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Entry # 1 - A Little Bit About Me |
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My Story -
The Beginning
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Tuesday, 12 August 2008 00:00 |
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I’m a thyroid cancer survivor. Hello, I’m a 32 year old male living in United States. I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in Jan 2009. This blog is my story. Having thyroid cancer has been very scary. I have gone through many ups and downs with my treatments and doctor experiences. I have had some very positive experiences, but unfortunately the start was very rough. Overall, I am doing excellent and I’m living a normal happy life. I hope you can learn from my experiences.
There are around 35,000 new cases of thyroid cancers diagnosed yearly. I found it very beneficially and comforting to know what others have done and gone through for treatment. I’m the type of person who doesn’t like surprises. Please read my story and share it with anyone you feel would benefit from reading about my cancer challenges. This blog will continue to be updated with my progress of treatment, tests and outcomes. I may also add up-to-date news and studies that I’ve read as well as anything else I feel would be helpful.
You, your friend, or family member does not have to go through thyroid cancer alone.
My dog is full of joy!! She was great support :)
Use the below navigation tools to scroll to the next post. Push “next” or “previous” to venture through my blog.
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Entry # 2 - Discovery of Thyroid Nodule: What’s That? |
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My Story -
The Beginning
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008 00:00 |
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I would have never thought a routine MRI of the cervical spine would come back with a diagnosis of thyroid nodule but it did. My internal medicine doctor initially ordered a MRI of my cervical neck for some discomfort and pain in my upper neck and back. This neck pain was a result from a compacted disc in my spine…nothing to do with my thyroid....
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Entry # 3 - Ultrasound of My Thyroid Nodule: I am Sure it is Benign |
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My Story -
The Beginning
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Wednesday, 01 October 2008 00:00 |
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Walking into the ultrasound room made me a little uncomfortable. I was the youngest patient in the room. This reassured me that I was probably just fine. How could someone so young get thyroid cancer? I guess thyroid cancer is more common in younger people than one may believe...
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Entry # 4 - My First Surgeon: First Disaster |
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My Story -
The Beginning
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Wednesday, 15 October 2008 00:00 |
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My internal medicine doctor referred me to a general surgeon within the same hospital. This has to do with an insurance thing. I did my research so I was anticipating that he would perform a fine needle aspiration on my thyroid nodule. Boy was I in for a big surprise....
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Entry # 5 - My First Endocrinologist: Second Disaster |
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My Story -
The Beginning
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Wednesday, 29 October 2008 00:00 |
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About two weeks later I met with the endocrinologist. This endocrinologist was probably about 65-70 years old with one foot in the grave. He actually had to turn his hearing aid up in the beginning of the exam in order to hear me…..maybe I’m a little soft spoken (or more likely he’s just a little def.) My introduction with this endocrinologist was fine however my experience with him quickly went downhill....
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Entry # 6 - Reflection of My First General Surgeon and Endocrinologist |
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My Story -
The Beginning
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Monday, 03 November 2008 00:00 |
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What did I learn from this fiasco with my first general surgeon and endocrinologist? Well, it sad to say but you CAN NOT blindly trust your doctors. Secondly, it is OK and recommended to get a second opinion if you are uncomfortable with your doctors....
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Entry # 7 - Bloodwork Results: Can You Say All Normal |
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My Story -
The Beginning
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Thursday, 06 November 2008 00:00 |
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The endocrinologist and my internal medicine doctor ordered blood work that monitored the function of my thyroid. All the blood work was normal and my thyroid function was normal....
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Entry # 8 - My Second Endocrinologist: A New Respect and Confidence in Medicine |
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My Story -
The Beginning
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Thursday, 13 November 2008 00:00 |
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So now I am scheduled to see the thyroid nodule specialist at Medical College of Georgia. It is a bit of a drive to get to Georgia but at this point it is worth it.....
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Entry # 9 - The Nodule Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy: Too Easy |
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My Story -
The Beginning
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Wednesday, 19 November 2008 00:00 |
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So today was the day of the fine needle biopsy. The thought of someone sticking a needle in my neck repeatedly gave me the shivers. Though, I was very confident in the endocrinologist. I knew the importance of this fine needle biopsy. I just want this nodule to be benign....
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Entry # 10 - Results of the Fine Needle Biopsy: Disappointment |
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My Story -
The Beginning
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Thursday, 27 November 2008 00:00 |
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After a long week of waiting another day of bad news. The fine needle aspiration came back as “suspicious for papillary carcinoma.” I was really bummed out. How could I have cancer?...
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Chapter 1 ------------------ The Beginning
