Life After Thyroid Cancer – Update

It's been some time since I've provided an update to my life post thyroid cancer/thyroidectomy. Here's a glimpse of it...


LMAO! Yes, a roller-coaster ride; not too bad. It really depends on how you interpret it. Most see a roller-coaster as a thrill and an adrenaline rush. Others may interpret it being up and down - good and bad. For me, it's been both...lol. Not much in the bad department, considering that my body has done some things that I've never imagined doing (will share those stories for later posts). As for bad, the only thing I can reference is that once I think I'm on track with my physical goals and have a good grasp on my body minus a thyroid, then something comes along and changes the direction. Which is fine...really it is...keeps me on my toes for sure. 

Since my last post on the subject, Life After Thyroid Cancer, back in December 2013, I've been on such an adventure of rediscovery. See, I've had to learn so many new things about my body - this slightly modified version...lol. I'm very protective of this "asset" of mine. Besides, it's the only body I have, so why wouldn't I be protective. 






In July of 2015, I was asked to share my story at the VeloSano - Bike to Cure opening ceremony. 

Making this video left me revisiting many of the emotions that I was going through at the time and had me reflecting back on those emotions. It's very humbling. I'm very grateful that I can say that I'm a cancer survivor. You realize that so many others have challenges far greater than yours and it's up to you to overcome your challenges. I am no different when it comes to the ups and downs that life brings our way. But, I tell you what, I will not let things define me or take control over me. As I see it, I have a modified version of myself after having the thyroidectomy. I have to re-learn this body; retrain my mind to let go of how I was and focus on how I am now. Look at it when you upgrade your phone, you have to learn all the new features - good and bad. 

Smile, laugh and be well! 

I've Returned...YAY!

I’m back. Since, my last entry, I got caught in the social media tornado! So, it’s not that I’ve fallen off the face of the earth, very far from that. It appeared that I had landed up in the “social media oz” that took me on the path to the “Land of Instagram”, playing with the flying “Tweets” and ended at “The Facebook City”…LOL!

I can say, it’s been a very interesting journey. It appears that I had to “re-route” a huge area of my life.  I had to let go of a major relationship.  Often times, we fight that feeling in our gut that tells us to let go.  Maybe, we think we will be seen as failures because it didn't work out. NOT! If things are always negative and where both people are not nourishing the relationship, it will have no life and die! I see myself as a success in making the decision to let it go. Lesson learned! New routes bring interesting paths and undiscovered territories. LOL!

I’m still learning more and more about my body after my thyroid cancer. I will continue to share as I hope that my story will help others to not give up on their goals. I have so much to share and look forward to the adventures of 2015.

Life After Thyroid Cancer – Weight Gain

If you have read my Life with a Goiter entries, you now know what happened with the goiter.  After my total thyroidectomy, following a low-iodine diet, and radioactive iodine treatment, my next hurdle was this crazy weight gain! Though, I worked out and thought I was eating right, my clothes started getting tighter and tighter and my body was feeling squishy. Things just wasn't making sense. My doctor visits resulted in my readings being normal and where they needed to be, but my body was growing!

I started researching more and more. I just couldn’t figure this out. I’m a personal trainer and how in the world am I getting this wrong? To make matters worse, every visit with my primary and endocrinologist, when I would inquire if the medication was working, they would reply with yes, your levels are fine, perhaps you should exercise and watch what you eat. UGH‼‼

In a nutshell, they were very little help.  At one point, my cholesterol was high and my primary wanted to put me on cholesterol medication. At which, I nicely rejected. I told her, if my cholesterol is high, something is not working. I was getting so frustrated and very concerned. 

For the whole year of 2011, I was struggling. I stopped with my fitness classes, stopped training with my clients and took time to figure this out.  It wasn’t that I had never had weight issues in the past.  This one was making me feel like I would have no control and I might as well watch myself grow. NOT!

In the spring of 2012, I visited the Synthroid website. I was going to read all the fine print that I could to fully understand the medication and the interactions. I researched what foods and beverages interacted with the medication. It finally clicked and my eyes were wide open now. I was taking the medication first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach, but I was eating soon after.

I found myself, testing theories that I discovered. First one was, taking the medication in the middle of the night, around 3:30 a.m. for me.  I know, many can’t imagine waking up just to take a medication. But, I did and have been doing it since April 2012.  Yes, I go right back to sleep.  Why that time? It allows for the medication to be fully absorbed in the body with no interruptions. Make sense?

I was also taking calcium. I would take it in the morning, so I changed it to dinner time.  It needs at least 4 hours prior to taking thyroid medication because calcium causes the Synthroid to not be fully absorbed as well.  I was getting on a routine now.  My workouts were going well, but the scale was moving really slow and the inches were decreasing by what seemed as millimeters. UGH! At least the scale was not moving in the wrong direction.  I must have been doing something right.

My next visit with my primary, she had noticed that my cholesterol was down. REALLY??? I thought. She asked me what I was doing and I told her about the 3:30 a.m. med time.  Well, guess that wasn’t in any of the medical classes, but she realized that if your thyroid medication isn’t being fully absorbed, it will cause your cholesterol to rise. [I wish you could have seen my face]. I’m sure you can imagine the look. Good thing for me not taking the cholesterol medication – RIGHT???‼‼

Life After Thyroid Cancer – Watch Your Foods

Well, remember when I mentioned in my earlier posts that though I was eating right and exercising, how the doctors were telling me that if I ate right and exercised, that should help me with my weight issues? Remember? I was eating right, but no one knew, eating right would be so wrong.

One visit with my OB-GYN resulted in me sharing the issues with my weight after the thyroidectomy.  Funny thing is, he suggested that I look into exactly what I was eating.  At that moment, a light bulb went off.  My others doctors suggested that I “eat right”, which for me, I was clearing eating right.  But, my OB suggested that I look into exactly what I’m eating.  He made so much sense.

I was viewing myself all along as being normal with normal functioning organs and hormones.  That is all wrong.  You’re no longer functioning in the same way, so you must develop the mind set of such.  It wasn’t my workouts at all, it truly was what I was eating.

Who knew?

Sit back…take a moment…and hold on to your seat. These raw cruciferous vegetables are regular items for me. They are: cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, mustard greens, kale, turnips, rape seed (canola oil) collard.

Guess what? You shouldn’t eat them raw. I KNOW‼! They should be cooked. Soy is another food to avoid while taking Synthroid. Eating high amounts of fiber can interfere with the absorption of thyroid hormone. Some of the high fiber foods include cooked black beans and lentils.

This site was very helpful in making you aware of what types of foods to make adjustments for. Check out this site, Thyroid - What You Need to Know. 


SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! All along my eating “right” was wrong. Did I stop “eating right”? Of course not.  I found a way to balance the foods I love. 

Life with a Goiter - Part 3

Going into surgery this time was much different. There were more things on my mind and knowing that I have thyroid cancer made the thoughts uncontrollable. I kept thinking about if it had spread. I was just thinking about what else may be wrong. What if things are much worse than they are? How will my life be now? Will the cancer come back? Etc...etc...etc...
So, just as the first surgery, I had limited talking and pretty much followed the same protocol as before. I knew I would be on medication the rest of my life to replace the hormone that my body can no longer produce without a thyroid.

Goiter - Left Side

As you can see in the pictures, there is the goiter and the right thyroid gland. Immediately, I noticed a huge difference in my neck. I can't believe how small it is now. I was told that my recommended medication would be Synthroid.  I mentally prepared myself as it was to be my life-long partner.

After a few weeks, I was place on a low-iodine diet to prepare for my radioactive iodine treatment (RIT).  Having thyroid cancer doesn't mean radiation. But, it was necessary for me to have the RIT. OMG!

Right Side

The low-iodine diet completely drained me. I was teaching my fitness classes and thinking where do I pull the energy to do so.  It was like functioning on a drained internal battery. All I wanted to do was NOTHING!

Figuring out what eat and what not to eat was, actually pretty interesting.  I learned even more about discipline and my cooking skills.  Found myself making my own sausage. When you’re on limited foods and the foods you buy contain things you can’t consume, you find yourself getting very creative and resourceful.