Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month and the Case for Screening
This recent article makes the case against screening for thyroid cancer. It even has official backing: the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force states that, for people with no symptoms, you shouldn’t screen for thyroid cancer. This is true. It’s a series of difficult procedures and the monitoring isn’t worth the low risk associated with the disease.
However, if you have any of the common symptoms, its worth getting checked out. Let me tell you why.
My Story
For years, I’d dealt with the symptoms of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a hypothyroid condition. I had nodules growing on my thyroid and despite multiple, painful biopsies, my doctors could never conclusively say if they were benign or not.
Finally, after years of watching my thyroid change, the great people at Vanderbilt Eskind Clinic suggested I go ahead and get it removed. A couple of days in the hospital (and my wife Lisa’s incredible care for me) later, I found myself sitting in an amazing surgeon’s office. Then, I learned the truth: she entered the room clutching a pamphlet about thyroid cancer. I had stage one cancer of the thyroid, commonly called “the best kind of cancer to get” due to its slow growth and slow spreading to the rest of the body.
I didn’t know I had cancer until a week after it was removed from my body.
It’s been two years since I had my thyroid out and I’m still dealing with the changes. Daily medication, diet changes, habit changes – I’m making up a lot of ground that my body couldn’t on its own. I’m feeling good now that I’ve overcome all this and yet, two years on, I still struggle with what it all means.
Despite having cancer, it feels inappropriate to call myself a cancer survivor. What I have been through seems like nothing compared to those fighting for their life against their disease. I didn’t even know I had it, I never had radiation therapy, and so far I’m in total remission.
Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disorder, but it feels weird to call it that seeing others struggle with more serious autoimmune diseases. It’s also considered a chronic condition, but again, it doesn’t feel right to say I have a chronic health condition. It’s not technically a disability unless it affects body weight or causes cancer — which it did for me. I struggle with weight and energy problems, but I would never ever think to say I have a disability.
All that said, it’s easy to discount how serious this condition really is. It lurks under the surface, presenting as odd symptoms (sleepiness, coldness, sweating, weight change, and swings of both mood and eating/sleeping cycles). It also lurks inside of all those serious terms and is easy to discount.
Take Care of Yourself
Take it from me: don’t discount your thyroid health. Without a healthy thyroid, your body cannot regulate much of anything you need to live a balanced life.
First, I’d encourage you to learn more at ThyCa, the Thyroid Cancer organization. September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month and so, this month, I’d urge you to take stock of your health and get your thyroid looked at. Especially so if any of these things ring true:
- If thyroid disease runs in your family, you’re highly likely to have inherited it. Symptoms typically present in your mid-20s.
- If you have common symptoms of hypo- or hyper- thyroidism, get checked. I wrote my symptoms off to a busy life and allergies.
- If you notice difficulty swallowing or lumps in your neck, get an ultrasound. It’s an easy step and can tell you a lot.
It’s easy to put this off — I did for years. Please, if you have any symptoms, take the time to learn about your thyroid.
