Surgery Trip Report (Part I): Diagnosis -- Thyroid Cancer (Long)

[Miamipuck]

One of the most important apsects to fight cancer is having a positive mental approach. So what ever you do keep fighting!

OP- I hope the surgery goes well and wish you a speedy recovery.

[esad]

I just recently went through many tests like this because my doctor thought I had thyroid cancer. Nothing like going in for a biopsy and having your docotor pretty much tell you "when" we find cancer we'll have to do this and this.... Turned out to be an uncommon infection of the thyroid, so I kinda feel like I dodged a bullet.

There does seem to be some misinformation here though.

Surival rate is 80-90% with papillary cancer although it is the most common and most easily cured. Of all the cancers you can get it is one of the most easily cured. Hopefully it only spread to a few lymph nodes which they will remove.

4 centimeters is not a small nodule. That's fairly significant according to the doctors I talked to. Getting it checked out earlier wouldn't have probably made much of a difference, but could thing they eventually found it.

[colgin]

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c,

"100% curable"

Cool.

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Those were the pathologist's first words and he was undoubtedly trying to be encpuraging and optimistic. It should not be a surprise that this disease is not 100% curable. However, if treated early and properly it is supposedly liek 97-98% curable and my risk factors profile in terms of my age, size of primary tumor and some other factors line up very well.

[colgin]

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She never got sick a day from any of the treatments and is five years cancer free.


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That is awesome and great to hear.

Joe, thanks for your well wishes as well as those from all my other friends here at 2+2.

[colgin]

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I hope the surgery goes well and wish you a speedy recovery.

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I have had the surgery and recovery is going well. I will post the details about the surgery itself in another thread.

[colgin]

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4 centimeters is not a small nodule. That's fairly significant according to the doctors I talked to.

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You and Fast Food Knight are correct.

My bad. I had a typo in my initial post. At the time of diagnosis the primary tumor was 0.4 cm -- big difference. When they removed it, it measured 0.5 cm. If it had been 4 cm I am sure I or someone else would have noticed a lump in my throat and/or I would have had some issues with my vocal cords.

[Peter Harris]

good luck, the big C sucks hard. I'm pulling for you.

Incidentally, with the thyroid gland removed, what will your body be unable to produce? Will you need medical supplements?

[colgin]

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good luck, the big C sucks hard. I'm pulling for you.

Incidentally, with the thyroid gland removed, what will your body be unable to produce? Will you need medical supplements?

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Yes, I will need to take synthroid the rest of my life. It is a prety tiny pill that I take with breakfast in the morning.

[renodoc]

thanks for posting and good luck to you. Its a crappy card but a very playable hand.

you really had a pathologist going for his own biopsy? that makes sense, but everywhere I've worked the pathologists were pussies who would call a surgeon to get the tissue. the path guys just rode the microscopes...

[Borodog]

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4 centimeters is not a small nodule. That's fairly significant according to the doctors I talked to.

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You and Fast Food Knight are correct.

My bad. I had a typo in my initial post. At the time of diagnosis the primary tumor was 0.4 cm -- big difference. When they removed it, it measured 0.5 cm. If it had been 4 cm I am sure I or someone else would have noticed a lump in my throat and/or I would have had some issues with my vocal cords.

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I figured you meant 4mm from the context.

Good luck.