MY LIFE 1 YEAR AFTER THYROID CANCER.....WHAT THE DOCTOR'S DON'T TELL YOU....
Hi cuties ♥
This is not a happy post like my others but I just wanted to write this in case any other thyroid cancer warriors happen to stumble upon my blog and to create awareness....
So what can I say? It's been a rough journey but I am glad to be alive. I am lucky to have "the best cancer" according to tons of doctors and people out there (who haven't had thyroid cancer). Unfortunately, it's not that simple....
My journey began in March of 2015 when I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma and I ended up having surgery in September of 2016. I opted for a partial thyroidectomy (or lobectomy) because I wanted to keep as much of my body intact as possible. The thyroid gland is extremely important in your body, without it and it's hormones that it produces, you will inevitably die. After removal of the thyroid you must take thyroid hormone replacements for the rest of your life and it's definitely not as simple as "just taking one little pill every day".
I am definitely thankful that I didn't have to go through chemo or radiation which many of my friends have (it's really horrible how prevalent all types of cancers are in young people these days). I am very thankful that I didn't have to experience nausea, vomiting and hair loss. I am thankful that I didn't have a more aggressive form of thyroid cancer and that it hadn't metastasized anywhere else in my body. Those are the positives of having an early stage and less aggressive form of cancer that you can just cut out. The aftermath though, is not easy, atleast for some(most) of us.
I had read plenty of good and bad stories of people's lives after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer but I kept a positive mindset going into it. After surgery I was fine until about 2 months afterwards when all of a sudden I could hardly move or stay awake. I was so tired, I was like a zombie. That prompted my first increase in Synthroid (the main medication given to replace thyroid hormones).
Since then, it has been an uphill battle for the past year, adjusting my medication every 2-3 months depending on how horrible my symptoms/levels are. I have gained almost 40 pounds in weight since my surgery and nothing has changed with my diet/exercise regimen (it's actually a little bit better if anything). I have to get blood work done every month or two to see how my levels are and see what's happening inside of my body. My cholesterol and triglycerides come back off the charts with every blood draw, which were all completely normal before surgery. My doctor wants to put me on new medications to correct these new problems that have manifested since having half of my thyroid out. It's just a mess and a bit depressing.
But I am blessed to be alive and functioning (for the most part). There are TONS of people out there with way, way worse health problems. There are tons of loved ones taken from us everyday because of this horrible disease called cancer. Cancer must be stopped! I will continue to do my best and stay positive and hope that my constant fatigue and weight gain go away eventually. Every day brings new hope that my body will adjust to having half a thyroid gland and just click all of a sudden.
To all of my fellow cancer survivors out there, stay strong and keep fighting! Just remember, there is always someone who has it worse than you and all we can do is try to be positive and keep moving forward....
If you feel like helping fight cancer please donate to research and stopping this horrible disease.....
Memorial Sloan Kettering is a hospital doing research and trying to stop MANY forms of cancer here in the U.S.
American Cancer Society is another great organization doing research on many types of cancer and trying to put an end to all of this.
This is not a happy post like my others but I just wanted to write this in case any other thyroid cancer warriors happen to stumble upon my blog and to create awareness....
So what can I say? It's been a rough journey but I am glad to be alive. I am lucky to have "the best cancer" according to tons of doctors and people out there (who haven't had thyroid cancer). Unfortunately, it's not that simple....
My journey began in March of 2015 when I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma and I ended up having surgery in September of 2016. I opted for a partial thyroidectomy (or lobectomy) because I wanted to keep as much of my body intact as possible. The thyroid gland is extremely important in your body, without it and it's hormones that it produces, you will inevitably die. After removal of the thyroid you must take thyroid hormone replacements for the rest of your life and it's definitely not as simple as "just taking one little pill every day".
I am definitely thankful that I didn't have to go through chemo or radiation which many of my friends have (it's really horrible how prevalent all types of cancers are in young people these days). I am very thankful that I didn't have to experience nausea, vomiting and hair loss. I am thankful that I didn't have a more aggressive form of thyroid cancer and that it hadn't metastasized anywhere else in my body. Those are the positives of having an early stage and less aggressive form of cancer that you can just cut out. The aftermath though, is not easy, atleast for some(most) of us.
I had read plenty of good and bad stories of people's lives after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer but I kept a positive mindset going into it. After surgery I was fine until about 2 months afterwards when all of a sudden I could hardly move or stay awake. I was so tired, I was like a zombie. That prompted my first increase in Synthroid (the main medication given to replace thyroid hormones).
Since then, it has been an uphill battle for the past year, adjusting my medication every 2-3 months depending on how horrible my symptoms/levels are. I have gained almost 40 pounds in weight since my surgery and nothing has changed with my diet/exercise regimen (it's actually a little bit better if anything). I have to get blood work done every month or two to see how my levels are and see what's happening inside of my body. My cholesterol and triglycerides come back off the charts with every blood draw, which were all completely normal before surgery. My doctor wants to put me on new medications to correct these new problems that have manifested since having half of my thyroid out. It's just a mess and a bit depressing.
But I am blessed to be alive and functioning (for the most part). There are TONS of people out there with way, way worse health problems. There are tons of loved ones taken from us everyday because of this horrible disease called cancer. Cancer must be stopped! I will continue to do my best and stay positive and hope that my constant fatigue and weight gain go away eventually. Every day brings new hope that my body will adjust to having half a thyroid gland and just click all of a sudden.
To all of my fellow cancer survivors out there, stay strong and keep fighting! Just remember, there is always someone who has it worse than you and all we can do is try to be positive and keep moving forward....
If you feel like helping fight cancer please donate to research and stopping this horrible disease.....
Memorial Sloan Kettering is a hospital doing research and trying to stop MANY forms of cancer here in the U.S.
American Cancer Society is another great organization doing research on many types of cancer and trying to put an end to all of this.
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