By The Numbers

Henry's RAI treatment went really well. Here are some facts about it:

3 - The number of times the Nuclear Medicine doctor had to try before finding a vein for his IV.

1000 - The number of times Henry cried out, "I'm not getting an IV" during the procedure.

1001 - The number of time Jay and I looked at each other and silently counted to 10 during this ordeal.

12 - The number of people who came to meet Henry in his lead-lined, shrink-wrapped, "Caution - Radiation Within"-signed room.

50 - The approximate number of people who passed by his room and looked inside curiously, wondering what in the world was going on in there.

172 - Henry's TSH level the day before his treatment. We were thrilled that it was so high - the higher, the better for this treatment. Normal is .5 - 4.0. The doctor said the most adults with a TSH of 172 would be lying around whining about how tired they were.

100 - Henry's dose of radioactive iodine. The dosage is measured in millicuries so he received 100 millicuries, just about the maximum dose he could receive for his weight.

19.5 - His radiation output one hour after his dose. This was measured with a geiger counter by our friend John of Radiation Services at Huntsman Cancer Hospital.

6 to 8 - The number of feet away Jay and I had to stay from Henry during the first 24 hours after his treatment.

2 - The maximum number of hours Henry was allowed to sleep at one time that night, as they had to wake him up every two hours to go to the bathroom and drink water.

6.2 - His radiation output 18 hours after his dose.

1 - The number of times Henry threw up.

20 - The number of times he insisted he didn't need or want any anti-nausea medication given to him through his IV, even though he had just thrown up radioactive material.

2.5 - The pieces of French toast he ate after receiving his anti-nausea medication. Apparently he was really hungry after all.

3.7 - His radiation output 22 hours after his dose.

100 - The number of dollars spent getting the right passenger window of the van replaced after it exploded while we were travelling on I-15 after our release from the hospital. Not sure if a rock hit it (probably) or Henry's lingering radioactivity caused it to shatter (kidding!). But, really? Not what we needed after our 24 hours in the hospital. Thank goodness Henry, who was sitting by the aforementioned window, was OK.

There you have it. Our week by the numbers. Thank you so much for your prayers on Henry's behalf. We have felt them and appreciate them more than you know.