Thyroid Cancer

A record total of 56,460 people will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer in the US in 2012.
It’s the fastest increasing cancer in both men and women, reports the American Cancer Society.

This is a cancer that is very near and dear to me. I’m a thyroid cancer survivor.  When I was diagnosed I was told that if you have to get cancer, this is the best type to get. I was told that it was a walk in the park.  These people have obviously have  not had thyroid cancer.  
It’s been a little over 2yrs since I was diagnosed and I’m still not on the right dosage of meds. The surgery to remove my thyroid was brutal and the pictures of my neck after the surgery are to graphic to post on here.  I looked like someone had tried to kill me, I was bruised from my neck down to my chest because the tumor was so large.

After surgery I began the long journey of “prepping” for radiation.  You can’t live without a thyroid and  I wasn’t  on any replacement hormones so that when I had the radiation I would have a better chance of responding.

My body was slowly dying. By the time I went for radiation my hair was falling out in handfuls. I couldn’t keep warm.  I couldn't stay awake and I slept probably 22hrs a day. I was always tired and if I thought my Fibromyalgia and back pain were bad before it was nothing compared to how I felt while under treatment.  I could actually feel myself dying. It’s something I pray to never have to go through again.

You will hear that people don’t have reoccurrences of thyroid cancer or that it can’t hurt you. All are untrue. I joined a online support group shortly after my diagnosis,  run by a doctor from a leading hospital. There is a wealth of information not getting to the public.

There are of course the few cases were the person has an easy surgery, where they handled going “hypo” well and it was a walk in the park for them. Those cases are few and far between. 
I had talked to a few thyroid cancer survivors after my diagnosis and they told me it would be ok and it wasn’t that bad. I see now they said that so I wouldn't be scared because after talking to them again after I went through treatment some did admit that it was hell for them as well.

We have to be monitored for the rest of our lives most getting some sort of test to check for a reoccurrence at least once a year.  Our thyroid levels are being monitored. for me it’s been on average every 6 weeks. My body rejects the replacement hormones. There are no other options.

There is a person in my support group who was given 5yrs to live because it had spread. He’s on his second year and the cancer keeps spreading. It’s in his bones, in his lungs, it’s taking over.
Common misconception is that you take out your thyroid and then there is no more to worry about. No thyroid, so of course no more thyroid cancer.  Untrue. There are stray cells going through your body and if you can’t keep your body repressed they can become cancerous again.

Be vigilant with your own health. My tumor was found purely by accident.

Know the signs to discuss with your physician:

• You feel a lump in your neck, or your doctor may notice a nodule in your neck during a routine checkup. Most of these thyroid nodules are benign (noncancerous).
• Some people first notice lymph node swellings, fullness in the neck, voice changes, or difficulty breathing or swallowing.
  For a free self help guide on doing your own thyroid exam please click “here”
• If we don’t look out for ourselves then who will?