Like Mother - 33

I miss milk…and I hate snow. The only thing they have in common is that they are white. But for me they represent much more.

In preparation for my radioactive iodine treatment on the 19th, I am following a low-iodine diet. I can’t have any dairy products…a real bummer. Milk and cheese are my friends. Who knew they contained iodine? No egg yolks, canned food, most breads, processed food, fast food, salt, and a host of other “staples”. Oddly, I can have sugar until my heart’s content – no iodine in that. I’m pretty much subsisting on fresh veggies, meats, natural peanut butter, no-sodium bread, whole grain pasta, nuts, and fresh and dried fruit. With any luck, I’ll lose a few pounds, but I’m not holding out any hope for that. I’m not complaining – I am eating well, and more of the things that I should.

With 30 inches of snow on the ground and nowhere to go, I did attempt a low-iodine recipe for chocolate cake. Didn’t turn out so great, so I smeared peanut butter on top and enjoyed it anyway. Peanut butter has a way of making everything taste better – well, some things anyway.

Janina came out of the basement today, so we’ll probably have six more weeks of winter. And to my thinking—who cares—my daughter has successfully come through another phase of her cancer treatment, so all is right with the world.

Yesterday, Anna Marie had her thyroidectomy. While most people are “regulars” at a local pub, restaurant, or exercise facility, we’ve become “regulars” at the hospital – not exactly the place where you want to be a “regular”. As I expected, my sister came through her procedure like a champ. I am feeling a bit guilty though, thinking I may have underplayed the postoperative part as not to scare her. You do feel a bit like road-kill following, but each day brings more healing, so I keep reminding her of that.

In 11 days, I get my long-awaited first shot in the butt. The anticipation is overwhelming. Such a nice present. Who said Christmas was over?

Comments

  1. AnonymousFebruary 11, 2010 at 11:54 PM

    Hi my name is Mollie Gleason. I am touched by your whole story. I cannot imagine going through any of it. You are some of the strongest people I have yet to meet. To honor you i want to tell you about an event we have at my school, Loch Raven High. We hold an event every spring called Relay for Life. It is sponsered by the American Cancer Society and supports the fight back against cancer. With this in mind, before hand we hold a dinner for all of the survivors. Its a way to celebrate all that you have gone/going/will go through. The date for the Relay for Life is April 24th. You may not have time to respond to this or email which i totally understand. I just wanted to give you the opportunity to be celebrated for all you done.
    Please email me at molbob3@comcast.net
    Even if you cannot attend, please email me with anything you need.
    Thank you so much for all you do!
    Loch Raven High School relays for the Plait family
    Mollie Gleason (survivorship chair)

    ReplyDelete

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