Awaiting Superpowers

[ivyblossom]

As anticipated, I survived the isolation. It wasn't exactly boring. Mostly it was just...strange. The room is terribly stark and empty, with absorbent papers taped in a walkway between the bed and the bathroom, like the sort of thing you might put down for a house training puppy. Chairs were covered in the stuff, table tops. I felt like a plague victim.

I drank a lot of water, ate most of what they gave me to eat, except when I started to feel nauseated (a feeling that hasn't entirely passed), and I spent most of the time with a splitting headache. I'm not sure if that's the result of the radiation or the weather; we had a terrible storm while I was in there, and I have a history of reacting badly to rapid, extreme barometric changes. But either way, my head was aching and my eyes were sore, which made it harder than anticipated to just sit and read. I slept a lot.

I discovered late in the game that I was on the oncology ward. It's not a surprise anymore that I am an attendee at camp cancer, but somehow it still threw me when I learned this. Not only was I in a room for people undergoing a particular kind of radiation, I was in a room for people in exactly my circumstances. I felt like another heir to a particularly rigid throne.

My radioactivity reading was already very low when I left the hospital, which I take to mean that there wasn't much left in my body to process idoine anyway, so it was flushed out relatively quickly.

No superpowers detected as yet.

I still recommend the salt scrub, and nice smelling soaps and shampoo and whatnot, to anyone going into isolation. The place is so austere, it's nice to have something entirely frivolous, sort of aromatherapy to enjoy. There's very little to enjoy in that environment.

At this point I feel pretty done with hospitals. Been there, done that. I'd like that on the official record; check that ticky box, I don't need to do this again, thanks.

My body temperature is two and a half degrees below normal, which is a bit uncomfortable, but strangely you get used to it. I'm turning a little bit reptilian.

I'm in this cold and sleepy state for another week. Next Monday I go in for a full body scan, which will look for any remains of the radioactive iodine I took, and will, I presume, clear me of any further suspicion of cancer. And then, blessed be, I can take some thyroid replacement. My endocrinologist, bless her heart, gave me an initial dose that she thinks will be slightly more than I actually need.

That's helpful, since I'm getting married three days later.

I like to keep my major life events all clustered around the same time, just for excitement and giggles.

Comments

[twilightbyproxy.livejournal.com]

Congrats! I wish you well as you recover, and I also congratulate you early on your marriage. Best of luck for life!

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[pir8fancier.livejournal.com]

I like to keep my major life events all clustered around the same time, just for excitement and giggles.

You really don't fool around, do you? Glad to hear it went okay. Due to medical woes of my own, I've enough CT scans to last me a lifetime and I keep thinking every time they had me drink that isotope crap, how many of these can I down before I can open my mouth and be a human flashlight?

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Well, when I had a surgery date of feb 7, it didn't occur to me that march 20 would still include recovery. This is how little I understood of what I was facing, clearly! I figured I'd already be back at work. My endocrinologist doesn't think I'll be back at work until the end of April at this point.

Anyway, his March break is the week following the 20th, so the 20th was the earliest he could be here, so we just opted to get the deed done and out of the way so we could move on with other things. It's a very small deal, just immediate family and two long time mutual friends (the guy who introduced us and his wife), at city hall, 15 minute ceremony, and then his stepfather is going to make us dinner at our friends' condo down the street. Hopefully it's something I'll be able to manage. The paperwork is all done at least, the venue booked and paid for, so now I just need the little boost of energy required to get through with it.

My pee did not glow in the dark at any time. I am deeply disappointed. But boy I know what you mean. Did you feel like they were turning you into a biological weapon?

[pir8fancier.livejournal.com]

My pee did not glow in the dark at any time. I am deeply disappointed.

I know! You go through any number of indignities, and the least they could do is to give you glow-in-the-dark wee-wee. Talk about a conversation starter.

Anyway, congrats!

[so-lily-briscoe.livejournal.com]

If you're handling all this with half the cool you express in writing about it, you are my new personal hero.

And yay for wedding! It should probably be made standard procedure for cancer treatment: surgery, radiation-iso, swearing of eternal love and devotion. Seriously.

Go you!

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Haha, well I try!

I said very little about it while most of the lead up was going on. I was pretty scared going in and had a lot of panic attacks, so I'm not really as cool about it as it seems, I guess. At this point it's got new and different struggles that go along with it, but it's easier to manage. Recently I decided that I've never experienced anything like this and hopefully never will again, so I might as well record it for my own interest at least later on in life. Things like this seem to fade with time, I wanted the feelings to experiences to be recallable.

Also, writing about it helps me locate it as part of my life. Once again, writing as therapy. :)

[sirventes.livejournal.com]

And hey! At least the "in sickness and in health" has been field tested.

Congrats. Good to hear you're out.

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

True!

It's good to be out, too!

[aldiara.livejournal.com]

Just think how awesome all this will sound when you get to tell it to people later. "Remember that one time I was in radiation treatment and turned all reptilian and then got married three days later?"

*hugs*!

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

"On a Thursday?" This is his thing, he didn't want to get married on a normal celebratory day like a Friday or Saturday. He preferred a Tuesday, but I figured I'd still be at work, so I pushed for Thursday instead.

[deaver.livejournal.com]

Glad to have you back around. Even more glad that you aren't glowing green! Though, it would have been cool to tell people that I have a friend who can fly or shoot spiderwebs or such. Hee.

Also, wow, you sure do like to keep your life exciting, don't you?! (Congrats, by the way!)

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, I like to keep things interesting. :/ It seemed like a good idea at the time!

[ixchelmala.livejournal.com]

Hurray! So glad to see you on the flip side. And OMG did I miss something?!? You're getting married? Do you have a registry?

CONGRATULATIONS ON ALL COUNTS!!!

<333
(Thank you for being there for me so many years ago when I peeked into this world of LJ... I'm so glad you are doing better and that things are looking up:D)

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Haha I haven't been saying much about it, I guess. No registry, no, it's a very small affair at city hall with just immediate family, and we don't really need anything. He's still living in Chicago right now, so we're not even in the same place. But thanks!

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

Glad to hear you're out--don't give up hope on those superpowers yet!

The weird thing is, remember I mentioned meeting somebody else who did this? It was right before she got married too. Clearly there's some sort of connection. Her marriage was happy--clearly yours will be too!

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Hahaha that's surreal!

[nicocoer.livejournal.com]

congrats on the marriage thing, and from this I take it the radiation therapy went alright?

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Hmm...what does alright mean? It happened!

[aleja.livejournal.com]

Getting better, getting married, yay for the Hildeburs! :-D

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Hehhehe yes, the Hildeburs, I like it. :D

[nightbluesprite.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you're through with the isolation. And, eek! Marriage! Congrats! :D

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Hahaha! Eek indeed!

[pingviini.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad it went well!
And you're getting married - in sickness and in health, indeed. Congrats!
*hugs*

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

In annoyingness and unannoyingness, as I like to call it. :) Thank you!

[treehavn.livejournal.com]

I demand wedding photos!!!

Hope you come out of hibernation soon.

[ivyblossom.livejournal.com]

Oh I wish you could be there! We'll have to have you over for a dinner party the moment you arrive! I'm going to try to convince someone to record the ceremony and upload it to youtube!

[style-30.livejournal.com]

Hey, I was just reading Origins (for, what, the third time?) and happened upon a link to your journal. I just wanted to offer you a big Congratulations! on making it through radiation and isolation and on your upcoming wedding. May you find continued joy. :)

[esmaraldo.livejournal.com]

<3 I've just been reading your blog tonight- lost touch with my f-list, and I get such a strong sense of what an amazing person you are.

Hope all the tests went well, and that you're enjoying your honeymoon.