My Journey With Thyroid Cancer

[luvmycutebaby]

It has been three and a half years since my cancer was removed. Earlier this year I received another “clear” status!

Thyroid cancer is quickly becoming one of the most common types of cancer, with an alarmingly high rate of new diagnoses each year. It also has the highest rate of survival when caught early.

Yet most people are unaware of what their thyroid is, where it is and what it does. Much less how to find out the signs of thyroid cancer.

I was included in those numbers, I had heard of the thyroid but that was about it. Now I can tell you much more than I ever wanted to know about that very important gland.

I want to share with you a letter (e-mail) that I sent to my friends and family when I was going through the ordeal. I was on a very good support forum for thyroid cancer and writing this letter came highly recommended. The group was through ThyCa.org (thyroid cancer) a highly recommended resource on the topic.

This is my letter…

Dear Family and Friends,

My Journey With Thyroid Cancer
I am sending this e-mail out to friends and family to share my experiences (past, present and even future) with thyroid cancer. As I'm sure you know about me, I express myself with more ease in writing than speaking so this seemed to be the logical way to explain my situation to many people that care. Some of you have asked about it, and I am happy to share all I have learned and experienced. Maybe it will help you understand what I’ve been going through, or another friend or loved one someday.

For those who may be interested in skimming I have bolded the main points and you can read what interests you. If you don't want to read this, feel free to use the delete button at any point – I won’t be insulted. Don’t feel obligated to answer this, really. This may be more than you ever wanted to know about the thyroid or thyroid cancer or me.

About the Thyroid Gland
I suspect most of you are like me – knowing little of this gland called the thyroid. I knew the name, but had no clue where it was or what it did. Here’s the brief version: The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland at the base of the neck (just under the Adam’s apple), and wraps around the front of the windpipe. It utilizes iodine (usually taken in from food containing iodine), to produce hormones that regulate our metabolism and organ function – it affects about every tissue, cell, and organ of our body. If you don’t get enough of this hormone, you have hypothyroidism (hypo) – too much, you have hyperthyroidism (hyper). Both have a lot of potential symptoms. A lot of hypo symptoms are also those that happen with other conditions – like stress, aging, and menopause.

How my Cancer was Discovered
In 2005 I went to the doctor because I thought I had a sinus infection and the doctor felt my neck for swollen glands and found a lump which he said was a nodule on my thyroid. He started talking about the possibility of cancer and wanted me to get blood tests and ultrasounds right away. This was a lot more than I was expecting coming in to be seen for a sinus infection, I just wanted antibiotics! Many ultrasounds and needle biopsies later it was discovered that I had five nodules (growths, goiter) and some showed suspicious cells. I got a number of opinions from many different types of doctors (endocrinologists, an ENT, an oncologist and a general doctor). The opinion of most doctors was that my chances of having cancer was very low so watching the growth through ultrasounds and needle biopsies was my best option. (The only doctor who wanted me to have a surgery was the ENT who is a surgeon, NOT the surgeon who eventually did remove my thyroid.)

After watching the nodules (one of which disappeared) the consensus started moving toward the opinion of having my thyroid removed because more suspicious cells were being found and the nodules growing at a faster than normal rate — a very bad combination. I was then sent to a different ENT to discuss the option of surgery and he was not pushing me to get surgery at all, he said that because he is a surgeon it would not be ethical of him to try to convince me to get the surgery. Instead he took the time to explain the details of my lab results that I had not understood up to that point. Along with that and many prayers (and the continued growth of nodules and more suspicious cells being found) I scheduled the surgery date. (Unfortunately it is not possible to only remove the nodules without removing the thyroid, there are too many factors making it impossible. It is also often very difficult to get a positive diagnosis for thyroid cancer without removing it.)

Upon having my thyroid removed it was discovered that I did indeed have thyroid cancer: papillary carcinoma. It was in more than one nodule and on both sides of my thyroid. It appears to have remained within the thyroid as none of the surrounding lymph nodes which were removed had any cancer. Although the cancer did spread outside of one nodule to a blood vessel within the thyroid. That does concern me about the possibility of the cancer spreading but I have not asked my doctors about this directly. They still believe that it most likely stayed within the thyroid.

[Please click here to read the rest of my letter...]