My first thyroid nodule biopsy came back indeterminate. We waited two months and had a second biopsy. This time they included the AFIRMA genomic sequencing test, which came back with 75% risk of malignancy. This was an expensive test, though it was covered between Medicare and my medical insurance company.

With this information, my endocrinologist recommended surgery to remove the part of my thyroid with the nodule. After surgery, the pathologist reported a carcinoma. Six weeks later I had surgery again to remove the rest of my thyroid, which came back negative for carcinoma. Following this second surgery, I started taking Synthroid (levothyroxine sodium tablets, USP) every day.

A month or so later, I had radioactive iodine treatment, which was just swallowing a pill. This was meant to kill off all the remaining thyroid cells in my body.

There are more details to my story, though this was the “high” points of my experience.