Back to Reality

This week, it was back to reality at work ... next week, it's back to reality as a cancer patient.

Tomorrow is a blood work day, and the main goal of the testing will be to check my Vitamin D levels. Its level in the bloodstream plays an important role for everyone, but especially for cancer patients. Mine was drastically low, only an 11 on a scale where they want my number to be at minimum, 50, and preferrably, between 70-100. I took a Vitamin D super supplement once a week for 8 weeks, and have added a full range multi-vitamin to my daily diet ... and now we do a check of the Vitamin D level after the 8 weeks. I'm hoping that Destin sunshine did a lot to improve my Vitamin D level as well, and that the doctor will order more beach time to keep it in check! ;-)

The medical oncologist also has a thyroid level blood test on the lab orders as well, because radiation of the chest and neck like I had can affect the proper function of the thyroid. Since I've had some symptoms that could be related to an underactive thyroid, the Dr felt it was important to check it out.

Also coming up next week is a mammogram, and a 6 month follow-up appointment with my surgical oncologist. This will be the first time to see her since my appointment immediately after surgery, last October. While I probably don't learn as much about "where I'm at" with the surgical oncologist as I do in my appointment with the medical oncologist that involves lab work ... it's still an important piece of the puzzle to keep her in the rotation. Most likely, she'll clear me for annual visits at this appointment.

Right before we left on Spring break, we heard the news that the parent of yet another classmate of TJ's had received a cancer diagnosis. His class seems to have been dealt an unfair proportion in that regard ... as with this most recent diagnosis, I can think of 6 students in the class of 2016 who have faced cancer in one of their parents or a sibling. And those are only the families I know of, there may be more. There are just under 70 students in the class, it's almost 10% of them who have been touched by this within the walls of their own home, not counting others with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins diagnosed. We add our prayers for the Muehlich family for strength and full recovery.