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The last two mornings at the beach have been exceptionally life-giving, and I want to hold them in my heart forever.

My wish for you

Is that you continue

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To be who and how you are

To astonish a mean world

With your acts of kindness

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To allow humor to lighten the burden

Of your tender heart

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In a society dark with cruelty

To let the people hear the grandeur

Of God in the peals of your laughter

Continue

To let your eloquence

Elevate the people to heights

They had only imagined

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To remind the people that

Each is as good as the other

And that no one is beneath

Nor above you

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To remember your own young years

And look with favor upon the lost

And the least and the lonely

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To put the mantle of your protection

Around the bodies of

The young and defenseless

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To take the hand of the despised

And diseased and walk proudly with them

In the high street

Some might see you and

Be encouraged to do likewise

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To plant a public kiss of concern

On the cheek of the sick

And the aged and infirm

And count that as a

Natural action to be expected

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To let gratitude be the pillow

Upon which you kneel to

Say your nightly prayer

And let faith be the bridge

You build to overcome evil

And welcome good

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To ignore no vision

Which comes to enlarge your range

And increase your spirit

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To dare to love deeply

And risk everything

For the good thing

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To float

Happily in the sea of infinite substance

Which set aside riches for you

Before you had a name

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And by doing so

You and your work

Will be able to continue

Eternally

- Maya Angelou

One life on this earth is all we get, whether it is enough or not enough, and the obvious conclusion would seem to be at the very least we are fools if we do not live it as fully and bravely and beautifully as we can.

Frederick Buechner

All earthly things are the shadows of heavenly realities—the expression, in created, visible forms, of the invisible glory of God.

Andrew Murray

Supplements

I have been asked repeatedly about what supplements I am taking, so I decided to share the list here as a reference for the future.

Let me start out by saying I am not endorsing any of these supplements, nor do I necessarily believe any of them are necessary to my well-being. What I do know is that I am doing so much better than anticipated; therefore, I will continue taking these supplements for the foreseeable future because I do not want to change anything about this routine which seems to be working for me.

Further, I do believe nutrition from real food is better than any supplement, so I am careful about what I eat daily. I’ve eliminated meat from my diet, and I have minimized dairy, sugar, processed food, and gluten, though I have not entirely eliminated them.

Also, I believe exercise has a significant impact on the way I feel day-by-day, and so I am committed to daily cardio and weight-bearing exercises.

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These are the supplements I currently take in the morning:

1. B Complex Plus with Choline from Seeking Health

2. Vitamin A 7,5000 mcg from Klaire Labs

3. Vitamin D 1,000IU from Thorne

4. Vitamin C Version 3.3 from Vibrant Health

5. Multi Collagen Plus from Dr. Emil Nutrition

6. Turmeric Curcumin 1500 mg from Bio Schwartz

These are the supplements I currently take in the evening, along with my medication:

1. Melatonin-SR from Pure Encapsulations

2. Magnesium (glycinate) from Pure Encapsulations

3. Letrozole 2.5 mg

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Above and beyond all this, I truly believe Proverbs 17:22:

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

And ultimately, that’s the game plan - to keep trusting the Lord and finding joy on this journey day-by-day.

My heart is filled with thankfulness…

… and my legs were ready to run.

I haven’t registered for a 5K in forever. I’m not sure how long it’s been. 5 years? 7 years? More than that? Back in the day when I was running anywhere, everywhere, as often as I could, I stopped running 5Ks. Instead, I spent my race fees on longer distances.

But today it seemed appropriate to get back to the basics and cherish the fact that on this Thanksgiving, I am able to run. Despite all of the bad possibilities I was confronted with earlier this year, very few of them have come to pass. And more importantly, the things that have come to pass have not been more than I could deal with on any individual day.

So today, as so many are sharing, “I am grateful for __________________”, I would like to add:

I am thankful for my health which includes the ability to run a 5K on this Thanksgiving morning.

And, if I’m being honest, I’m thankful that I still have my hair. There. I said it. Yes, that feels so vain, but it’s true.

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Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!

How are you feeling, and what’s next?

These are the two questions I am asked on a regular basis recently. And here’s how I respond.

First, I’m feeling so much better than could have been anticipated given all that transpired this summer. I don’t feel great, but I don’t feel terrible, either. I’ve told several people most days feel like the day after running a marathon. If you’ve done distance running, you know what I mean.

The morning after a long run, you don’t feel great, but you also don’t lie in bed all day and complain. You just get up and do what you need to do, albeit a little more slowly and with some pain and stiffness (especially if you sit down for too long).

Second, unless something new comes up, I can breathe and relax until January. On January 8, I am scheduled for a CT scan (my first since February 2023) and blood work.

So, between now and then, my plan is to not borrow trouble from tomorrow and live each day as it comes, by God’s grace.

Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement!

Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

Luke 12:25-26

The Lord has dealt graciously with me

To say that I am happy and relieved to finally have this result on the thyroid biopsy is an understatement.

We’re still waiting

Many of you have been kind to check in over the last few days to see if I have heard back from my thyroid biopsy. I have not.

Even though the biopsy was over three weeks ago, due to the initial inconclusive results, we’re now waiting on Thyroseq molecular testing results, and according to my provider in endocrinology, “The typical turnaround for the molecular testing is 2-3 weeks, so we hope to hear something this week or next.”

Thanks for caring, and thanks for praying. I appreciate your kindness. I’m becoming as anxious to hear as some of you are. Meanwhile, I’m here enjoying walks on these crisp fall mornings, balancing activity with the fatigue that comes when I overdo it, and listening to this song on repeat.

Happy Tuesday!

September 25 at Duke

As many of you are aware, I went to Duke September 25 for three appointments.

I’m going to start out by reiterating what I’ve said before. The standard of care at Duke is phenomenal. If I have to be a patient, I am thankful to be a patient at Duke.

8 a.m. Labs

• Inhibin A

• Inhibin B

• AMH

I was seen on time, had a pleasant conversation with the woman drawing my blood, and was out the door in less than 10 minutes.

9 a.m. Dr. Rossi and Dr. Patel

This was a routine appointment since I don’t have any major complaints and labs were done for the first time post-op just an hour before.

We talked about the need for routine monitoring, and we agreed on doing a CT scan for January. It’s likely I’ll have CT scans every 3-6 months and blood work every 3 months for the foreseeable future.

On my way to Duke for the first time back in April, I had my first Detox Island Green smoothie from Tropical Smoothie. I drank quite a few of those same smoothies while in the hospital after surgery, and because there’s a Tropical Smoothie in the Duke Cancer Center, I now feel like this smoothie is just a needful part of the whole routine.

1 p.m. - Thyroid Biopsy

So, no one warned me. A thyroid biopsy is no joke.

I’m not kidding. The biopsy was more painful than anticipated, though in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t even compare with some of the things I’ve already done. Part of the issue was the Lidocaine did not work the way it was supposed to, plus they needed to go in three times - the 3rd time with larger needle. And I felt pain every single time they punctured the thyroid.

After they’d gone in the 2nd time and decided they need to go in a 3rd time, I had to ask for a short break to gather myself because I really thought I might pass out. Thankfully, I did not, and on the 3rd attempt they got an adequate sample.

Results

I waited to share this post until I had all results back.

• Inhibin A - lowest number we’ve seen since I was first tested in 2019

• Inhibin B - lowest number we've seen since I was first tested in 2019

• AMH - - lowest number we've seen since I was first tested

• Thyroid Biopsy - indeterminate. Being sent for further testing.

90 days with Letrozole

When I made the decision to begin taking Letrozole, both my physician and a number of women who are on the medication told me to expect:

• Neuropathy in my hands and feet

• Muscle or joint pain

• Hot flashes

• Night sweats

• Edema

• Dizziness

• Weight gain

• Loss of appetite

• Digestive issues

• Hair loss

• Insomnia

• Fatigue

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Thus far, my experience with Letrozole, however, has been fairly easy, and given the potential for positive results, I am thankful that this is the treatment option Dr. Rossi and I agreed upon together. Of course, we won’t know about bone density loss for some time, but I am under the care of an endocrinologist who plans to monitor my bone density yearly, and for that I am thankful.

If I had to rank these side effects in order of how they have affected me, it would look like this:

1. Fatigue and insomnia. I have learned to take my medication no more than 30 minutes before I want to go to sleep because it definitely puts me to sleep. However, I often find myself waking up between 1 and 2 a.m., and it’s generally difficult to get back to sleep. This is probably why I often feel tired during the day, and I frequently take an early afternoon nap.

2. Neuropathy in my hands, feet and legs. I have experienced muscle and joint pain, as well, though not so much as to keep me from exercising. In fact, exercising has been my coping mechanism when it has been bad. Some days are worse than others, and mornings are generally worse than other times of the day. But it’s all bearable.

3. I’ve had my fair share of hot flashes and night sweats, but they’re more annoying than anything else. And, of course, I’d be having those anyway, even if I weren’t taking Letrozole.

4. Edema has been the latest annoying side effect. It’s becoming uncomfortable to wear my wedding band some days. But on other days, I don’t feel like I am swelling at all. I can not identify a pattern or causation. The edema I have experienced seems to be random.

5. I have not gained weight. In fact, I’ve been steadily losing weight. I think this is because of the diet I am choosing to eat (think rabbit food) and the fact that many days my appetite is less than it used to be.

6. Dizziness. I have low blood pressure, so I can’t say if this is any worse than it’s been before.

7. Digestive issues. I have not had many digestive issues, but I attribute that to my diet more than anything else. I have become a big fan of a cold pressed ginger juice with cayenne pepper, and exercise surely helps, as well.

8. Hair loss. I’m definitely experiencing this, though so far I think I am the only one who has noticed it. Again, this was to be expected after surgery, so I can not attribute it directly to Letrozole.

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I share this information in hopes of helping someone else who is debating whether or not to go on Letrozole. As I have said before, each woman’s experience with GCT is different. This might not be the right option for someone else, but, for now, I believe Letrozole is the right option for me.