Friday 31 January 2014

January is Thyroid Awareness Month - Barb's Story



Thyroid awareness month


In July, 2005, as I was putting lotion on my face and neck I noticed a lump on my throat, roughly where my Adam's apple is, that I hadn't noticed before. I was quite sure it wasn't something that belonged. I made an appointment with my doctor.

My family doctor subsequently made an appointment with a nose ear & throat specialist. I went to see this doctor and underwent a few uncomfortable procedures. I had three nodules on my thyroid, but whether they were benign or malignant the doctor couldn't tell. I was sent to the Nuclear Medicine department of the hospital for a special x-ray, which was inconclusive as well. I was told that the next step was surgery.

Initially booked for several months down the road, a cancellation suddenly moved the date forward. I was glad to get the procedure and the suspense over with!

Along the way I'd done a lot of internet research on the thyroid and the implications of nodules. What a wonderful tool the internet can be. As my mother has a goitre and my youngest sister has hypothyroidism, I read about all aspect of thyroid disease. The pre-surgery appointment at the hospital was helpful for understanding what to expect of the surgery itself.

I was very grateful to have my dear friend Marjorie accompany me to the hospital that day, to wait with me prior to going to the operating room, as well as being there when I came out of recovery. It was a long day for her! I was unconscious for longer than expected, not because of the surgery, but because the operating room had to be re-sterilized, adding extra time to the procedure.

My recovery was uneventful -- three days in the hospital, then home for two weeks. Thankfully, only half my thyroid was removed and none of the parathyroid glands. My voice was unaffected by the operation. The nodules proved to be benign. And as the remaining half of my thyroid was working I have not had to take medication. The only sign of this ordeal is the small scar across my neck. Thanks be to God.


 Thank you Barb for sharing your experience with Thyroid disease. 

Grandma Snyder
©2013-2014 twosnydergirls 

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