Living with Thyroid Cancer

Hi. I am 51 years old and last november 2006 I had a total thyroidectomy. I had been going to doctor’s off an on since 2001 for nodules in the lungs . They continued to stay stable from previous ct scan. I was under the impression everything was all right. They said just scar tissue after a couple of years.
I still had sore throats alot and just did not feel right for the longest time. Doctors continued to tell me I was all right they could not find anything wrong with me. My blood pressure was not normal and I would black out a lot. Also I was tired often. I just seemed to lose my energy.

I was hurt at work so ended up with cervical and spinal surgery in 2004. I asked my disability insurance for copies of my records because the hospital charges so much a page. It would of ended up costing at least 500.00 dollars for my reports. So disability insurance sent me all my records. Thank GOD for that. I was going through my records for something else I needed and came across my ct scans I continued to see the nodules getting bigger even though they said they were scar tissue then the one in the upper lobe of the thyroid went from like 2 mm 4 mm 6mm 8mm then up to 1 cm. I informed my G.P. she panicked and sent me for another ct it showed up stable from last never refering tp the 1 cm nodule.

so then she sent me for a sonogram I ended up with 3 nodules on the left side stacked on top of one another they biopsied them . The 1 cm not cancer the small ones on top of it 6mm 4mm both papillary cancer stage 1. On the left of the thyroid during surgery they came across medullary cancer. So now I end up with a total throidectomy and 1 lypm removed. If it wasn’t for me finding this on my own what may have happened to me?

They say they usually do not biopsy untill a nodule is at least 1 cm. Well they’re wrong. the medullary was 8mm. Now I have to be checked the rest of my life, also my kids and grandchildren because of the medullary cancer. So always get copies of your reports. Size of the nodule does not seem to matter, I hope this may help someone or more important save someone’s life.

Beware of the radiologist reports they get so busy I do not think they take the time to review previous reports and so they leave it up to the Drs. but Drs. are not radiologist Good luck to one and all that are going through cancer God Bless.