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Hut, Hut, Hut!
Dear Thyroid Patients and Doctors,
I am a recent inductee to the thyroid cancer group- having been diagnosed fall of 2010, undergoing radical surgery January of 2011, and now gearing up to be “day glow”, thanks to RAI treatments next week. I just have one simple question… When do I get my neck back?
You see, I understand that I will have a scar for some time that is noticeable (I expected that- which is why I set up the Twitter Charity Scarf Campaign* to adorn my neck and highlight other causes).
But, I want to know when I get to OWN my neck? When will junior docs stop poking at me at teaching hospitals?
When will the swelling that seems to come and go, and then come back even worse when I have a cold finally LEAVE?
When will vocal coaches stop holding my neck to help retrain my dulcet tones to work correctly?
And when will people who “know” stop trying to catch a glimpse of “the neck”…
So, I ask… When do I get MY neck back… and not one that looks like I am a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers?!
Thanks for reading-
Louise
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(Bio) Louise Sattler: Owner of Signing Families, Psychologist, founder of 411Voices media network and apparently a “wanna-be” linebacker: Twitter Charity Scarf- see my blog and also on Twitter #TwitterCharityScarf Website, Signing Families, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Linked In and You Tube
Tags: letters to doctors and thyroid patients, new thyroid cancer patients, thyroid cancer advocates, thyroid cancer blog, thyroid cancer forum, thyroid cancer letters, thyroid cancer patient laments, thyroid cancer patient letters, thyroid cancer scars, thyroid cancer support
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7 Responses to “Hut, Hut, Hut!”
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Dear Warrior Goddess,
Your neck does not define you…nor did the cancer. It is your indomitable, fighting spirit…and you’ve got that goin’ on!
Wendy
I think you have expressed a common desire in this article. Cancer patients quickly find themselves being treated, often un-intentionally, as if their cancer affected body part is the whole summation of who they are. It is not so!
For a cancer patient to want “their life back” and to claim “ownership” I think is a great indicator that they are on a healing path, with the goal in sight. That need to draw a line in the sand and say, exactly “when” will I get to that place; says to me that you are nearly there. Good on you for staking your claim!
YOUR NECK.
What a powerful beautiful question – “When do I get my neck back?”
Everyone who has suffered thyroid illness/thyca will resonate with this.
HUGS- Thank you for sharing with us. And OMG- I hope your neck is yours SO SO SOON. It is so strange how parts of my body feel like mine and some parts I forget are mine.
How profound – truly profound that you have made me think simply by asking this one question.
x
Melissa
In the beginning, I felt much the same.
At what point do you, become you?
It took an indeterminable time to be honest. Eventually you learn to embrace it for who you are. With me the swelling went down after some time, and the sense of feeling is starting to return.
Let me explain embrace. Every morning when i look in the mirror and see a scar of 30cm from my below my right ear across my neck, its a constant reminder of how lucky I am for what I have, not what I don’t have.
It’s something to keep me in check, and I embrace what I’ve had, because it makes me who I am today. Someone far better than I was before.
Cyclist, Cancer Fighter, Family Man, and Entrepreneur
When do we get our neck back? My response is that no person one will be able to answer that for you, not even yourself. I hope we can be here to guide you and help you through your tough times.
I love this site because we can share our experiences and offer some advice from our personal experiences.
So let us know if you get your neck back or if you need help getting to that place before it was taken away!
THANK YOU ALL!!! I feel so blessed to have found this group and all those who have helped me along this journey.
with gratitude-
Louise
I know how you feel, I too was there!
I have a “few” scars because Dr. “Frankenstein” would NOT do a complete thyroidectomy at once..
Scars Add Character, and mine are beautiful, and sexy just like me <3, I do wear scarfs and bandanna's, and when people ask me about my scars I tell them…I'm a proud survivor of Thyroid Cancer those scars tell my story..{HUGS} and Feel Better soon!