| Thyroid Success Stories |
When I was 24 years old, I was a single parent of a very active 3 year old
boy. Things were tough, but we were scraping by. We were on ADC, and I
was trying to figure out what to do with my life. One day I woke up with
a sinus infection, all of my lymph nodes were swollen and I just didn't
feel well. I went to my doctor and she gave me a prescription for some
antibiotics. Well, I took them and after about a week all of my lymph
nodes were back to normal except one. I went back to my doctor several
times and she kept giving me more antibiotics. After about a month of
this, she finally sent me to see an ENT.
Monthly In-Depth Thyroid News Report
The first ENT I went to told me that I had a Brachial Cleft Cyst. That
this is a cyst that is always there and for some reason it pops out and
stays out. No big deal. He wanted to do a needle biopsy, but as I looked
around at my surroundings, I wasn't comfortable with that thought. The
place was run down and dirty, and I don't like needles. So, I went for a
second opinion.
The next ENT I went to said basically the same thing, only no biopsy. He
would just do surgery and remove the cyst. By this time, I was starting
to have episodes of dizziness. He told me that it wasn't related to this
cyst. He sent me for a Cat scan and we scheduled the surgery.
In December, 1988, I had my first surgery. Everything went well, and I
followed up with my ENT to have the sutures removed. He told me
everything was fine. Until a month later.
The doctor called me in to his office. I thought it was strange, since I
still had several weeks before my scheduled follow-up. So I went. And
what he told me changed my life forever.
I had thyroid cancer. What he had removed was a lymph node, attached to
my carotid artery (accounts for the dizziness), that had thyroid tissue in
it.
I needed to see a surgeon for a thyroidectomy. He wanted to send me to a
general surgeon, but my sister stepped in and made arrangements for me to
see the Chief of Endocrine surgery at University of Michigan Hospital.
In February, 1989, I had a total thyroidectomy. In April it was followed
with RAI. I couldn't see my son for 2 weeks. In June, he removed another
node near my collar bone with just a local anesthetic. The following
February, I had more lymph nodes removed. And again the following
February. I've had a total of 5 surgeries, and I have 3 scars on my
throat, but I have been cancer-free since 1991.
At the time of my last surgery, I was in college. I am now a Registered
Nurse doing a job that I love. My son is 14 and a typical teenager. And
just over 2 years ago, I married a wonderful man. Both my son and my
husband give me all the support I need to live a healthy life. They put
up with me when I have to go hypo for my scans, which can be a hard thing
to do!
I thought that I knew alot of things about thyroid cancer, but over the
past few months I have learned so much more, thanks to websites like
yours.
I encourage anyone who has questions, don't be afraid to ask them. And
if
you're told you have thyroid cancer, it's not the end of the world. Cry
if you need to, but keep going. I take my synthroid every day. I have my
total body scans when I'm told I need to. I see my endocrinologist every
year. And I live a fulfilled life.
Donna
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New Thyroid Book
Finally, I also have a new book coming out in March of 2000, Living Well With
Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctors Don't Tell You...That You Need to Know, from
HarperCollins/Avon's WholeCare Line. The book provides in-the-trenches, practical
patient-oriented advice on how to find the right doctor to diagnose and treat various forms of
hypothyroidism, the drugs for hypothyroidism you and your doctor may not know about, fertility
and successful pregnancy with hypothyroidism, alternative therapies for hypothyroidism and its
symptoms and side effects, combatting weight gain and successful weight loss, depression, and
much more. It's a complete manual of living well for anyone with hypothyroidism, whether due
to congenital hypothyroidism, thyroid surgery, radiation, or autoimmune disease.
If you'd like advance notification of the book, send me an email and I'll be sure you receive personal notification from me when the
book is coming out. You can also find out more information, read the book's table of contents, and get information on how to order in advance
