Sinister lump on right side thyroid and sinister swollen lymph nodes on right

Sinister looking lump on right thyroid plus sinister looking lymph nodes on right side of neck had since October had ultrasound  January,  then saw specialist end Jan who said stage 3 sinister looking , he referred  for fine needle  biopsy  had Feb, specialist said results would be 2/3 weeks  depending  if he needed to speak to the relevant  team  on findings, 4 weeks later phone call from hospital  to  go for ct scan from neck to pelvis following  morning , same day at lunch time message  through from hospital  with appointment for 22nd April to see specialist,  this is for my husband , when we saw specialist  originally  the stage 3 was just it was sinister  but could be cancer, we now expect  it to be cancer but we're do you go from here, he's self employed  physical job working from home, we need to know what's happening  so we can plan for things , I,e income, bills but how do you get answers when you have to wait and worry for weeks without  any confirmation has anyone been in same situation  with  thyroid and lymph nodes what did they do chemotherapy  radiotherapy  surgery

  • Hi Linda and thank you for your post. 

    I'm sorry to read about your situation. This must be an incredibly difficult time for you and your husband.  I can appreciate that waiting and not knowing can be stressful. 

    While waiting longer is not necessarily going to make your situation worse I know this is still a worry. You may find talking with the Patient Advisory Liaison Service   (PALS) will be of some help, but I really do not know if they can make your wait shorter.

    Anxiety UK    has a website that can give useful tips and advice on how to cope with these situations.

    You may find it helpful to contact Macmillan Cancer Support  as they have benefits advisers on their helpline.  They can advise on what financial help you may be entitled to. Their helpline number is 0808 808 0000.  This charity also gives  Macmillan Grants   which are one-off payments to people affected by cancer to cover a wide range of practical needs.

     Citizen's Advice  may also be able to give financial advice.  Their webpage gives advice on struggling with the cost of living.  

    You may also like to read their webpage on accessing food banks which may help to lower your food bills.

    Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

    Kind regards,

    Tina

  • Hi. I'm not a nurse but I had thyroid cancer and it is highly unlikely he will have chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Those are very rarely used for thyroid cancer. It is unlikely he will require any ongoing treatment.

    If it is cancer, the odds are he will have surgery to remove his thyroid and lymph nodes. The length of time he will need off depends on his job. Given that it is physical, it could be as much as 6-8 weeks. I went back to work four and a half weeks after my surgery, but I couldn't lift much with my left arm for a few weeks beyond that. I felt well after a few days and could have easily worked online or in an office after a week or two, but I am a teacher and needed to be able to turn my head and raise my voice (not to shout at kids but again for the first couple of weeks after I went back, I had kids running around when I was on yard duty, passing on messages to others - Miss says you need to come down from there - because I couldn't call across the yard).

    He may also need radioiodine treatment. This is a one-off and is basically just swallowing a tablet, but he would probably be in hospital for 2-4 days as he would be radioactive. One he gets out, he would be able to work from home straight away again, though he would be restricted in his interactions with other people for a short period.

  • I have had Radioiodine treatment and went home immediately afterwards. 

  • Hello and thank you for posting.

    Yes in some instances people can go home immediately after radioactive treatment. It all very much depends on your level of radioactivity when it's measured.

    Take care, and if it's helpful to chat with one of the nurses on our helpline the number is Freephone 0808 800 4040. The lines are open from 9 am till 5 pm, Monday to Friday.

    Sarah.