| Simply Me, La Diva ! |
| ||| MY THOUGHTS ||| Thyroid Cancer Survivor's Association, Inc. ||| |
My Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis
On January 15 I underwent a hemithyroidectomy to remove a nodule on my left thyroid. During the surgery the doctor informed my mom that surgery went fine and the nodule removed. I was happy that the nerve racking surgery was over and that I seemed to have good recovery and “good scarring.” The scar didn’t look as bad as I though it would. I began to like it and accept it because I was recovering well. On Friday, January 25 I received a terrible phone call from my doctor. He said pathological examination showed that the nodule extracted from my thyroid was cancerous and needed more surgery for a complete thyroidectomy. At that specific moment I was in shock and my mind went blank. Seconds after the news hit me and I lost it. I called my parents, crying and my body trembling. I was scared. I did not know what to expect. I felt my life was over. Life was not fair. I have not started living my life yet. I want a big wedding, kids and a house. All of a sudden, all those things seemed untrue and unattainable. All I knew was that I had cancer. I spent the entire night crying. Consoling myself in tears until I fell asleep. |
 Support for CopingI am extremely grateful for the support that I have received from my parents, specially my mother. I never knew they cared for me so much. I am also thankful to the Thyca support group I found on yahoo. It has defenitely helped me come to terms with my cancer. I feel much better towards the future and the battle that I have ahead. Im defenitely ready to fight it.
What you should know about thyroid cancerPapillary tumors are the most common of all thyroid cancers (>70%). Papillary carcinoma typically arises as an irregular, solid or cystic mass that arises from otherwise normal thyroid tissue. This cancer has a high cure rate with ten year survival rates for all patients with papillary thyroid cancer estimated at 80-90%. Cervical metastasis (spread to lymph nodes in the neck) are present in 50% of small tumors and in over 75% of the larger thyroid cancers. The presence of lymph node metastasis in these cervical areas causes a higher recurrence rate but not a higher mortality rate. Distant metastasis (spread) is uncommon, but lung and bone are the most common sites. Tumors that invade or extend beyond the thyroid capsule have a worsened prognosis because of a high local recurrence rate.
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