Some Rights Reserved
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0
United States License.
Twice In Your Eyes, Thyroid Cancer
Written by Sara Broers, Two Time Thyroid Cancer Survivor
Dear Thyroid:
Just recently have I been forced to recall that you are no longer with, me. , You have sure wreaked a lot of havoc in my life over the past 23 years. , Just recently, my, TSH, levels are “out of, wack” AGAIN. , When you appeared as cancer the first time around, I wish my Dr. would have removed all of you. , Of course, AGAIN, in 1998, you left me all together!
I also learned that once cancer rears, its, ugly head in the form of thyroid cancer, it quite often reappears approximately ten years later. , Due to the fact that part of you still remained, I became part of that statistic!, , Thanks to cancer, AGAIN.
I will admit in 1987, I had no idea what you did and where you were located in my body. , Wow, you did, a lot, for me. , But, of course, you had to become engulfed in cancer and be taken out of me. Hearing the words, “You will struggle with your weight, You, will feel tired at times, You will battle this the rest of your life!”, , OK~ I did not ask to have cancer and I did not ask for you to be removed (but I know you had to be).
I still wonder how you were functioning fine in 1987, as all my blood reports showed a healthy thyroid. , Boy, you were sure a sneaky devil!, , But once I was tossed onto that table for a body scan, my whole world changed. , My internal medicine Dr. who ordered the test, said, “You need to see a surgeon by the end of the week.”, , Mind you, this was Friday afternoon. , After meeting with a surgeon Friday afternoon, I was under the knife on Monday morning and part of, you, was removed. , Oh, how I wish you would have convinced my Dr. to remove all of you. , Had you done that, I would NOT have had to go back under the knife in 1998.
Due to the fact that you had a large growth on you, and my wind pipe was caving in, surgery was a necessity. , But, never in my wildest dreams, did I believe that at the age of 20, I would be told, “You have cancer!”, , Thank You, thyroid- NOT!, , And under the knife again in 1998- and having to go into isolation and swallow those large, radioactive pills- your non, existence, has made my life a living hell at times!
So what on earth is a Mother of two young boys to do when she is thrown into isolation on the 6th floor of a hospital?
Dear Thyroid, you sure did NOT help me out during that challenging time. , Walking through that “poison” tape which had been placed, outside, my door, made me realize the seriousness of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer!, , The tiredness, body aches, weird body temperature issues, and funny hair are all blamed on your non-existence!
At the, beginning, of 2010, I find myself struggling with my, tsh, levels- AGAIN!, But, Dear Thyroid, “Why did you have to leave me?”, I guess I will continue on this journey…I am blessed to have a physician who understands me and treats me as a person!, I do, wonder why you had to mess everything up for this busy, Mom?, I am the winner, you are NOT! Thyroid cancer may have been the diagnosis, but this Mom has dug deep- Pulled, Up, Her Bootstraps and moved on!
Sara Broers
Bio: (Two time thyroid cancer SURVIVOR). I am a Wife/Mom of two teenage boys. I reside in Iowa. I battled thyroid cancer in 1987 & AGAIN in 1998. I have a passion for writing and public speaking! My personal, blog, follow me @saramomof2.
Tags: thyroid cancer, thyroid cancer blog, thyroid cancer literary support, thyroid cancer support, thyroid cancer survivor letters, thyroid cancer survivor Sara Broers
Follow Dear Thyroid on Twitter/@DearThyroid | See our Facebook Page | Become a Fan on Facebook | Join our Facebook Group
You Can Create a Dear Thyroid Profile and share with friends!
Reader Feedback
25 Responses to “Twice In Your Eyes, Thyroid Cancer”
Leave a Reply to Joanna
Comments are moderated in an effort to control spam. If you have a previously approved Comment, this one should go right through. Thanks for your patience!
Thank you, Sara, for sharing your fight with cancer.
“But once I was tossed onto that table for a body scan, my whole world changed.”
I understand. Once you hear the word “cancer” in the same sentence as your name, everything changes.
You’re truly an inspiration!
xoxo,
joanna
Thank you for sharing. I heard the word cancer in Dec. A month ago I joined the thyroid-less ranks. It is through reading the stories of others like you that keeps me sane, prepared and strong. I await the radioactive final decision in April. All of this is easier knowing there are so many others facing the same journey. Thank you. 🙂
Well written, Sara. Unfortunately, you have cancer. Fortunately, you have made the choice to not let it control you. Fortunately, you have made the choice to encourage & inspire others that have faced the ugly beast. Fortunately, you have inspired me! 🙂 Keep up the good fight!
~Holly
Thank you for sharing your story with others. It’s so important for those fighting cancer and thyroid disease to know they aren’t alone.
As are you, Joanna! Tell us more about that moment of hearing your name associated with cancer, if you’re comfortable doing so.
xo
michelle;
So sorry that you are a newly diagnosed thyroid cancer patient. We’re thrilled that you’re getting the support you need. You AREN’T ALONE. We are all here for you and in this together as a thyamily.
Good luck with the scan and please let us know how it goes.
xo
Holly;
What a beautiful comment!
xo
Exactly LIVESTRONG. 100% agreed. Fighting cancer and thyroid diseases can be terribly isolating and it’s important for us to come together and support each other in as many ways as we can. At Dear Thyroid, we write love and hate letters to our thyroids, et al.
We get to speak to our disease, not about our disease.
xo
Oh my friend all that have you have gone thru tears come to my eyes. To share your story and give everyone else who has the pleasure of reading a hope and strength, because you my friend are so strong and will overcome!
Cindy;
What a wonderfully supportive comment! You are a good friend to have.
xo
The day I felt the nodule on my thyroid, my gut told me it was cancer. I just knew it was. But, hearing the words come out of my doctor’s mouth was still shocking. How could I have cancer?! It was a shock for me, and it was a shock for my family. But now we are at the point where we accept it.
Michelle, we are absolutely here for you! We’re fighting with you!
xoxo,
joanna
Michelle~
The good thing is – you have found us! When I was diagnosed both times, I did not have any place like this to go to. There are many of us that have lived to support people like you! Hang in there- but most of all, remember to speak up! (Easier said than done). I know that things are still fresh for you, but know that there are many of us that do care about you…..
Sara
Sara… I love your comment. You’re right, as painful and difficult as it is to give voice to our disease, every time we do, we empower ourselves just a little bit more.
We are here as a thyamily to support each other.
xo
Joanna;
Intuitively, you really just knew? I mean, you felt it that strongly? Huge proponent of intuition. I think we know. I knew pre-diagnosis waiting for the results what they’d be; I felt it in my womb.
When you heard those words, did you have a visceral reaction? Do you remember how your body reacted from the inside out? I’m not asking to be a nosy pain in the ass, I promise. I just want to understand what you felt and what you went through.
So glad you’ve reached the acceptance level.
You’re a honeybunny
I absolutely remember my reaction…remember it like it was yesterday. I tell you I was shocked, and that is 100% true. BUT, at the same time, I felt this glorious peace spread through my body when the doctor said those words. I don’t think I can truly describe the peace I felt. It sustained me for the hard days ahead. A few months after diagnosis, though, I was crippled with fear. But, I got a handle on that with some help from a dear friend of mine. I cannot fight this battle when filled with fear. The fear is now gone (most of the time!) but the peace remains!
And you’re not being nosy! Ask away!
🙂
xoxo
Dear Sara,
No, I did not have a recurring thyroid cancer, but two other cancers instead. The dreaded “C”word became a chorus for me. My mind curdled icy cold every time the docs said thatword. — I sincerely hope there will be no more “C” in your life (so have your thyroglobulin checked regularily, and do your follow up scans.) And watch your body for anything growing where it ain’t belong. Don’t assume it is a harmless cyst (like my growth on my arm was classified harmless by scores of doctors, until the pathology came in otherwise).
All the best to you,
HD in Oregon
My cancer blog: http://www.hd-una.com/hd-cancer.html
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by saramomof2: Have thyroid issues: Please read my letter @DearThyroid
Reading: http://twitthis.com/dokdpt…
HD~ You have been on quite a journey……I checked out your blog and will continue to follow…..
Thanks for the support! I also just kinda knew that’s what it was too, as soon as the doc wrote “nodule” on my ultrasound order. My mother had a neck cancer (back of neck, fibro-sarcoma) 15 years ago and endomytrial 5 years ago. She is great now. I just knew it was my “turn”…
Beautiful—I commented on WA too 🙂
What a great story. So glad to hear you had such a fight in you. Cancer has taken away two people I loved dearly in my life, and I am scared it will take away more, or worse, take away me. I hope if I am ever diagnosed, I find the same inner strength you have had.
Oh dear friend what a touching story I think these days it’s hard to find a family that has not been touched by cancer in one way or another.
I just happened to come across this page…wish it was around 2 1/2 years ago.
Nov 2007 I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 38. Hearing the word cancer sent me for a spin. I was told if you wanted any kind of cancer, thyroid cancer would be it, as it is very treatable. That still did not reassure me. I had my complete thyroid removed and completed the radiation part (taking a pill and being quaranteed in my house, alone, for several days). Then came the exhaustion and weird body temperatures, but after a good 6-8 months they regulated my meds, and I felt “normal” again. My next obstacle that I am dreading, going for the body scan every 4-5 years. They gradually have to take me off the meds, do the scan, and then gradually put me back on the meds.
I was wondering, has anyone gone through that part yet, and if so, could you give me some insight…
Thanks for a great website and best of health to everyone!
Colleen~
Find a Dr. that you trust. I know the feeling of EVERYTHING you state here! It is confusing- that’s why it is so important to be such a strong advocate for YOUR thyroid issues. I have thankfully found a couple Dr.’s that respect me as a person. I am not just a patient i.d. number. Isn’t this website great? I find it to be a great resource. Feel free to contact me at sara_broers@yahoo.com
Best of luck to you……
Oh, I love Dear Thyroid! Good article. It has been a hard road I am sure. Hugs!