Day 50 of my journey, Day two on the pump: thyroid ultrasound, cold sensitivity, and a slow day with Johnny

I started writing this last night around 9:30 PM and could not stay awake. Fell asleep with the phone in my hand. I have been carrying my chemo pouch and hooked up to the port since Wednesday, and the 5-FU combination with my other meds definitely knocks me out. The medication itself makes me a little dizzy too, so I need somebody holding my hand when I walk during parts of the day. That is a strange feeling for sure.

Morning: thyroid ultrasound with Angela

My dear friend and neighbor Angela took me to my thyroid ultrasound appointment in the morning. We had an amazing technician named Amy who was a pleasure to work with. Hopefully we made her laugh, because Angela and I have a lot of silly banter between us and it definitely came out in that exam room.

Quick reminder on why this ultrasound was on the schedule: on my original PET scan, my thyroid area lit up as active. My endocrinologist wanted to follow up. It was never connected to the liver lesions and never a priority on the cancer side of things, but I moved it up after I had some inflammation around my jaw (which I also saw the dentist about earlier this week).

The results are already in. Nothing alarming, and nothing related to cancer, which is a real relief. I will do one follow-up with an ear, nose and throat doctor just to be completely sure everything is clear. It honestly feels like a full-time job balancing all of these different symptoms and all of these different professionals.

Afternoon: Johnny, Whole Foods, and the cold test

My son Johnny came in to help me get through the rest of the day and joined us aa Angela and I had breakfast together. This sounds so silly, but I genuinely cannot grocery shop on my own while I am in this treatment because of the cold sensitivity. I still cannot drive so I need somebody with me anyway, but I had Johnny reach into the Whole Foods refrigeration for the things I wanted. I scooped a tiny tray of olives from the olive bar and even the spoon was too cold for me to handle. That is the kind of sensitivity we are talking about. Hard to believe until you feel it.

I rested most of the rest of the day and just hung out with Johnny, which I always enjoy. He is already back home because he had to work today, so I take every minute I can get. Gina is coming back into town on June 14, so I am very excited about that.

A little night out at Pivot

We did venture out to one of my favorite places to eat. Johnny had never been, since he has lived in Indianapolis and Chicago the last five years. The place is called Pivot Lounge, right here in Crown Point. He had the crab legs and their signature bag of donuts, and we had a really nice evening. Friday (today) is the day I get the pump removed and get fluids, so I am hoping for some strength over the weekend. One step at a time.