like I have to sleep alone, eat alone, designate a toilet in my house that only I can use, and put my trash in a special trash bag!). Am I going to glow in the dark?? So. Creepy.

Currently I am on no medications. I do have to take large doses of calcium. I have 2 out of 4 parathyroid glands left (they regulate all of the calcium in your blood) and they seem to be pretty stressed out right now. Weekly blood tests will tell us when/if they start functioning properly. I travel with Tums. When my face tingles or my legs get numb I pop a few and keep going. (Did you know that's what your body does without enough calcium?)

I, very much, look forward to getting the thyroid replacement drugs somewhere around the end of July. If the side effects of the next 4-6 weeks become unbearable I do have some options available. I'll find out more from the endocrinologist next week.

That's the scoop. Many of you have been asking and I'd rather speak when there is something to tell. It is also my heart for you to hear information straight from me which is why I will continue to be pretty straightforward. 

I will conclude with ways you can pray for us:

• sleep (insomnia is a new and unwelcome phenomenon)
• that I would intentionally stay slow (when I feel better I automatically overdo it and it is costly)
• Kids- Praise: are doing well, Prayer: continued perspective and normalcy (also that they would spontaneously learn how to do laundry, wash dishes, and cook).