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Completion surgery tomorrow for thyroid cancer, feeling nervous!

River71
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I had my first op in March and found out it was cancer in May. I have a teen son and husband and I'm trying my best to stay positive and not worry them too much so that family life can be as normal as possible, while not pretending that the cancer doesn't worry me. It's a difficult balancing act. Can anyone relate? How do you deal with anxiety about your diagnosis and treatments?

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    Hey. I had thyroid cancer three years ago. It is worrying, but honestly, the treatment isn't the worst. You've already had part of your thyroid removed, so you probably have an idea of what to expect there. Do you know if they are going to remove lymph nodes as well? I had all the lymph nodes at one side of my neck removed and to be honest, the effects of the anaesthetic were the worst part of it all. That and it was pretty boring in the hospital!

    My operation took place just over 2 months before covid hit in so I spent the first few weeks of covid monitoring for everything! Any cough or anything like that, I'd be like "hope it's not covid" and any slight loss or gain of weight or tiredness, I'd be thinking "I hope this isn't a sign my thryoid meds aren't working." But they worked fine right from the start. No problems whatsoever.

    And then after that, all there was were the regular ultrasounds and a radioiodine treatment, which is just a nuisance with all the prep and follow-up.

  • Offline in reply to MargaretMary

    Thanks for replying, that's reassuring. I'm not expecting to have lymph nodes taken out tomorrow no, just the remaining half of the thyroid. I'll probably have the RI treatment in September or October then.

    Did you take Thyroxine immediately after your op? I know from researching online that it can take a while to find the right dosage and even the right manufacturer of the tablets. I've been borderline hypothyroid for a few years and GPs have refused to let me trial a low dose of Thyroxine. My TSH has shot up since the first op and I feel exhausted so I'm hoping thatafter the op by taking Thyroxine tablets I'll be getting a  more reliable dose of the hormone every day

    It sounds like you took it all in your stride which is admirable and I can well imagine the challenges of going through all this at the beginning of the pandemic too.

  • Offline in reply to River71

    Yes, I think I got my first dose of Thyroxine the morning after the operation. I have read, and heard, that it can take a while to find the right dosage, but that isn't the case for everybody. I had no problems on it at any point. Hopefully, you will feel better on it.

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