A Deceptive Disease

Had doctors caught my cancer sooner, they would have probably performed a less invasive surgery, perhaps even saving some of my parathyroid glands. Instead, my thyroid was fully removed along with all of the lymph nodes on either side of my neck in an effort to preemptively stop any possibly recurrence of cancer. My journey to full recovery was extremely challenging. While I had support groups I could attend, I never really felt like anyone understood what is was like as a young adult dealing with cancer. Unable to fully communicate to my friends how I was feeling also made my experience with cancer isolating. By the time I was 24, I was battling with insurance companies over why they wouldn't pay for follow-up PET or CAT scans, discovering the caveats in post-hospital coverage for physical therapy and learning to schedule what seemed like endless medications for the day. Meanwhile, my friends were usually recovering from endless nights of partying.

Radiation was a physically and emotionally exhausting experience. For about a month after surgery, doctors put me on a strict iodine-free diet in an effort to starve all the cancerous thyroid cells remaining in my body of their main energy source. This meant no salt and no seafood, among other restrictions.

While it may be easy to pity myself for having gone through such a tumultuous experience at such a young age, I try to focus on the upside: I am alive and the cancer has not reappeared. And I have found that, since this experience, I am better able to distinguish between the things that really matter in life and all the stuff that just clutters it up. The healthy human body is amazing. Every structure works together within us seamlessly to perpetuate and maintain life, while we sit back and simply exist. Cancer is a really tough, really scary hurdle to jump. It changes you, and in many ways it challenges you, but it can also make you wiser than you ever thought you would be. A huge part of what I have learned during this experience is the importance of education, diligence and persistence--of being a proactive patient.

I was surprised to discover that a thyroid exam, a very simple blood test that can be done during an annual physical, has to be ordered separately by a doctor because it is not considered to be part of a typical annual test. This is remarkable considering that this year alone 33,550 men and women will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer, according to the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR)--most of them women. (Women run up to seven times the risk of developing a thyroid disorder than men do, especially during periods of hormonal change like puberty, pregnancy and menopause.)

If you are ill and feel there is something wrong, see a doctor. If the doctor sweeps your complaints under a rug, go see another one. See as many doctors as it takes until you get an answer. Research your symptoms, know your risks and ask questions. Make sure that you know what you are being tested for and that thorough tests are performed at your annual physicals. If insurance is an issue, investigate what your alternatives are. But most importantly, don't dismiss your symptoms or wait to "outgrow" whatever is bothering you. If I had, I might not be writing this today.

© 2008