1. < Thyroid Cancer

Elected lobectomy on other side

Posted by mift24 @mift24, Apr 23 11:03pm

My family member elected to have a lobectomy on other side recently. They had been diagnosed with minimally invasive follicular carcinoma. Question: Is it mandatory a biopsy/pathology report be done on the elective side too? Would be more relieved if it were. Not seeing any report yet. Surgery was done April 17th

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dlydailyhope | @dlydailyhope | Apr 24 8:31am

@mift24
I would think they need to do pathology on the lobe removed. I don’t think they wouldn’t do it if a patient had the other lobe originally removed due to cancer. I also think they wouldn’t need to justify removal of the 2nd lobe to the insurance company based upon noting suspicious nodules/calcifications, etc. and needing to be on thyroid medication for life.

My sister had thyroid cancer at 27 and first had her one lobe removed and when pathology confirmed cancer, she had the 2nd lobe removed. I had a suspicion 2.5 cm nodules in my right lobe (I was in my early 50s) that was removed and it was not cancer but pathology found a micro cancer. I still have my left lobe but there is a large macro calcification and I am taking levothyroxine for hypothyroidism now. At some point, I might need the left lobe removed. If I was able to elect to have it removed, I would hope they would do the pathology on the macro calcification.

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dlydailyhope | @dlydailyhope | Apr 24 8:34am
In reply to @dlydailyhope "@mift24 I would think they need to do pathology on the lobe removed. I don’t think..." + (show)
@dlydailyhope

@mift24
I would think they need to do pathology on the lobe removed. I don’t think they wouldn’t do it if a patient had the other lobe originally removed due to cancer. I also think they wouldn’t need to justify removal of the 2nd lobe to the insurance company based upon noting suspicious nodules/calcifications, etc. and needing to be on thyroid medication for life.

My sister had thyroid cancer at 27 and first had her one lobe removed and when pathology confirmed cancer, she had the 2nd lobe removed. I had a suspicion 2.5 cm nodules in my right lobe (I was in my early 50s) that was removed and it was not cancer but pathology found a micro cancer. I still have my left lobe but there is a large macro calcification and I am taking levothyroxine for hypothyroidism now. At some point, I might need the left lobe removed. If I was able to elect to have it removed, I would hope they would do the pathology on the macro calcification.

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@mift24
Correction, they would need to justify removal to insurance company and believe they would require pathology documentation.

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foreverme | @foreverme | Apr 24 1:52pm

I just had my right lobe removed April 8th. It had cancer. My left one was removed Sept 29th, 2023. Also because of cancer. They did pathology reports after surgery on both. I feel worse right now more so than before the surgery. I'm praying relief comes soon.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | May 6 2:18pm
In reply to @foreverme "I just had my right lobe removed April 8th. It had cancer. My left one was..." + (show)
@foreverme

I just had my right lobe removed April 8th. It had cancer. My left one was removed Sept 29th, 2023. Also because of cancer. They did pathology reports after surgery on both. I feel worse right now more so than before the surgery. I'm praying relief comes soon.

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@foreverme, I thought I'd check in to see how you are doing now that it is almost a month since your last surgery. How is recovery going? Will you need further treatment once you heal?

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1 reply
foreverme | @foreverme | May 6 3:03pm
In reply to @colleenyoung "@foreverme, I thought I'd check in to see how you are doing now that it is..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

@foreverme, I thought I'd check in to see how you are doing now that it is almost a month since your last surgery. How is recovery going? Will you need further treatment once you heal?

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I'm still going through some bumps in the road. So far no treatment has been mentioned. I might have to have voice therapy and the right side of my throat feels paralyzed when I swallow. I'm not healing like I did the first time. Thank you for asking.

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rockon79 | @rockon79 | May 10 4:23pm

I am so sorry, and I think that is absolutely terrible and unacceptable I have a large tumor on each thyroid lobe, 3.6 on the left and 4. on the right, One is a "maybe" Bethesda III and the other is papillary cancer Bethesda V!. I am sure they will remove the whole thyroid. I have much empathy for you and I hope I won't suffer as you have. I am going to do everything I can so that won't happen, but I feel a bit helpless at this point!

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dlydailyhope | @dlydailyhope | May 11 8:54am
In reply to @foreverme "I'm still going through some bumps in the road. So far no treatment has been mentioned...." + (show)
@foreverme

I'm still going through some bumps in the road. So far no treatment has been mentioned. I might have to have voice therapy and the right side of my throat feels paralyzed when I swallow. I'm not healing like I did the first time. Thank you for asking.

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@foreverme
I hope they are able to do a swallow test and check of your vocal cords post thyroid surgery. Are you working with an ear/nose/throat specialist, and endocrinologist?

What dosage are you on for thyroid medication? Do you feel it is at the right level? It took months for my medication to be optimized (was like a zombie for a while and could not get out of bed due to extreme fatigue…that was even though I still had half of my thyroid).

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1 reply
foreverme | @foreverme | May 11 5:24pm
In reply to @dlydailyhope "@foreverme I hope they are able to do a swallow test and check of your vocal..." + (show)
@dlydailyhope

@foreverme
I hope they are able to do a swallow test and check of your vocal cords post thyroid surgery. Are you working with an ear/nose/throat specialist, and endocrinologist?

What dosage are you on for thyroid medication? Do you feel it is at the right level? It took months for my medication to be optimized (was like a zombie for a while and could not get out of bed due to extreme fatigue…that was even though I still had half of my thyroid).

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I will be seeing my ent soon. They raised my levothyroxine to 175 last week. My tsh was just a little over, my vitamin was 27, and my pth was 138. I get labs done again in 3 months unless my ent wants to do them sooner. He's also a thyroid surgeon and I wish I'd have met him when this all started 2 years ago.

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