September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness month. It is also the month that represents the anniversary of my journey. I hope that I have brought awareness to this awful cancer and I hope that my journey has been beneficial and forthright. Cancer is cancer. There is no good or easy kind. It is easy in the sense that it is usually surgically cured. Unless, it's not. I know my journey is not as unique as I like to think that I am. And I am forever grateful to have come into contact with people, who are now like my family, who are going through exactly what I am going through. Some word for word, and others, much, much worse. I also know that there are many of my friends who have taken a page out of my book and had themselves tested and a few found out that they also had cancer. Many of them found out their thyroid levels were off and are getting great results by being treated properly.
Cancer changes you. It doesn't matter what type, how bad, how long, whatever. It changes you. You change who you are, what you think, and what you become. It is your job to make those changes as positive as you can. When you are sick, regardless of what kind of sick it is, you are still in control of YOU. As long as you have a working brain, you are in control of your thoughts and actions. Often we ask God why he allows people to get sick or get mad at God when we suddenly have limitations on our bodies. But God didn't do this to us. Things happen. Stop blaming God. Instead, ask God how he can USE this moment in time to make you shine. What things do you put in your life that maybe you could allow God to change? I'm not who I was before I had cancer. I am better. A little (lot) more tired, but I still think better. My goals are different, my outlook is different and my story is different. My husband can say the same thing. We meet people and they want to hear our story. It amazes me. I've never been one to shy away from talking, especially about myself, but it amazes me to have people come up to either Tony or I and say that they had their TSH and T3 checked and found their levels were off and how amazing they are feeling now that they are on the proper medication. I lived with improperly treated Hashimoto Thyroiditis since I was 16 (an autoimmune thyroid disease where you have a giant goiter and your thyroid is unproductive). I wish someone was yelling these simple things to me 5, 10, 15 years ago!
In closing (hey look, I'm a preacher, now is when everyone starts to listen), thyroid cancer is symptomless. The only symptoms you may have are from having an under productive or over productive thyroid. Maybe you just feel like something is off. Therefore, YOU have to be in control of YOU! If something isn't right and you are not getting answers. Have your thyroid checked. If you have been on synthetic thyroid meds for a decade but you still don't feel right, have your thyroid checked. Demand to be put on Naturethroid or Armor Thyroid. These are natural dissected thyroids from pigs (Oink! I love my piggy's!!) that have both T3 and T4. This has Changed my life. You hear me? Let me say it again. These little piggy's have Changed My LIFE! Here is a link, read at your digression. http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/2009/05/26/are-you-switching-to-nature-throid/
Had I ignored my symptoms (remember symptomless most of the time) and listened to the first 3 Doctors who told me I was too young, it was nothing to worry about right now, it may be nothing. My story would be completely different today. I had not 1 but 2 cancers in that little butterfly organ. I didn't realize the impact of that until recently when a good friend said something about me surviving 2 types of cancer. I corrected her and she quickly said, No my dear, Follicular + Hurthel Cell means there were 2. The fact is, that one little tumor called Hurthel Cell, was the game changer. That is the most aggressive form of thyroid cancer. Not to mention my thyroid pressing on my trachea making it where I couldn't talk or take a deep breath. And I thank my sweet Lord that he put that giant yellow brick road in my way to follow. And thankfully I was already wearing red heels!
Cancer changes you. It doesn't matter what type, how bad, how long, whatever. It changes you. You change who you are, what you think, and what you become. It is your job to make those changes as positive as you can. When you are sick, regardless of what kind of sick it is, you are still in control of YOU. As long as you have a working brain, you are in control of your thoughts and actions. Often we ask God why he allows people to get sick or get mad at God when we suddenly have limitations on our bodies. But God didn't do this to us. Things happen. Stop blaming God. Instead, ask God how he can USE this moment in time to make you shine. What things do you put in your life that maybe you could allow God to change? I'm not who I was before I had cancer. I am better. A little (lot) more tired, but I still think better. My goals are different, my outlook is different and my story is different. My husband can say the same thing. We meet people and they want to hear our story. It amazes me. I've never been one to shy away from talking, especially about myself, but it amazes me to have people come up to either Tony or I and say that they had their TSH and T3 checked and found their levels were off and how amazing they are feeling now that they are on the proper medication. I lived with improperly treated Hashimoto Thyroiditis since I was 16 (an autoimmune thyroid disease where you have a giant goiter and your thyroid is unproductive). I wish someone was yelling these simple things to me 5, 10, 15 years ago!
In closing (hey look, I'm a preacher, now is when everyone starts to listen), thyroid cancer is symptomless. The only symptoms you may have are from having an under productive or over productive thyroid. Maybe you just feel like something is off. Therefore, YOU have to be in control of YOU! If something isn't right and you are not getting answers. Have your thyroid checked. If you have been on synthetic thyroid meds for a decade but you still don't feel right, have your thyroid checked. Demand to be put on Naturethroid or Armor Thyroid. These are natural dissected thyroids from pigs (Oink! I love my piggy's!!) that have both T3 and T4. This has Changed my life. You hear me? Let me say it again. These little piggy's have Changed My LIFE! Here is a link, read at your digression. http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/2009/05/26/are-you-switching-to-nature-throid/
Had I ignored my symptoms (remember symptomless most of the time) and listened to the first 3 Doctors who told me I was too young, it was nothing to worry about right now, it may be nothing. My story would be completely different today. I had not 1 but 2 cancers in that little butterfly organ. I didn't realize the impact of that until recently when a good friend said something about me surviving 2 types of cancer. I corrected her and she quickly said, No my dear, Follicular + Hurthel Cell means there were 2. The fact is, that one little tumor called Hurthel Cell, was the game changer. That is the most aggressive form of thyroid cancer. Not to mention my thyroid pressing on my trachea making it where I couldn't talk or take a deep breath. And I thank my sweet Lord that he put that giant yellow brick road in my way to follow. And thankfully I was already wearing red heels!
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