My experience with thyroid cancer

[ooshkey]

Sorry for such a lengthy post but I just wanted to put it out there in hopes of helping others.

I never thought that by the age of 26 that I would have gone through a cancer battle. In 2004, doctors found a nodule on the left side of my thyroid. I had a biopsy done and it was benign. Fast forward to 2008, I had my yearly checkup on my thyroid. My doctor found that the nodule grew and I had another biopsy done. This time, they found abnormal cells in the nodule. So, my doctor felt it was best to remove the left part of my thyroid.

In April 2008, I had my surgery and things went well. 3 weeks later, I got my results back...I had thyroid cancer. So, I set up another appointment to have the rest of my thryoid removed. I had that surgery in July.

Now, I'm prepping for my radioactive iodine treatment, which will kill any remaining thyroid cells in my body.

I only share my story because I want people to be aware of the thyroid. The only reason that my doctor found the nodule was because I had insomnia from an allergy medication. She gave me a full checkup and thus, felt the lump on my neck. I just want everyone to know that it can happen to anyone, at any age. There's no history of thyroid cancer in my family.

I look back at it all and I'm so happy to be alive. I'm grateful for the doctors that helped me. I am also grateful of the love and support I've received from my family and friends. I just hope my story can help someone, anyone, that is battling with cancer. I thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope all of you have a pleasant day.

Cendy

 

[mizuki~]

Aww must've been really scary..I'm glad you got it removed though.
Hmm..I should try and get a full check-up too..thanks for sharing with us!

 

[Winthrop44]

Thank you for taking the time to share your story with the thought of helping others. Good luck with the rest of your treatment!

 

[Ms. Z]

I am so happy to hear that you are doing well, its unfortunate that at your age you’ve had to go through such an experience. You have such a positive attitude......so refreshing.

I had thyroid surgery 2 years ago, they removed about 7 nodules, lucky for me they were all benign.

Best wishes for a full & speedy recovery.

 

[Mac Slut]

Cendy,

You are in my prayers!! It's been two years since my dad was diagnosed with Merckel Cell Carcinoma. This type of cancer is skin cancer, very rare and their have only been about 1000 cases throughout the whole US. My dad is hardly in the sun and if he is he would always put sunscreen on. Well, weird because the lump he discovered started on his butt, yeah his butt where the sun doesn't hit it, it grew and actually spread to his inguinal area. He noticed that lump and went to the dr, dr said don't worry about it, HA!! My dad went home. a few months later he noticed it was growing, he went back to the dr and they performed a biopsy.

Biopsy came back as metastatic, meaning it has spread already. It spread to the lymph nodes which is our filtration system. They ended up performing a lymph node dissection. He then went through radiation and chemo. I am so happy to say that he hardly had any side affects. He lost some hair but not completely other than that he was completely NORMAL. The doctor warned him that this was a very aggressive cancer and that he would be giving him high doses but even with the high doses it didn't affect him drastically. He's been in remission for about a year now but dr's have still warned that this type of cancer is aggressive and likely to come back. He just had a scan and results came back with no signs of any cancer.

If you need any type of support, I will support you in anyway that I can. I can't say I know exactly how you feel but I can just imagine. Keep your head up!

 

[MACATTAK]

Thank you for sharing this with us.

 

[TUPRNUT]

Thanks for sharing your story! I'm pulling for you!!!

A doctor found a growth on my thyroid when I was 21... I went in with with allergy problems, and she did a full check and found an "odd lump". By the time they found it, it was already the size of a golf ball, and noticeable to the eye. Because it was so large, the doctors decided to remove it, and in turn, removed the left side of my thyroid. They tested the growth during surgery and it came back from the lab as cancerous. They retested it afterward, and it then came back benign!

I've been living with half my thyroid now for about 6 years, with completely normal thyroid function, even though one pregnancy. Thank God! But you are so right, this is something that everyone should pay attention to!

I have several very small nodules on my other side, that I'm constantly worried about.

 

[rbella]

Wow. I'm so sorry this is happening to you. Thank you for taking the time to make us aware. Good luck to you.

 

[NicksWifey]

I really appreciate you posting this. I'm so glad they were able to find the nodule and keep an eye on it. Luckily, when a thyroid is monitored, it's easy to see when things aren't right. My aunt had her thyroid removed because of cancer but she caught it early.
I have a nodule on my thyroid that I discovered last year. I go every six months to an endocrinologist to get checkups. I'm going in two weeks to get an ultrasound and then to my endo DR to see the results of the U/S and if the nodule has grown.

I'm surprised how many people there are in this world that have thyroid issues. Luckily, there are a lot of good DRs out there that can help us. Know that you are in my prayers

 

[CantAffordMAC]

 

[ooshkey]

I just want to thank everyone for taking the time to read the post. In addition, I would also like to thank the individuals who shared their stories as well. It's all about awareness and coming together.

Thanks again.

Cendy

 

[shell12367]

great post, my sister went through thyroid cancer as well when she was 25. they found a nodule in her neck, she had surgery and less than a year later they scanned her and sure enough they didn't get it all. She had to go through a second surgery and then do radiation.

My heart goes out to you, I know the things she went through!

 

[lafemmenoir]

Thank you for your story. I remember when I thought cancer happened to women in their forties (breast) and beyond. It forces me to think "Is this environment or hereditary?" It seems like "call me thick" cancer is an epidemic that goes beyond age. As a youth I worried about such issues for when I was a "grown up" but even with kids and the HPV vaccine it seems cancer has no age of onset regardless of the type. Thanks for the reminder to follow up on the "slight" things we reckon will pass. Keep your attitude up, it will be a driving force