I Am Grateful
The following is my personal experience of Thyroid Cancer.
I did not have a family history of thyroid cancer nor did I give such a disease any thought. My reason for going to the doctor in the first place was a persistent cough and a feeling of pressure in the throat. I had numerous tests, including a nuclear x-ray and a biopsy, that all proved negative but it was decided to operate to remove some nodules from my throat.
Whilst removing the nodules the surgeon believed that the sight was malignant and a biopsy was done after the operation which initially returned a negative result however the surgeon insisted on another test and this time it was found to be positive.
So, one week after having part of my thyroid and some nodules removed, I again went into the operating theatre to have the remainder of the thyroid and some surrounding tissue removed. Following the operation, I had a dose of nuclear medicine to eradicate any remaining cancer cells. This consisted of swallowing a tablet and sitting in complete isolation for four days. There were no adverse side effects of this treatment apart from being isolated.
The specialist involved with me was very good in explaining the operations, the treatment and the follow-up procedures and was very helpful. Although my recovery was very slow things progressed quite well. The difficult part was getting the required levels of calcium and thyroid hormone correct and balanced and this took many months and even now, 8 years later, needs monitoring.
Today my main problems include tired and aching bones, and the fact that I feel the cold terribly and have difficulty getting warm even when others around me are comfortably warm, during the operation part of my vocal cords were damaged and consequently my voice is not as strong as it used to be which is a minor problem.
I had follow up scans every three months for the first 3 years and now have a yearly scan and a bone density scan every 2 years, my dose of Oroxine (thyroxine) is 200mcg one day and 175mcg the next.
At the time of the operations, I was really too sick to think much about the future but am grateful now for the work and dedication of all the staff involved then and since."
- Beth
