Code Red

This afternoon I was working away on the computer when I heard the overhead speaker call a Code Red on the building adjacent to where I work. I jumped up, grabbed our fire extinguisher, and ran over there. Got around the corner to see the rent-a-cop sitting at a table doing paperwork.

Me: This was a drill?!

Him: Yeah. (glad I came so they could fill a blank that someone showed up)

Me: Then why didn’t you say DRILL? I wouldn’t have lugged the extinguisher over here if I knew it was a drill.

Him: (old guy – not paying attention) (has me sign the form that I showed up)

Me: Do I at least get a sticker for it?

Him: Honey, you know I don’t have any money to give you.

About this time there are people carrying their purses coming out from the stairwell. They stop and look at me and say, “It’s just a drill? You should have said that.” (as if I had something to do with any of this) I told them I didn’t know anything about it and pointed to the extinguisher that I brought with me.

That’s when the rent-a-cop looked up and said, “She didn’t say DRILL?”

The valet guys laughed at me when I walked back by them. They asked me what I thought I was going to do. I told them I was going to put out the fire. I think they would've laughed if I wasn't so serious when I told them what I was going to do. Then I asked if they'd used one before, raising the extinguisher. They hadn't.

I was shocked. I thought everybody has used an extinguisher before. We had to do it in high school Chemistry; it was a requirement. The local fire station built a 4x4 fire pit in the front yard of the school, lit fires, and we took turns with an extinguisher putting it out. It took the scary out of what really isn't a big deal.

I don't usually go to the drills. When I was a CNA I went to all of the Code Red calls because I was the only one who could run with the extinguisher. But I've not even thought about grabbing the extinguisher since then - but, then again, I've not been around anywhere they've called a Code Red either.

Is this just me? Have any of you pulled the pin and aimed for the base of the fire? Was it not a requirement for anybody else?

I went back to work, but wasn't nearly as productive as I was before I was interrupted.I was going to save the world, but I didn’t even get to pull the pin out of the extinguisher. My superhero skills will have to be used another day.

And now I'm worried that I'm going to have to build my own fire for Baby when she's in high school so she can learn the PASS acronym and grow up to save the world from fire drills, too.

0.11 mR/hr

This is a Geiger counter. It has a little wand attachment that you can use to wave against things that are radioactive to measure the activity. This isn't exactly the picture I wanted to get, but when I picked it up and it started beeping I wish I'd gotten a picture of the physicist's face who was sitting next to me. He about came unglued, "That's not supposed to beep!"

I explained that I'd intentionally been exposed to I-123 the day before for a scan. Then he got super excited and wanted to help me calculate exactly how radioactive I was. I just wanted a picture of the screen with the needle, but he was insistent that we also show the knob because that's the number you need to do the math. So here you go... and the answer is the title of this post.

Then I asked how much radiation a person would have to be exposed to in order for them to glean superpowers. I love this physicist. He's a nice guy and can explain things to me in a way that I understand them... but he's not from this country. He looked at me, "Super? Powers?"

me: Yeah, you know, like Spiderman got his powers from being bitten by a spider. The Hulk got his powers from radiation exposure. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles got their powers from walking through radioactive waste. How much exposure do I need to get some super powers? Is it cumulative?

him: Oh, no. It's not cumulative.

me: So you're saying that super powers are based on a one-time exposure and not lifetime cumulation?

him: It's not cumulative.

me: So you're saying that my chances of getting super powers out of all of this is not likely at all.

him: No. Not likely.

I told him he broke my heart, that I was counting on telekinesis.

I think he had no idea what I was talking about.

And then about three hours later I received fantastic news... my Tg is down from last year and my scan only showed normal uptake. No 2nd opinions or surgeries are needed at this time. I'll continue my 3 month follow-ups and we'll do our yearly rigamaroll of labs and scans again next fall.

Thanks to everybody for their well wishes, prayers and good vibrations. It all helps.

The Hater and I are doing the happy dance. We're going to have ice cream later to celebrate.

After we came home I told Baby the good news. She was so excited that she pooped all over herself. Two blowouts in less than twenty minutes.

We live a most blessed life indeed.

check your neck

This morning I dropped my drawers for shot #2 of Thyrogen. (Shot #1 was yesterday.) I always tell the guy that I wore my sexy panties for him, although there's nothing especially sexy about them. We always laugh, and he always tells me that if I were anybody else he'd get one of the women in the department to give it to me. We don't actually say the c-word, but we both know why I'm there.

This afternoon I swallowed 5 pills with about three sips of water. The pills were 1.5 mci of a radioactive isotope that goes by the name of I-123. The purpose of these pills are to get sucked into any remaining cancer tissue, so that when we do the scan tomorrow those cells will glow.

Before I took these pills I had my blood drawn, one tube looking for my Thyroglobulin level, which is basically my tumor marker. It was an exceptionally good stick today.

The best case scenario is the Thyroglobulin level being under zero and nothing on the scan. The next best scenario is at least the same level as last year and no new places of uptake on the scan.

The scan is tomorrow morning. Not sure when I'll know any results - either of that or of the tumor marker.

Last week was my panic. Over the weekend I actually forgot about it. This week I'm just going through the motions, but I'm not anxious. Acutally, the shots have made me tired. Too tired to even play Halo: Reach and get aliens.

So before I konk out and dream of nil Thyroglobulin levels let me take this time to remind you what I remind you of every September: this is thyroid cancer awareness month. Do yourself a favor - the next time you're at your doctor's office ask them to "check your neck". It's really as easy as them touching your neck while you swallow.

It can save your life.

And while you're at it, try really hart not to get cancer because (in the words of my esteemed college roommate) it sucks donkey balls.

weeds

Here it is officially fall and our yard is finally greening up. With the grass has come dandelions and other such exciting weeds. Baby had a total blast running around and pointing at all of them, followed by picking one, shoving it up her nose and saying "Mell Good!". I know where she learned to pick flowers, but I'm not sure where she learned to smell them.

It was about 90 degrees outside, windy and overcast - about the prettiest it's been in a really long time. The Hater is home this weekend and we just can't decide where we want to go this weekend between the storms. Hopefully it'll be nice enough for us to get all kinds of fun exciting things done.

Baby gets so upset when it's time to come inside. To hear her you'd think she was being beaten.

Tomorrow she'll be 18 months old. How times flies when you're having fun.

tomorrow's dessert

Found some pretty strawberries at the grocery today. Got them sliced and oozing with splenda in the fridge. We'll have that over some vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert tomorrow night. Yummy.

Now that's done I'm working on catching up with my blogging AND watching Project Runway. It's one of my guilty pleasures. (The best line from this week: "Jackie Kennedy would not have camel-toe." No, she wouldn't. I doubt that John would've been into that.) Top Chef is my most favorite all-time tv show. My Sister got me watching PR, and we email each other every week to critique and share opinions about it. ... And I like Vampire Diaries. It's totally fun - I've always liked the bad brother better than the safe brother. I'm going to try to get The Hater to watch it with me this fall when it starts back (but he'll never admit it if he watches it with me).

Question number two - because this is my random post where I'm answering questions that other people have asked me... If I could go to any celebrity's wedding I have no idea whose I'd want to see. I'm not good at movie star's real names or social lives. I'd want to go to one of those weddings that are at a beautiful destination where they fly their guests there to stay with them for a week before the ceremony, then wine and dine and entertain them that whole week. Maybe somewhere on a beautiful beach or a snow-capped mountain. And I want them to invite stars that I know so we can hang out on the beach or on the thing you ride up the mountain when you ski back down (the lift?). I want it to be a beautiful storybook ceremony (with childcare provided), and a crazy awesome reception.

Question three... So far in my life, what have I done that I'm most proud of... This is tough... The other day when I wrote about musicals I was reminded of the semester that I did Godspell -- because I also took 22 hours and made the Dean's List. That was hard core. I'm also proud of my first semester after I finished my ed degree where I took 21 hours of all sciences. Holy Catfish that was hard. Those were my two single hardest semesters... But even considering that, so far as schoolin' goes I'm most proud that I made it through nursing school, passed my NCLEX on the first try, and am now a RN. (I spent many tearful nights over hot mugs of chamomile and st. john's wort teas, doubly brewed, wondering if I could do that). I'm also proud of all the volunteer work I've done and look forward to Baby being big enough to go to projects with me.

Question four... I think the greatest invention that's come about in my lifetime has to be the internet. Nannotechnology is super cool, too. And cell phones. (Prozac, invitro fertilization, heart stents, robotic heart surgeries, pathology stains, IMRT, CT scans, and all the new chemotherapy regimes they've come up with.). But probably the greatest invention is the WNBA... just kidding. :)

Question cinq... At this point in my life if I could speak any language fluently I'd want to speak Spanish because it would be really helpful for my job. An unpractical language choice would probably be Japanese so I could watch those scary movies without the subtitles.

Question six... Is it better to be smart or satisfied? That's a trick question. If you're smart, you know that there's more to life than to be satisfied. If you're satisfied, who cares if you're smart. I think I'd rather be smart because if I were satisfied there'd be no reason to keep learning, to try to do or be better, no challenge.

Question sept... How far would I travel for a really good meal, one I couldn't get easily... On really hard days when The Hater tells me he'll go get me supper from anywhere I want I always ask him to get me Rick's BBQ in LBG. But 12 hours really is too far to go for the best pulled pork sandwich on earth. The problem with being in the city is really you don't have to go that far to get anything. Before Baby came we made a few day trips for certain meals, but our anti-traveller has kept us questioning even a 20 minute drive from home. So I'll have to say the most we've done is 2 hours, but you really have to KNOW that it's worth it or you spend the 2h drive back just being flat disappointed.

Question huit... Should Han Solo have shot first? Absolutely. It was the original - Lucas should've known better to change that part. Give me a break.

Tomorrow's plan includes a trip to the zoo and TN football. Life is good.

walking with Mommy