Hypo or Hyper, that is the question. Hypothyroidism is when your hormone levels are too low. It causes symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, hair dryness, sensitivity to cold, constipation, depression, muscle aches and other fun things. Hyperthyroidism is when your hormones are too high. This results in anxiety, a racing heart, hot …
Author: Laura Tovey
Hyperawareness & Illness
When you become sick, you suddenly notice every sensation with an acute awareness. Each pain brings up the question of whether or not this means something deeper is lingering underneath. Each flash of emotion brings the possibility of it being a medication side effect rather than just a life side effect. Am I sad because …
RAI Results
About three hours after my scan, a “new test result” notification popped up on my phone. I expected to see CANCER FREE!!!!!! I expected my doctor to call me celebrating the great news that I had no cancer in me! In hindsight, I see I overlooked a lot of educational material that would have shown …
RAI Treatment ~ Part 4
Wednesday morning, in the thick of the winter storm, we made our way yet again to the hospital for my "glow day". My dad sent me in with a nervous hug, as I’m sure this was scarier to him than it even was for me. I was so numb to these doctors appointments at this …
RAI Treatment ~ Part 3
Day two arrived before I knew it and we headed back through the snow to Baylor. I sat in the waiting room for a little bit and then Beth just kind of waved me over to where she was and we started walking upstairs, rounding many corners and hallways before getting to our destination, the …
RAI Treatment ~ Part 2
The day before my first appointment, Texas was hit with a massive winter storm. The biggest one in history. Roads were completely frozen, car wrecks totaling 100+ cars were shown on the news, power outages were occurring across the whole state, and temperatures had dropped below zero. I wanted more than anything to be done …
RAI Treatment ~ Part 1
The RAI treatment basically consists of being on a low iodine diet for several weeks, getting a series of thyrogen injections, swallowing a radioactive pill, then getting a CT scan to show where in the body has cancerous thyroid cells remaining. Sometimes you just need one treatment, other times you may need more. Luckily for …
What are the Odds?
When I first was diagnosed with cancer, I kept thinking, what are the odds? If you have a tumor in your throat, there's a 95% chance that it is NOT cancer. Then out of that 5%, even with a biopsy saying it is "suspicious" of cancer, there is still just a 50% chance that it …
High-School Superlatives; First to Get Cancer
When you graduate high school, you and your friends often still keep tabs on the people from your graduation class for years to come. We text each other when we see someone got married, someone moved abroad, when someone has a baby, etc. You see who the first people are to start a family, the …
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Encouraging Scripture
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you. Bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” -Proverbs 3:3 This verse stuck out to me due to the use of the word “neck”. Bind them around your neck. As I literally had bandages around my freshly, surgically-cut neck, I sat humbled in …
The "Good" Cancer 