In January of 2014, I discovered a lump on the front of my neck, right where my thyroid would be. I was pregnant at the time and in the middle of graduate school, so if I was feeling "off", I couldn't tell you, because my body was going through some stress.

I mentioned the lump to my OB/GYN during one of my OB visits. She ordered thyroid tests, which were "normal" and didn't feel very concerned about my thyroid. I decided to push it out of my mind thinking, maybe that lump was always there? I did the swallow test a million times, but never felt confident that it wasn't there before or after that visit.

It was not until December of 2015 (almost 2 years after I first discovered my "lump") that my chiropractor raised some concern in me again. She was about to adjust my neck when she asked me if I had any changes in my health that I should share with her. The funny thing was, I knew exactly what she was talking about. She saw my lump. This is what finally convinced me to look into it again.

I made a visit with my primary doctor who ordered labs and an ultrasound of my neck, even though he felt that the lump was lower than where my thyroid would be. I appreciated that he was willing to investigate further.

Results of the neck ultrasound:

Three nodules are identified. One in the left lobe, one in the right lobe and one in the isthmus.

Left lobe thyroid mass is in the lower pole and measures 2.0 x 2.6 x 3.1 cm. This is an inhomogeneously solid mass lesion.

Isthmus mass is 1.5 x 1.5 x 1.8 cm. This mass is solid and contains multiple calcifications, which may represent psammomatous bodies. This corresponds to

the palpable abnormality.

Nodule 3 is in the lower pole of the right lobe of the thyroid and measures 2 x 2 x 2 mm.

Next step was meeting my surgeon. She was so kind and so compassionate. We talked about a few things and what next plans would be, and then led me into a room with more staff and a pathologist to do a fine needle biopsy. She started with an ultrasound and examined more of my neck, noticing some calcified lymph nodes on my left side, as well as the thyroid nodules. That is when the word cancer hit me and tears started slowly streaming down my cheeks as I laid there. My surgeon first took a biopsy of the thyroid nodules, gave the cells to the pathologist, and in a few minutes, confirmed they were cancer cells. I believe she went in with the needle about 5 or 6 times. It was so hard to sit through. Unfortunately, she was not able to gather enough cells from the lymph nodes to confirm whether they were positive for cancer or not. A second appointment was made with an Interventional Radiologist to do another fine needle biopsy on the calcified lymph nodes to confirm. Again, the pathologist was in the room to check the cells right then and there. The fine needle biopsy was done, the cells were handed to the pathologist who confirmed that enough cells were gathered. I did not receive results at that time, although as I was leaving, the radiologist put his hand on me and wished me luck. I knew at that point that he knew the results. A couple days later, my intuition was confirmed with yes, the cancer spread to my lymph nodes. My total thyroidectomy with lymphadenectomy was scheduled 5 days later.

The day of my surgery was not anything special. My husband and I drove to the hospital early in the morning, went through all the pre-op questions, testing, and all the other fun stuff. My husband was told the surgery would take about 4 hours and he waited in the waiting room the whole time; the whole SIX plus hours that it actually took. Afterwards, we were told that the cancer was entangled around other areas, including one of my parathyroid glands, which prolonged the surgery. A total of 30+ lymph nodes were removed, 6 or 8 of them resulting as positive for cancer. I spent one night in the hospital and was discharged home the next day.

The first terrifying part was over; I made it through surgery. The second part of my thyroid cancer journey was yet to begin. I met my endocrinologist that week to discuss the future plan. It sounded like years and years of never-ending follow up.

The first step was to become hypothyroid. Once my TSH level was high enough, I could receive the radioactive iodine. My TSH level finally reached 45 and I was then able to schedule my radioactive iodine appointment, 10 days later. During this time, my TSH continued to increase becaise I was not yet able to start on my thyroid medication. I was exhausted and got short-winded from doing any little activity, including brushing my teeth. I was bloated, depressed, and puffy. My pants and sweatshirt were so uncomfortably tight and my face had that “moon-shape”. I was the definition of hypothyroidism.

I had to be separated from my family for about a week after receiving the radioactive iodine. I spent my time in the basement and had to say goodnight to my kids with me at the bottom of the stairs, as my children stood at the top. I was bored out of my mind and became even more depressed. Luckily, I was soon going to be taking thyroid medication and trying to get myself back; or as much of it as I could without having a thyroid.

The 2 years following my diagnosis, the goal was to be hyperthyroid, which comes with a whole bunch of other symptoms, as well as similar ones. The 2 years consisted of lab draws every 6-8 weeks, thyroid medication adjustments every 6-8 weeks, whole body scans, neck ultrasounds, office visits, etc.

Fast forward to 3 years later. My endocrinologist says that my thyroid cancer was high risk, but because my response to therapy is categorized as “excellent”, my chance for recurrence within the 5 years following is low. All good news. I am now tapering to a more “euthyroid” state. How great life was without having to worry about what that little butterfly organ did for the whole body, now I am reminded everyday. I do not think that I will ever feel the way I used to prior to having my thyroid taken out, but such is life. I enjoy my family, my hobbies, and my friends. I am a lucky lady.

I am telling you this for the story, for the journey, and for the hope that if you have a concerning lump, you are not afraid to dig a little deeper and see what is really going on. Do not be afraid of what people will say if you push, because as for me, maybe the cancer would not have spread to my lymph nodes, and maybe I would not have been considered “high-risk”. I am telling you this to spread awareness. If you are one who has thyroid cancer, I hope this helps you in your journey.