A New Month Begins

It is not so strange anymore how fast one month ends and a new one begins or one year, or a decade but each of those pass by far too quickly these days as one gets older and older and tries to act and feel younger and younger to offset the obvious about life.

For the last couple of nights I have had night sweats, not bad, but still needing to return to bed wearing a bathrobe to keep from coming into contact with wet sheet on the top and bottom.  My next infusion of Opdivo is this Thursday and I wonder if that has anything to do with this or not...  but, in my mind there seems to be a connection...  maybe a weak one, but it is still there nonetheless.

My fatigue has returned as well, but not as bad as it was before, but it is also there and obviously present in my mind, especially in the afternoons when I have done nothing to make my body tired and thus incur its rathe and rathe it is and if you have ever felt fatigued then you understand my choice of words.

Of course and life before, it would always be my thyroid that is going haywire and not my physical body at all...  still, my body is old and tired and with the least effort at all, I seem to be developing all sorts of pains and strains in muscles and in my joints:  bending over, or kneeling, or lifting above my head.

The Thyroid and One's Heart

 

Thyroid Meds Increased

Got a call from a NP in my Oncologist's office and because of blood work that I had on Thursday, part of my blood was sent out to an outside lab for further tests specifically regarding my thyroid...  it appears that a side effect of taking OPDIVO is having a screwed up Thyroid...  and, since my results indicated that my number was going up my daily dosage was increased from 25 to 50 mcg's.

Levothyroxine is used to treat hypothyroidism (condition where the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone). It is also used with surgery and radioactive iodine therapy to treat thyroid cancer. Levothyroxine is in a class of medications called hormones. It works by replacing thyroid hormone that is normally produced by the body.

Without thyroid hormone, your body cannot function properly, which may result in poor growth, slow speech, lack of energy, excessive tiredness, constipation, weight gain, hair loss, dry, thick skin, increased sensitivity to cold, joint and muscle pain, heavy or irregular menstrual periods, and depression. When taken correctly, levothyroxine reverses these symptoms.

Another Day of Feeling Good

For the last several weeks, my thyroid medication has caused me to shed my fatigue, lethargy, and apathy but as the nights unfold, it's taking me a little longer to fall asleep and consequently my mornings don't start until later as well....  a change from 9:00 - 10:00 pm to 11:00-12:00 pm at night to my morning beginning at 8:30 am instead of 6:30/7:30 am.  Also on the positive side, I am waking up only once at night to pee instead of 2-3 times...

What amazes me is that the small THYROID regulates/effects/affects so much inside the body that many of us simple don't understand an/or appreciate.

The thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate the body's metabolic rate controlling heart, muscle and digestive function, brain development and bone maintenance. Its correct functioning depends on a good supply of iodine from the diet.

it's a good idea to limit your intake of Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, turnips, and bok choy, because research suggests digesting these vegetables may block the thyroid's ability to utilize iodine, which is essential for normal thyroid function.

I WONDER...

For the last 2-3 years of my on-going cancer treatments for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and bones of contention between my wife and I for me not wanting to get anything done, resulting in comments between us that should never have been said, let alone even thought.
Melanoma, I have experienced a level of fatigue that under the best of circumstances has been overwhelming at times and caused me to waste away each day in the arms of an lounge chair or couch and sometimes leading me back to the bedroom where I recline on the bed for a 2 hour nap whether I really want or need one at all...  those feelings of fatigue were not just depressing but were

BUT, for the last 30 days, I have been taking a mild form of a drug to regulate my hypothyroid condition caused by my cancer treatments according to my Oncologist who would not admit that my treatments caused me to contract Melanoma...  and, the results have completely eliminated most if not all of my fatigue...  which leaves me wondering that most of my side effects thought to be cause by my cancer treatments were not accurate but that they were caused by my thyroid...

Hypothyroidism's deficiency of thyroid hormones can disrupt such things as heart rate, body temperature, and all aspects of metabolism. Major symptoms include fatigue, cold sensitivity, constipation, dry skin, and unexplained weight gain.

T O D A Y

Today has been another good day other than the fact that I did not fall asleep the night before until after 2:00 am which is not typical for me and could have been caused by my cancer meds or by my Thyroid meds and/or condition.  Going to sleep at that hour would not have been that bad, had it not been for the fact that I also woke up 3 times during the night to PISS which points to a problem with my prostate.  Straying away from routine causes my bowels to go on vacation as well as I am sure that they think they need a break as well.

Being 72 puts me in the old age category whether I like it or not with the only exception being that someone in their seventies is younger than someone in their eighties who is younger than someone in their nineties...  BUT, all three decades of age are still considered OLD AGE...

AND, one must also understand that just because one walks a mile on the treadmill and peddles a stationary bike for 20 minutes does not mean that their body is fully conditioned to perform whatever manual labor needs to be performed around the house, especially since I have arthritis in my shoulders, hips, knees, and back.

Sometimes in the late afternoon, my stomach starts to act up and I cannot tell if I am experiencing nausea, acid reflux, or that I just need to eat something.  My first choice is to eat something then have some saltine crackers with a coke and if that doesn't work, I usually take 3 GAS X tablets...

Something Has Changed

Not too long ago in the recent past, I recall going to be at night around 9:30 or 10:00 and within minutes I would be fast asleep and would not wake up until 8:00 or 8:30 the next morning...  also associated with that was my feeling of constant fatigue that gradually disappeared leaving me with a renewed vigor to exercise which I did but began slowly. 

About this same time, my PSA levels had double and were above the acceptable range and while there was no indication for immediate alarm, I was told I still needed to get myself checked out by a

Urologist.  A day or two later, I mentioned to my Oncologist about day sweats and additional tests were performed on my blood indicating that my Thyroid levels were too high so I was put on medication.

After 5 days of that medication which is really too soon to see any kind of change, my body is in fact making a change...  I am waking up an hour or two earlier than before...  I have even more energy than before which could be attributed to my gradually increasing exercising routine that is now up to 40 minutes on the bike and walking a mile at a speed of 3.0 or 20 minutes a mile...  and, my desire to eat have substantially reduced from that which I was eating, although I am still not eating enough protein, veges, and fruits.

• Is it my thyroid medicine?
• Is it my exercising?
• Is it my cancer treatments?
• Is it my age?

SOMETHING HAS CHANGED...

Two Twenty in the Morning

Thyroid Conditions:

The thyroid gland manufactures hormones that regulate your body's metabolism. Several different disorders can arise when your thyroid produces too much hormone (hyperthyroidism) or not enough (hypothyroidism).

According to my Oncologist who decided to run a special test on my blood for Thyroid conditions because of my day sweats, I have HYPERTHYROIDISM...  

Hyperthyroidism is the production of too much thyroxine hormone. It can increase metabolism.

Can you guess what one of the side effects from my thyroid medication is:  INSOMNIA...  and, who would have ever guessed that?

How could such a small damn gland cause so much frigging trouble...

Hey...   that was a rhetorical question...   lol

LEVOTHYROXIN

Levothyroxine is a thyroid medicine that replaces a hormone normally produced by your thyroid gland to regulate the body's energy and metabolism.

Levothyroxine is given when your thyroid does not produce enough of this hormone on its own.

Levothyroxine is used to treat hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone). It is also used to treat or prevent goiter (enlarged thyroid gland), which can be caused by hormone imbalances, radiation treatment, surgery, or cancer.

➡️IN MY CASE:  My thyroid got whacked out of shape because of my Opdivo Treatments for Melanoma.

SIDE EFFECTS       

• fast or irregular heartbeats;
• chest pain, shortness of breath;
• fever, hot flashes, sweating;
• tremors, or if you feel unusually cold;
• weakness, tiredness, sleep problems (insomnia);
• memory problems, feeling depressed or irritable;
• headache, leg cramps, muscle aches;
• feeling nervous or irritable;
• dryness of your skin or hair, and/or hair loss;
• changes in your menstrual periods; or
• vomiting, diarrhea, appetite changes, weight changes.

PET Scan Results

I met with my Oncologist this morning before my treatment and was informed that my PET Scan no growth with my cancers which is good news, but bad news in that there was NO REDUCTION either which is what I wanted to see;  however, my Oncologist says while a reduction is preferred that he will take a no growth result.  I suppose that he is right...  but...
results showed

What I also discovered after mentioning hot flashes and stinky sweats and more tests were performed that I have a malfunctioning thyroid which was totally caused and a typical side effect of OPDIVO...

This is one of the big drawbacks of getting just about any type of cancer and that is the fact that treatment for one cancer can cause another cancer or it can cause other problems to develop inside the cancer patient's body.