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Diagnosed with both papillary and follicular thyroid cancer: Advice?

Posted by jack1516 @jack1516, Sep 8, 2023

Hello! Feeling very overwhelmed today. Trying to be positive but having a hard time with it. I just had a TT Last Tuesday and got my pathology reports back yesterday afternoon. It came back both Papillary and Follicular cancer and classified it PT4a. I am scared and having a lot of anxiety. I was just hoping for some good advice and anyone experiencing results similiar to mine.

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jack1516 | @jack1516 | Sep 22, 2023
In reply to @colleenyoung "Well, my timing seems to have been spot on. :-) If you scroll to the bottom..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

Well, my timing seems to have been spot on. 🙂 If you scroll to the bottom of this long page about thyroid cancer from Mayo Clinic, you'll see a helpful list of questions to ask as you prepare for your appointment https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thyroid-cancer/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354167

These ones seem to be particularly relevant to your situation and I added a few of my own:
Will I need further treatment?
How can two different types of thyroid cancer be treated effectively?
What are my options?
What are the benefits and risks of each treatment option?
I have other health problems. How can I best manage them together?
Will I be able to work and do my usual activities during thyroid cancer treatment?
Should I seek a second opinion?
Should I see a doctor who specializes in thyroid diseases?
How quickly do I need to make a decision about thyroid cancer treatment? Can I take some time to consider my options?
What might happen if I decide to have regular checkups but not have cancer treatment?

I'll be thinking about you on Monday and will be interested to hear what you learn?

Jump to this post

This is so helpfu and yes your timing was perfect.
The other part of all this, is that I am a nurse and I have done hospice for 20yrs. I am having a hard time with not going down some really dark places. Especially when I have to read everyday about cancer and I do not see any good endings.

Thanks again for your help

REPLY
jack1516 | @jack1516 | Sep 28, 2023
In reply to @colleenyoung "Well, my timing seems to have been spot on. :-) If you scroll to the bottom..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

Well, my timing seems to have been spot on. 🙂 If you scroll to the bottom of this long page about thyroid cancer from Mayo Clinic, you'll see a helpful list of questions to ask as you prepare for your appointment https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thyroid-cancer/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354167

These ones seem to be particularly relevant to your situation and I added a few of my own:
Will I need further treatment?
How can two different types of thyroid cancer be treated effectively?
What are my options?
What are the benefits and risks of each treatment option?
I have other health problems. How can I best manage them together?
Will I be able to work and do my usual activities during thyroid cancer treatment?
Should I seek a second opinion?
Should I see a doctor who specializes in thyroid diseases?
How quickly do I need to make a decision about thyroid cancer treatment? Can I take some time to consider my options?
What might happen if I decide to have regular checkups but not have cancer treatment?

I'll be thinking about you on Monday and will be interested to hear what you learn?

Jump to this post

Hello,

My apt went well with my endo. I did not get to all the questions asked but it was very informative. I am now waiting to hear back from radiology to get my RAI set up.
I just got my TSH results back and I am 4.9 and I am suppose to be at 0.1, so not good. They raised my Levo to 125mcg currently at 112mcg. I have not got my tumor marker results back yet either.
Good news is that my parathyroid glands are working again so hopefully I will be off the calcium pills soon. Thank you again for information it did help going into my first apt but from what it sounds like there will be many more.

REPLY
Lynne Marie | @lbrockme | Oct 6, 2023

I was dx with Huertyle cell follicular carcinoma in 1991. It took a while to get the surrpressant dose high enough to regulate and suppress the thyroid. But over the 30 yrs we were able to do that and I was able to function, care for my family and work. Not always easy , of course but once you recover from the initial surgery and treatment it gets easier physically. Develop a good relationship with your dr... write down questions as they come up, take someone with you to take notes for major MD apps etc . To help remember everything they say, because when your emotions are peaked as in this type of situation and at a Dr appt, your cognition goes down a little, just because of the stress hormones. It's easy to miss something and wonder later...now what did they say?! You are your best advocate! I'll be thinking of you as your treatment approaches

REPLY
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