It’s Breast Cancer
Awareness Month. You’re all aware of that, I’m sure. October 2, I went to get
checked out. Everything looked good…except my doctor informed me that my
thyroid gland looked a little “puffy.” He wanted me to have an Ultrasound done
in order to see what was going on.
Okay, from here a
little backstory. When I was two months shy of fourteen, I went to my personal
physician for a routine physical. I was told that my neck looked rather enlarged
and I needed to get my thyroid checked out ASAP. A bit of lab work, my first
Ultrasound, an endocrinology specialist and one birthday later, I was told that
I had a problem. A goiter. It appeared that, unbeknownst to me, over the last
six months to a year, I had developed a condition called hypothyroidism
(underactive thyroid). Thankfully, they thought the goiter could be treated
with medication as long as my hormone levels were routinely checked every three
months to monitor them. Though the medication was effective and the goiter
eventually shrank, I was told that I would likely have to take the meds every
day for the rest of my life to keep my thyroid in check.
To
this day, I’m still hypo. Through the years, particularly when I moved out of
my parents’ house, I got a little devil-may-care with my meds and stopped
taking them for a time. I lost so much weight I began to look skeletal. Fatigue
walked closely in my shadow, dragging me down from behind like Jacob Marley’s
chains. As a result, I became very unproductive. My day job started to feel
like an exercise in torture, trying to stay awake through eight hours of
activity, oftentimes at night. Not to mention I lost my creative rhythm and my
fast-paced writing process suffered. I became prone to extreme levels of
anxiety I still struggle with today. After a reluctant visit to my family
doctor, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and my thyroid
medication was adjusted. (Interestingly enough, around this time my mother and sister both found out they had hyperthyroidism, which is an "overactive thyroid").
Feeling good again, I
didn’t worry too overmuch about it until April 2012 when I found out I was
pregnant. I’d heard stories about thyroid conditions and pregnancy. Not a good
combination. I was surprised by how steady my hormone levels stayed. The
pregnancy really didn’t seem to affect them. The hub and I brought our baby
home in November and we settled into family life. Three months later, I’d felt
pretty well recovered, not that I had the time or inclination to think about
me. I was totally wrapped up in our little love bundle, especially as he grew
bigger and more active. So when, a few weeks ago, the doctor told me that my
thyroid felt “puffy,” I was taken off guard. My levels were checked. I expected
the worst but was told a few days later that the results looked good and my
medication didn’t need adjustment. Okay, that was strange. Why would my thyroid
look enlarged if my hormone levels were fine? So the following week I scheduled
the Ultrasound.  |
| Looking a shade too thin... - Christmas 2010 - Mother, Me, Sister |
I didn’t let myself
dwell on the worst until I was lying back on the table staring up at the dim
lights above me. As the technician scanned the images on the screen behind me,
I felt very unsettled, envisioning nodules and tumors that would require biopsy…or
worse, surgery. Repeatedly, my mind came back to my ten-month-old son and how
he deserved a fully functional mother – physically as well as emotionally –
every single day of his young life. Later that night, my imagination did what
it does best. It ran away with me and I became certain that I was at least going
to be told that I needed to have my thyroid removed altogether (a pretty common
practice these days for those with thyroid conditions/diseases, I’m told). The thought of neck surgery terrifies me. My mother
had a nodule surgically removed from her thyroid a few years ago. I remember
thinking I was lucky that hadn’t been me at fourteen. Or twenty-four. It’d
seemed like I’d escaped some sort of surgical procedure too long. By the next
day, I was convinced that bad news was coming.
Late that morning,
our little family was gearing up to take a long walk to the Shrimp Festival. I was putting little man in his stroller when I saw the doctor’s
office calling on my cell. Cursing under my breath, I stepped aside and took
the call. I knew if they were calling back this soon they’d found something.
The familiar voice of one of the nurses cheerfully told me, however, that they
had reviewed my scans…and everything looked great. Huh? It took me a minute to
understand that she was delivering good news. I whooped and hollered and jumped
up and down in joy. I nearly broke down and cried, y’all. I ran up to the hub
and threw my arms around his neck, telling him the good news. He seemed pretty
relieved himself. I kissed our boy and the hub and I walked happily,
arm-in-arm, pushing the stroller together to the festival down the street.  |
| August 2013 - Lake Martin |
I’ve been thanking my
lucky stars ever since. With me still nursing my son, my body is still working
hard to produce what it needs to for both me and him and, of course, my
hormones are still elevated because of it. I personally think that’s why my
thyroid might seem puffy. I’m keeping a check on it and will return to the
doctor a few months after I stop nursing after the minion’s first birthday to
see if it has gone back to normal or if the doctor was mistaken to begin with. It
being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I’d heard stories about young mothers diagnosed
soon after giving birth. Heartbreaking stories. I also recently read a Yahoo
Health article entitled “Reasons Behind Climb in Thyroid Cancer.” It states…
The number of cases of thyroid cancers
has increased over the past 30 years, going from 4.9 cases per 100,000 people
in 1975 to 14.3 per 100,000 in 2009. |
| October 2013 - Auburn, AL |
…and…
An estimated 66,200 Americans will be
diagnosed with thyroid cancer this year. The reason I’m relaying my story and this information to you is because thyroid conditions and diseases are pretty common, among women in particular. They cover a wide range of symptoms that at first just seem like everyday problems – fatigue, brain fog, moodiness, brittle or thinning hair, nervousness, etc. Symptoms become more alarming if the condition remains untreated, however, resulting in problems with blood pressure, heart rate, vision, depression, insomnia, anxiety, muscle weakness, and infertility. Also if untreated, it can lead to goiters, nodules, tumors, and, as shown, cancer. Because I want everyone to be cautious about these rising numbers in thyroid-related issues, I’m attaching a couple of articles on the subject including symptoms, how to perform a self-check, and the research article I quoted from above to raise awareness. A lot of thyroid conditions are found accidentally while doctors are looking for other causes. If you feel any shadow of a doubt, don’t be afraid to get checked out. A simple blood test can determine whether your thyroid levels are too high or low. A simple check by your doctor can determine if your thyroid is in fact enlarged or not. Because of the rise in numbers and my own recent experience, I thought it would be good to pass on the word.
Thyroid Disease Symptoms - Hypothyroidism & Hyperthyroidism
Check Your Neck: The Self-Exam More Women Should Be Doing
Reasons Behind Climb in Thyroid Cancers
Stay healthy, Cozies, and (nerd alert) live long and prosper!
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