Thyroid Cancer Support Group
Thyroid cancer is cancer of the thyroid gland. There are four forms: papillary, follicular, medullary and anaplastic. If you or anyone you know and love is affected by thyroid cancer, join this community to lean on the support and experiences of others.
Before this summer I had no symptoms. The only thing could say was that my thyroid was enlarged - it was easily seen, but not ugly. It is possible that my freaky metabolism over the decades has been from the cancer - or my crash starvation diets back when I was a teenager.
And then the doctors discovered the lumps in my thyroid. The aspiration was uncomfortable, but having the diagnosis of CANCER was a sucker punch to my gut that left me floored for two months - and caused me to have to go back on anti-d3epresants (which I had been off for almost three years). In college - which is not easy for someone in thier 40s to be doing in the first place - my grades nosed dived from an A- average to B- average that quarter.
In late June was the surgery to remove my thyroid - which was puncuated with a failure of pain management of my fractured spine, followed by aspirational pneumonia and a paralized vocal cord.
Then, about the time I almost felt human again, came stopping of hormones and the low iodine diet which left me completely ill and unable to function without one or two three hour naps a day.
The joys of RAI are still coursing through my system. I can only be active for less than half an hour at a time, am back to taking one or two three hour naps, and have the energy level of a snail. I can't even sit in the saddle anymore. To hold a horse for my daughter, I do so from a lawn chair. I can't even stand up long enough to brush out my horse - I have to do it from a chair.
Most of my voice has come back. My ability to taste is almost completely gone. I feel horrible all the time. I am going to go to the post office today and pick up a package - and that will be all I do today. I have already taken one nap and I will probably have to take another after being driven to the post office and back.
I guess my rant here comes down to the thought that I was asystematic four months ago. Since then, my life has been turned upside down. There has not been a day in the last two months that I have not cried. At the rate I am feeling better, I might be back to reasonable by spring.... I am just not sure it was worth it...
And then the doctors discovered the lumps in my thyroid. The aspiration was uncomfortable, but having the diagnosis of CANCER was a sucker punch to my gut that left me floored for two months - and caused me to have to go back on anti-d3epresants (which I had been off for almost three years). In college - which is not easy for someone in thier 40s to be doing in the first place - my grades nosed dived from an A- average to B- average that quarter.
In late June was the surgery to remove my thyroid - which was puncuated with a failure of pain management of my fractured spine, followed by aspirational pneumonia and a paralized vocal cord.
Then, about the time I almost felt human again, came stopping of hormones and the low iodine diet which left me completely ill and unable to function without one or two three hour naps a day.
The joys of RAI are still coursing through my system. I can only be active for less than half an hour at a time, am back to taking one or two three hour naps, and have the energy level of a snail. I can't even sit in the saddle anymore. To hold a horse for my daughter, I do so from a lawn chair. I can't even stand up long enough to brush out my horse - I have to do it from a chair.
Most of my voice has come back. My ability to taste is almost completely gone. I feel horrible all the time. I am going to go to the post office today and pick up a package - and that will be all I do today. I have already taken one nap and I will probably have to take another after being driven to the post office and back.
I guess my rant here comes down to the thought that I was asystematic four months ago. Since then, my life has been turned upside down. There has not been a day in the last two months that I have not cried. At the rate I am feeling better, I might be back to reasonable by spring.... I am just not sure it was worth it...
Remind yourself this is a temporary situation, you will get back to yourself. Cut yourself some slack because it ain't easy, but it is do-able. Get the rest you need, don't hammer on yourself about the naps, you probably need them for healing. When you achieve the right dosage of thyroid meds, you will feel more like yourself. Ask the doctor if you can change the antidepresants, maybe those are causing you some issues. Remember, now that you don't have a thyroid, everything will affect you differently. Everything.
Yes it is certainly worth it. It may not feel like it right now but it WILL get better. It takes time...lots of time. One day you will all of the sudden realize you can do things again. It does feel good when it happens. The docs say this isn't an big deal but they are wrong. It is a big deal so let your body have what it needs and that is time and rest. Take Care and keep us up-dated
I am on 0.2MG of Synthroid a day. I have no idea if that is a high or low dose. I don't see the endro Dr until not this Friday, but next.
I have given up on the anti-depressants, all they managed to do was make me suscidal on top of feeling like crap. I have to make an apt to see my psych dr again.
Just to make matters worse, two days ago my hubby gets a phone meeting with his boss who says that his contract has been terminated - no reason why, no subtle hints having been going on, just out of no where. He has even been working an average of 50 hours a week, on salary, so that extra 10 hours of labor was just to make sure he got what needed to be done, done. We have $10 in our checking acocunt and $1.47 in savings - and no dog food.
This afternoon I went to the food bank so we coudl eat next week. The dogs got a dinner of rice cooked with canned salmon from the foodbank. I have talked to the suscide hotline for vets twice in the last week. Something has got to get better.
My kitchen reeks. My daughter SUCKS at cleaning, and is also a full time college student so has little time. My hubby has been working 10 hour days with 3 hours a day commuting time. I can't stand long enough to get it clean enough to cook in.
I went out and hugged my horse today. I don't dare ride as I feel so dizzy all the time there is a real possibility of falling off from no fault of the horse.
I can honestly say that if I did not have a family and animals who depended on me - I woudl not still be here.
But one step at a time. Tomorrow I have homework to do. I am taking today off homework and just tryingn to relax. I had a nice three hour nap after brushing out my horse. Now I am just waiting for hubby and daughter to get home. They are currently both working as actors at the local Field of Screams. They shoudl come home bouncing off the walls having gotten to scare people all night That will help me more than they can imagine.