Has anyone ever had thyroid cancer? I was diagnosed about a month ago and had to have a thyroidectomy. I just wondered if you have ever known it to spread? I'm not really worried about it, just more curious than anything. I have to have some radiation as soon as my tsa levels are where they need to be. They told me that if I have to have cancer, this is the best one to have.

I also am dealing with my thyroids. I don't have cancer though. A friend of mine -- her mother -- had it and had the same surgery. She seems to be doing well. I was also told the same thing -- that if you had to have cancer that thyroid cancer was it. I hope you have a speedy recovery. I'm still trying to decide if I want to have mine removed. I have problems with swallowing and choking and my ENT wants to take them out. Just not sure yet if i will do it.

My daughter was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma, thyroid cancer when she was 21 and had a thyroidectomy shortly after she turned 22. After a number of weeks on a low iodine diet and when her TSH was low enough she had I-131 therapy. She recovered quickly and of course is now on daily thyroid replacement medication. She is now 27 and doing well.
Best of luck with your surgery.

Eat tapioca pudding it kills cancer cells. Google tapicoa and cancer.

OK Tru I am going to buy Tapioca pudding. I love it anyway. Thanks for the info.

Hello...when I was pregnant with my second boy (who turns 18 this year) my first husband was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma - thyroid cancer. He had a partial thyroidectomy, then a few months later elected for a full thyroidecomy. He like nursie76's daughter was prescribed daily thyroid replacement medication. Some years later when we separated, he was diagnosed with breast cancer (rare in men) this was NOT connected to the thyroid cancer, he had a double mastectomy and radiation treatment. He went on to re-marry and fathered a healthy little boy. He continues to lead a full and productive life.

We were also told thyroid cancer was the "best" one to have. Also, maintaining a positive outlook, doing any recommended checks/follow ups and try and keep stress to a minimum....all sensible advice for anyone to follow.

It seems you are on the right track...curious but not worried, just the right attitude to adopt. All the best..from the land of Aus.

I have hypothyroidism disease too, namely Hashimotos disease. I was told they would have to monitor my TSH levels every 3 months with blood work and eventually, will have my thyroid removed. I will have to take synthroid everyday for life. My doctor told me that while I do not have thyroid cancer now, it is the one to have if you ever have to be faced with cancer at all. Not sure this is reassuring to me or not! Guess women is affected with thryoid disease more than men.

supposedly thyroid cancer is even more slow-growing than prostate cancer ..
As far as I know I don't have cancer, but do have "hot and cold spots", goiter, have had a biopsy, hashimotos thyroiditis, hypothyroid....
and diabetes just to keep it interesting LOL

Thanks everyone. I know that thyroid problems are pretty common in women. I just hope that when I get on the medication I will be able to lose some weight and have more energy. I will start the medication 3 days after I have the radiation. I told DH that I will be easy to find at night now, cause I will glow in the dark!! If jumping up and down and throwing a fit would get rid of it, I might just try it, but seeing as it doesn't, why use the energy. And the last time I got really worried, all it did was give me a stomach ache. I'd rather preserve what energy I have for quilting and praying!

I have Hashimotos too, found out when I was 20, I had a lump removed from it when I was 21. Dr said by the time my thyroid quit completely my thyroid would have the texture of bubble wrap,(bumps all over the thyroid) I just lost my health insurance on July 31st, so im scared of what is going to happen now.

My husband is a 7 year survivor of thyroid cancer. It is possible for it to spread before the iodine radiation treatment but it's unlikely to come back once you've had the radiation.

The doctor told my husband that thyroid cancer is like winning the lotto of cancers. It's easily treatable, has a high remission and survival rate.

Good luck with your treatment. Going hypo is no fun. I wish you the best!

The Doc told my family (5 sisters) that 99% of the people in the world with underactive thytoid are female. My dad had a severely underactive thyroid in later life. As a result my sisters and I were encouraged to get our checked regularly. Of the 5 sisters, 4 are already on medication, me included, and the remaining sister won't get her checked. Thyroid problems cause numerous health issues and chould be checked regularly.

i know someone who has an enlarged thyroid and has it checked regularly and it is getting bigger. She is just in the process of seeing specialists to see what needs to be done. She has been told there is a chance of damaging her vocal chords if it has to be removed..should she be worried about that?
It is interfering with her swallowing at the moment and she has to keep clearing her throat. For those of you who have had it removed, is it a big scar?
Is there any other advice you can give?

Well Honey darling, Although its the best cancer you can have I still keep you in my prayers. I think you have a lot of courage decieding you won't be worring yourself! I would if I was diagnosed by cancer.
Take care and big hugs.

My friend had it, she had an operation ,chemo etc,that was over ten years ago and she has been fine ever since. My thoughts are with you and hoping all goes well for you.

A decade ago, my gynocologist diagnosed the problem I had complained about to my GP for 3-4 years. My neck always hurt. When the tests came back this same gyn took the time to call me & tell me that even if it was cancer, it was very treatable. His daugher had her thyroid removed at a young age. Ten yrs. later not, the lump on my thyroid is slightly bigger. I'm hypothryod & take thyroid meds. This issue does not worry me as much as my risk factor for other cancers. My mother lost her battle with breast cancer at 62. My sister lost her battle with colon cancer at 58. I'm now 67, so hoping I beat the odds.

I am Hypo..If u can find Drs that prescibe Armour your better off..Armour thyroid is natural and works great...if u can get the right dose..a lot of drs dose by blood work, not by your feelings..here in WV there so old fashioned about all this stuff....Go to Dr Hotze.com on line and read about this and...stopthethyroidmadness.com I was on levothyroxin..never done nothing....wish u all luck....

I love your positive attiude! My thoughts and prayers are with you during this journey.

Hoping everything works out for you.

I had thyroid issues all my adult life. In the 80's I went to an ENT for my allergies and he saw that I had a goiter, sent me back to my regular doctor & a surgeon. Had 80% of my thyroid removed and put on thyroid medication. Had a couple months difficulty until the medication got right, but now 30 years later and no problems. I didn't realize how sick it had made me till I got it removed and started feel healthy again.

My sister had Thyroid Cancer. A small nodule was detected and after the biopsy, it was decided to have it removed. After the final pathology report, it was determined that she did have cancer. Can't recall the exact name. A few months after surgery, Radio active iodine was done. That was two years ago. She has had several body scan to search for thyroid tissue and so far nothing has been found.

Thyroid issues will run on families. My oldest sister has hashimoto (Sp?) and I had Graves. My oldest daughter has Graves. I am closely watching my other 2 kids.

I had my thyroid surgically removed. The Dr. wanted to do a biopsy, and I thought it would be a waste of time. Let's just get the stupid thing out. (Been dealing with it for quite a few years) Well turned out I was cancer free, but my thyroid was in not good shape. So the Thyroidectomy was the right choice for me.

The Surgery itself was not that bad. One of the risk is injury of the nerve to your vocal chords. The trick is finding a really good surgeon. The surgery took about 2 hours. Not too much pain. My scar is about 2 inches long and is at the base of my neck. Alsmost where a short necklace or choker would lay. Over the years it has faded and you really have to look for it. I have heard that Surgeons do better scars than do ENT. The one hard part of the surgery is you have to moniter your calcium levels. Your parathyroid is near the thyroid and it regulates your calcium. During surgery the parathyroid is bruised and sometimes problems arise. I had to stay 3 days after surgery just to do bloodwork. I felt fine, but they would check my blood every 6-12 hours. I stayed on calcium suppliments for several months.

I know take synthroid each and every day. It took awhile to find the right dose. But once you do, you will be feeling like new.

Please PM if you have any questions. Good Luck and I know you are going to be fine. :-)

Am so sorry , but love and wishes for your recovery.

Hi, Honey. My husband is now going thru this. He will have his right thyroid removed next month. Let's keep everyone in our prayers.

I have to take Synthroid for the rest of my life. My thyroid was under producing and that will cause a goiter too. Salt with iodine included is one way to prevent a lot of thyroid under producing. The hospital 'killed' my thyroid with radiation. My Dr. told me many women will take the Synthroid for years then decide they don't need it. They very slowly descend into lethargy and death. The metabolism will slow down to being in a coma. That scared me so bad I'll never stop taking it.

I am hypothyroid & take Synthroid for last 10 yrs. When I was a kid my father could not have iodized salt. I don't know if that was a factor in my problem now. I'm almost 67.

I have a friend who has had thyroid cancer and is doing great.

What stage were you in? Has it spread to the lymph nodes? My wonderful father had thyroid cancer and fought it for 11 years. It went to his lungs and he finely lost his battle. If they catch it early you’re good to go. It was in stage 3 when they caught my fathers. My prayers go out to you.

There is a very small chance that the vocal chords will be damaged. My voice has lowered considerably, but they say that will correct itself. The scar is about 2 1/2" and is pretty prominent rite now, but they fade with time. One of my DGS says I have a permanent smile under my chin, so it's ok! I had a huge lump (that's why I went in to begin with) and it was beginning to interfere with my swallowing, but all is well now. It wasn't all that uncomfortable after surgery. I had to stay in the hospital over night cause it can affect your calcium levels, so they keep a close eye on those. All in all, I'm glad I had it done. I am one that likes to deal with things head on instead of putting it off. Especially if it is something unpleasant.

They didn't say what stage it was in, just that we caught it very early. About six months after I have the radiation I will have a pet scan to make sure it hasn't traveled anywhere else, but they said it wasn't in the lymph nodes. It was in the parathyroid, which are under the thyroid, so they took all of that. I guess having it mastisize is the part that worrys me a little, but worrying doesn't change anything and prayer does. I so sorry for the loss of your dear Father. I know DH and my kids are more than a little concerned, but I tell them to just keep praying.

Actually I will be very glad to start the meds so that I will have more energy. I went through a very bad bout of depression and am thinking that the thyroid meds might help that, too. I have complained about it for years, but no one would listen because the tests always came back fine. But those tests are notorious for being wrong. Now, at least, something is being done. I'm not shy about talking to Doc's, either, so will stay on them until I feel better. Thanks for all of the prayers and good wishes.

My Graves went years undiagnosed. My Dr. had told me my shaking hands were panic attacks. Not to even mention the emotional stress, and people thinking I was bi-polar.

Forgot about the voice thing. Mine was very temporary about 6 months. I would be talking and then all of sudden I would run out of air and couldn't talk. it was really weird. but it slowly got better and haven't had it for years.

My scar was kind of cool. I had surgery about 1 week before Halloween. Joked with my kids and said I had a built in costume. It will slowly fade. Vitiamin E oil will help with the fading. Hang in there.

:D

I had it removed one little pill gone. It is one that doesn't spread that quickly if at all. Look it up on the internet. Was told if you were to get cancer this was the best to get.

Absolutely, when someone is experiencing depression, thyroid levels should be one of the first things the doc checks. Taking synthroid the rest of you life isn't bad. All you are doing is replacing what your body can no longer produce. Best wishes for a complete and speedy recovery.

I am a thyroid cancer survivor, going on 11 years now.... but I have had problems for almost 20 years. My best advice to anyone that is having thyroid problems of any kind is to find a good Endocrinoligist, a doctor who specializes in the systems that produce hormones! This includes thyroid issues, infertility issues, diabetes, etc. I found a wonderful doctor in Lincoln, and the lady has saved my life twice. First time when I had a large tumor removed along with my thryroid... the second time just recently when I went for a visit and she asked about my periods. She knew I had stopped bleeding and was going through menopause, and asked if I had any bleeding recently. I told her I had what I thought was a mild period recently. She said that if I had stopped bleeding for almost 1 1/2 years and then started bleeding that it was a red flag.... that I need to go see a gynocologist and get a vaginal ultrasound. I did, and they found a large tumor on my right ovary. Thank the good Lord that it turned out to be benign. I had everything taken out.... but this doctor who is so good at keeping track of not only my thyroid, but all theother hormones that affect me as a woman has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I highly encourage you to get a refferal to an endocrinologist to help with regulating your thyroid meds... they interact with every other hormone in your body and this kind of doctor is the best at knowing how to keep all the levels good!

Okay, I am long winded today, so will do this in two posts.

I had Graves disease. I think I had it for long time, since I was a kid, before they actually decided what it was. The first doctor, an internist, thought that they could slow my thyroid down by giving me a smaller amount of radioactive iodine. Not enough to kill all of it, but just slow it down. That was the first mistake. It didnt work, I was still hyper. Then they thought they could take half of my thyroid by surgery, and that would make it so I wouldn't have to take medicine the rest of my life. I wouldn't recommend that route to anyone. First, find a doctor that really knows what they are doing and then just get the whole thing out! So much easier and you won't have to deal with more surgeries, etc... and taking the meds is not all that bad.
Fast forward 10 years, and I feel something weird one day when I swallow.. like something snagged. It turned out to bea fairly large cancerous thyroid tumor... follicular type. I had surgery to have the rest of my thyroid out (that should have been taken out the first time). Afterwards,I was given some rounds of I-131 radioactive Iodine to kill any remaining cells....which I had because the surgeon was concerned about my vocal chords, and I had thyroid tissue and scar tissue left from the first surgery. Then several scans over the next few years to make sure there was no spread. So far so good. Now my endocrinologist keeps me on the hyper-thyroid side, which keeps any thyroid cells (if any remain in the body) from growing. That is why they do the scans... they give you just a little low-level radioactive iodine which would be taken up by any thyroid cells in your body and will glow when you have your scans..that is how they tell if they have migrated any place else.
So... I am now 11 years out, and the doctor finally said "It looks like this is not going to shorten your life any". Great words to finally hear. I've pretty much been through it all... twice. Whatever you do, make sure you have a well respected surgeon and doctor, preferably an endocrinologist.....
So... I actually have two scars... the 2nd surgeon tried to go over the first...did a pretty good job. Now it is just a fine white line... maybe a little more noticable than others, but still pretty light. Use the Vitamin E oil, like someone else suggested.
And if anyone has to go on a low iodine diet, I have some good recipes!
Sorry to be so long winded, but you can tell, this is something that I am passionate about sharing with others who are facing surgery and treatments. Thanks for "listening"!

I had Hashimotos when I was 18 years old. I had low thyroid and had trouble swallowing. I also had a lot of itching on the skin over my thyroid gland. I was scanned for cancer and fortunately it wasn't cancer. I still had to have a subtotal thyroidectomy. I have been on Synthroid or Levothyroxine for 37 years. I have my Thyroid levels checked every six months and have my dosage changed frequently. I have also read the Thyroid and Diabetes are linked. I also have Diabetes. My DH has Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia and was told that IT was the cancer to have. I know of others who have had Thyroid cancer and with the right treatment they lived full and healthy lives. Thyroid surgery is easy and has a quick recovery time. Best wishes!

You should be made aware that there is more than one type of thyroid cancer. The very worst kind and hardest to treat is very very rare. There was a supreme court justice who passed away a while back with that type.

My paternal aunt had to have surgery and it turned out that she was two different forms of thyroid cancer. Her mother, (my grandmother) died from thyroid cancer, but that was back in the 50's and she didn't go have it seen about until it was to late. My aunt is doing beautifully now and we have no reason to think that anything else will happen to her along these lines.

Thyroid problems, diabetes, are both auto immune related.
It is rather amazing actually how many conditions are auto immune related. If doctors could just figure out how our immune system really works, they could cure just about anything...

You will be in my prayers for a speedy recovery!

My surgeon was wonderful. Fresh out of residency and his thyroid rotation. He did a wonderful job. I now see an endocrinologist and I intend to continue with him. My GP is great and thanks to her all of this was treated very quickly and efficiently. I know that she will stay up on all of the reports. So far, I have really be blessed with the docs that I have had.

My husband is a 4 year survivor. Everyone has given you great info. Hubby is doing great. Remember to take your meds at the same time everyday and on an empty stomach and wait 2 hours before eating. Thats how hubby's endocrinoligist has him take his meds. The worst part of going thru this was the low iodine diet, before the I-131 treatment. Now his Dr. likes to keep his levels high, he has no problems with that, however sometimes it's like sleeping next to a furance. He was a stage 2. If you'd like to chat about anything please PM me. You'll be in my prayers.

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts, prayers and info. I truly appreciate it. It has all helped a lot.