Tour of the Original MAJ - New York 2013

I'm going HERE

This weekend I get to go on my first vacation in two years.  It's only a weekend, but it's a REAL vacation.  We're talking NO doctors, NO hanging out at the fam's house, NO getting up at 4am for races, not really even any training (expect general fitness to keep me from gaining 1000 pounds since I plan on eating some good food). I will actually get to come back to the hotel and kick my shoes off at the end of a day, eat at restaraunts I like, go to the beach, and walk around a LOT.

Mind you, I haven't had a full vacation in going on 10 years now.  The last time I went anywhere out of state for longer than 3 business days, not to see my parents or race, was around 2004 when I went to Cancun for a full week with one of my best friends.  Don't get me wrong, I love going to race. And I have the best family and friends who support me every birthday and Christmas with race entry fees because they've all come to realize that's all I want.  But there's something to be said about that not-having-to-watch-what-you-eat-and-sleeping-past-4am part.

Something else happened this week that is of note (besides Baby's First PET Scan - a WEIRD experience. More about that later). 

A while back I told you the story of how I became The Original MAJ.  I'm reviving that tale for a reason, so bear with me.  I have done the American Diabates Association Tour de Cure Century two or three years now, and the last few years have been in honor of my mom, who is the REAL Original MAJ, because she is diabetic.  Never in a million years did I guess that she would get diagnosed with cancer right before this year's ride. 

As you might also recall, I love to give things - especially races and events - a fun name.  I called 2012's ride The Tour de Mom.  I called Rocket City 2012 El Cinco.  So it seemed only fitting that I find a good name for New York 2013.

Trust me, I started with the cheesy New York references. I'm in a New York State of Mind;New York, I Love You, But You're Bringin Me Down (my time, that is); Start Spreading the News; I'm Taking a Bite out of The Big Apple; 5 Boroughs in 5 Hours (ok, so I still like that one since I'm still aiming for that damn sub-5-hour mark!)


And then I was looking at my link for donations for the ACS this year.  They're always http://main.acsevents.org/goto/THISISWHEREYOURNAMEBELONGS.  I usually pick "Meggan Ann" as my name (since, you know, it is.)

This year, as a nod to my Mom, the best race spectator I have ever had and now a fellow survivor - and to those who've called me MAJ most of my adult life - I made it http://main.acsevents.org/goto/MAJ

So from now on I'm going to call my effort to hit 50 states The Tour of the Original MAJ.  This will be a perpetual sign of respect and appreciation for my roots.

Tour of the Original MAJ, Stop 1: Philly 2007
Tour of the Original MAJ, Stop 2: Disney 2010
Tour of the Original MAJ, Stop 3: Rock & Roll New Orleans 2011
Tour of the Original MAJ, Stop 4: Savannah 2011
Tour of the Original MAJ, Stop 5: Huntsville 2012

This year Tour of the Original MAJ returns to the site of its inception in the tri-state area with a stop in New York for 2013.

Ti'm to get the tour bus ready!

On to the Next Adventure!

You know that expression time flies when you're having fun? 

 

It's true.

 

I've been having such a good time with all the great news at work, triathlon, and now school (straight A's again this semester!), that I almost forgot that I am technically at the end of tri season!  Time for a little rest/maintenance training and then . . . . .

 

HI-HO, HI-HO, A-MARATHON-ING WE WILL GO!

 

On to the next adventure.

 

Also, I forgot tomorrow was Wednesday. Time for Baby's First PET Scan!



Positron Emission Tomography!

(Any time I or any of my friends do anything for the first time, I call it "Baby's First (whatever).")

The scoop on the PET scan is this.  Last week I went to an ENT expecting to get an upper endoscopy of the throat to look at the tissues inside, but he says my vocal chords and nerves (the structures most at risk for damage from thyroidectomies) are fine so I don't need a scope.  Instead, he wanted to send me for more diagnostic tests. Then possibly a needle biopsy. (Side note: those hurt like a BITCH.)

So, as predicted, I'm going to get tested like crazy for the next few months.

Tomorrow they'll shoot me up with a radioactive isotope, scan me from "eyes to thighs" with this machine, and see what "lights up."  The isotope contains a sugar-based solution, which all cells need to live, so the most active cells will show up on the scan. 

The ENT said that based on my bloodwork looking so good, the remaining tissue might be the kind that's "not avid."  Basically, your thyroid needs iodine to live, so when you have thyroid cancer or severe thryoid disease (like one of my Aunts who had Grave's disease), they give you radioactive iodine to kill it.  But some of the tissue sometimes doesn't make thyroid hormone, so that tissue doesn't absorb the radioactive iodine and die.  It also doesn't show up as recurrence on your bloodwork.

If the tissue that is remaining in my neck is just scar tissue, no big deal.  If it is thryoid tissue, then (according to the doctors) thyroid cancer recurrence is challenging to treat.  They don't always want to do surgery because neck surgery is risky.  They might do targeted beam (traditional) radiation if this tissue is the kind that doesn't absorb iodine.  They might operate again.  I've been told so many different possible plans that I am not counting on any of them until we know what's going on!

So for now I am just going to do what the doctors tell me, dive into the shit-ton of schoolwork I have for this short 12-week semester, and do what Gladys Knight and the Pips told me to do.

Keep on Keepin' On.

On to the next adventure!