Age of first diagnosis

chrissy24

My fiance was just diagnosed in Feb of this year with stage 3 thyroid cancer. He is 33. I was wondering if anyone else had this diagnosis or similar situationa, what your age is now, and what you've been through as far as treatment?
Thanks!
Chris

straussu

I found a lump that my doctor tried to suppress at age 33. After one year, it did not get any smaller, so I had a total thyroidectomy at age 34. The big lump was benign, but there was a smaller malignant tumor also. I never had any other treatment because it was only 3 mm in size. It is now 14 years later and I am probably having a recurrence. I will be going through a week long process to scan my neck to see what is there. The doctor thinks it is in my lymph nodes. The good news is that even if it is back, it can be easily treated with radioactive iodine. Mine was papillary thyroid cancer which is the most common type. There are other types out there. Good luck to you and your fiance. Hopefully, he will have any easy treatment like mine.

Nesie96

Hi Chris,

I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in '96 when I was 30. I had a total thyroidectomy and I-131 treatment, which is pretty aggressive, but I have other health issues and they wanted to make absolutely sure they got everything.

I've been fine, but I found out recently -- thanks to a new doc reviewing my old records -- that the cancer has come back. It's teeny, so hopefully they'll just I-131 me.

What type of cancer does he have? Just wondering....

walrus

i was just 31 with the stage 3 pap carcionoma
had total thyroidectomy and rai as well as some external beam treatments to be sure the lymph stayed clear, biggest problem was getting the replacement meds to work,, syntroid sucks i am on armour natural and doing so very well i am close to the activity and such before the cancer

chrissy24

Nesie96 said:

Hi Chris,

I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in '96 when I was 30. I had a total thyroidectomy and I-131 treatment, which is pretty aggressive, but I have other health issues and they wanted to make absolutely sure they got everything.

I've been fine, but I found out recently -- thanks to a new doc reviewing my old records -- that the cancer has come back. It's teeny, so hopefully they'll just I-131 me.

What type of cancer does he have? Just wondering....

He also has papillary. Stage 3 as it was a large tumor and spread into his lymph nodes. I think the hardest part right now is dealing with his mood swings.

We are getting married in April and of course, I'm the one who wants to know how long we have together. This really sucks.

brocious

I was diagnosed with follicular carcinoma earlier this year. I am 18 years old and have gone through 2 thyroid lobectomy procedures, I guess that makes it a total thyroidectomy.. I'm currently in the process of my I-131 treatment. I took the little blue pill about 4 days ago and am still in "isolation". Treatment has been pretty easy for me and so far Ive had no bad side effects to the radioactive iodine other than a pretty good sore throat and scratchiness.

Best of luck to your and your fiance

TexasChipee

Papillary Thyroid Cancer was my diagnose in 2004 went in for a removal of a over active thyroid then the doc found cancer so all thyroid was taken out, had to go into hospital to do the radation iodine pill as well. I wanted just to say when most of us hear we have cancer its really scarry, I know that I went through alot mood swings as well, after thyroid removal had to wait awhile for my thyroid level to go down so I could do the radaion pill and I went down fast, no strength, hardly walk and slept alot. I know my family took this as hard as I did they had a hard time dealing with watching me so weak and it was during the holidays. Please be patient with him, give him love and keep family and friends near him during this hard time in his life. Myself I have learned to take life day by day trust in the lord and stay positive'
Take care and god bless you
TexasChipee

tlheyne

Nesie96 said:

Hi Chris,

I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in '96 when I was 30. I had a total thyroidectomy and I-131 treatment, which is pretty aggressive, but I have other health issues and they wanted to make absolutely sure they got everything.

I've been fine, but I found out recently -- thanks to a new doc reviewing my old records -- that the cancer has come back. It's teeny, so hopefully they'll just I-131 me.

What type of cancer does he have? Just wondering....

I am recently diagnosed (July 8,2008) with a follicular neoplasm. I will be 54 on Aug. 2. Total thyroid removal is scheduled for Aug.6. But like you, I have another health issue - a tumor in my spinal cord, about mid-chest T5. What other health issues do you have, if I may ask? My neuro feels the spinal tumor is linked to the cancer cells in my thyroid. My symptoms started with numbness in lower extremities. After numerous tests to rule out things like MS, here we are. Does anyone else have the met problem in their spine? Guess it's rare.

gmthul

I was diagnosed in June at
I was diagnosed in June at age 29. I am married with four kids under 5. It has been difficult emotionally for both me and my husband. I have papillary/follicular variant and had a large primary tumor with capsular invasion. Now I have a recurrence (already since surgery in June) which is scaring us both. The best thing for me emotionally is slowing life down and getting time to just be together, whether we talk about the "big issues" or not. Just a thought that might help you relate to your fiancee. Good luck.

luckylinda

gmthul said:

I was diagnosed in June at
I was diagnosed in June at age 29. I am married with four kids under 5. It has been difficult emotionally for both me and my husband. I have papillary/follicular variant and had a large primary tumor with capsular invasion. Now I have a recurrence (already since surgery in June) which is scaring us both. The best thing for me emotionally is slowing life down and getting time to just be together, whether we talk about the "big issues" or not. Just a thought that might help you relate to your fiancee. Good luck.

I understand your fear
Dear gmthul, I just signed up on this web site, and you are the first person I have replied to. But, I pray that you will heal, and be able to spend some wonderful moments with your family and children for many years to come. My 16 year old daughter just had a total thyroidectomy, and we get the path report on Monday. It is scary. We just want our life back. We just wanted a simple life, not this cancer which complicates everything. From your picture, you have beautiful children and you must be a wonderful mother. Keep up the good work. You are not alone on this journey, although I am sure it feels like it. Take care. With love, to a stranger, luckylinda.

Kath5219

luckylinda said:

I understand your fear
Dear gmthul, I just signed up on this web site, and you are the first person I have replied to. But, I pray that you will heal, and be able to spend some wonderful moments with your family and children for many years to come. My 16 year old daughter just had a total thyroidectomy, and we get the path report on Monday. It is scary. We just want our life back. We just wanted a simple life, not this cancer which complicates everything. From your picture, you have beautiful children and you must be a wonderful mother. Keep up the good work. You are not alone on this journey, although I am sure it feels like it. Take care. With love, to a stranger, luckylinda.

Hey
I was diagnosed in March
Hey

I was diagnosed in March of 2007 with a combo of Papillary and Follicular which was very well advanced and had spread to my lymph nodes. At the time I was 27 and married with three kids...now im 28 single with three kids about to go through my third round of treatment.

You will have plenty of time with your man!! I have bad mood swings and my boyfriend is so supportive and patient with me. Naturally sometimes he gets over it and needs to tell me so!!! but just be patient and help him the way HE needs it not the way you think he does. Ask him to tell you what he needs from you. You never know...life is long with many twists and turns maybe one day he will be caring for you through a tough pregnancy or an illness....try and think how you would want to be cared for!

All the best
K

cboo1974

diagnosis
I am 33 and was diagnosed Oct.9,2008 with papillary thyroid cancer. Mine was only stage one but I feel lucky that was as far as it got. I never checked my neck for lumps, was not having any symptoms. The lump was only found because I went to see an ears,nose,throat doc. because my friend had noticed that while we were on vacation that I stopped breathing while sleeping, so I was only there to get set up with a sleep study for sleep apnea, but when the dr's assistant was checking me over she found the lump. I then went in for a ultrasound on my neck and it came back showing a 5cm nodule on the right and a less than 1cm nodule on the left side of my thyroid. I decided that since it was rarely ever cancer with thyroid nodules that I would just have the right lobe of my thyroid removed. Two days after my surgery I received a call from my doc. telling me that I had cancer. A week later I went in to have the rest of my thyroid removed and I am now waiting to start I-131 on the 18th to make sure there are no other thyroid cells. After that I wait 10 days then go in for a full body scan were it will determine if the cancer is all gone.
It's not an easy road that your fiance is on and yes the mood swings are difficult. I know what I put my boyfriend through so I can imagine your fiance does the same with you. If you love him stick by his side. I was told that papillary is mostly curable and with proper follow ups if it comes back proper action can be taken fast. Even though you are not sure how much time you will have together since he has cancer, the same goes if he never had cancer. One never knows how much time we have with the ones we love. You just need to take what you can get and love while you can.
Cindy

chase_s mommy

cboo1974 said:

diagnosis
I am 33 and was diagnosed Oct.9,2008 with papillary thyroid cancer. Mine was only stage one but I feel lucky that was as far as it got. I never checked my neck for lumps, was not having any symptoms. The lump was only found because I went to see an ears,nose,throat doc. because my friend had noticed that while we were on vacation that I stopped breathing while sleeping, so I was only there to get set up with a sleep study for sleep apnea, but when the dr's assistant was checking me over she found the lump. I then went in for a ultrasound on my neck and it came back showing a 5cm nodule on the right and a less than 1cm nodule on the left side of my thyroid. I decided that since it was rarely ever cancer with thyroid nodules that I would just have the right lobe of my thyroid removed. Two days after my surgery I received a call from my doc. telling me that I had cancer. A week later I went in to have the rest of my thyroid removed and I am now waiting to start I-131 on the 18th to make sure there are no other thyroid cells. After that I wait 10 days then go in for a full body scan were it will determine if the cancer is all gone.
It's not an easy road that your fiance is on and yes the mood swings are difficult. I know what I put my boyfriend through so I can imagine your fiance does the same with you. If you love him stick by his side. I was told that papillary is mostly curable and with proper follow ups if it comes back proper action can be taken fast. Even though you are not sure how much time you will have together since he has cancer, the same goes if he never had cancer. One never knows how much time we have with the ones we love. You just need to take what you can get and love while you can.
Cindy

I was just diagnoised on
I was just diagnoised on Friday. I knew for a couple months that something was wrong. All of my blood tests came back normal but ever since I had my son (November 2007, he is almost a year old) I just felt different. I had crazy mood swings, they said it was post pardium. But I am not really depressed. I was always tired and they pretty much called me lazy. No matter how much I work out or eat healthy I have not been able to lose a pound. I have never been over weight before and now I am 245 lbs. Instead of losing weight since my son was born I have gained it. I was in nursing school but I just had to drop out this semester because I was so tired and couldnt concentrate on school. My grades went from A's to D's in a couple months. In August my throat started to hurt. It was a pain at first just an annoying feeling like something was in my throat. It was weird to swallow. I finally had enough I told my family doctor that I wanted to see an endocrinologist and I had already made an appointment. I forgot to mention that over the last couple years I have had 5 miscarriages.
So know I am waiting for my surgury consult. They have said that I have papillary thyroid cancer. They finally found out from a needle biopsy. I have a one year old son, a 5 month old puppy and a disabled husband. This may sound stupid but I dont have time for this. We are living with my mother-in-law while I was finishing school but we have overstayed our welcome I guess and we have to find some place else to go. But I was going to school, I just dropped my classes two weeks ago, I was looking for a job until next semester and just found out that I was cancer so I would be difficult to start a job with all this going on. We live out in the country and it is a 2 hour drive to the oncologist. With my husband disabled I have to drive there and now I am worrying how I will get home after the surgury. My family lives in Texas and I live in Arizona. This is so fusterating. I feel screwed, not upset or scared.. just screwed. What do I do?

Melissa

cboo1974

chase_s mommy said:

I was just diagnoised on
I was just diagnoised on Friday. I knew for a couple months that something was wrong. All of my blood tests came back normal but ever since I had my son (November 2007, he is almost a year old) I just felt different. I had crazy mood swings, they said it was post pardium. But I am not really depressed. I was always tired and they pretty much called me lazy. No matter how much I work out or eat healthy I have not been able to lose a pound. I have never been over weight before and now I am 245 lbs. Instead of losing weight since my son was born I have gained it. I was in nursing school but I just had to drop out this semester because I was so tired and couldnt concentrate on school. My grades went from A's to D's in a couple months. In August my throat started to hurt. It was a pain at first just an annoying feeling like something was in my throat. It was weird to swallow. I finally had enough I told my family doctor that I wanted to see an endocrinologist and I had already made an appointment. I forgot to mention that over the last couple years I have had 5 miscarriages.
So know I am waiting for my surgury consult. They have said that I have papillary thyroid cancer. They finally found out from a needle biopsy. I have a one year old son, a 5 month old puppy and a disabled husband. This may sound stupid but I dont have time for this. We are living with my mother-in-law while I was finishing school but we have overstayed our welcome I guess and we have to find some place else to go. But I was going to school, I just dropped my classes two weeks ago, I was looking for a job until next semester and just found out that I was cancer so I would be difficult to start a job with all this going on. We live out in the country and it is a 2 hour drive to the oncologist. With my husband disabled I have to drive there and now I am worrying how I will get home after the surgury. My family lives in Texas and I live in Arizona. This is so fusterating. I feel screwed, not upset or scared.. just screwed. What do I do?

Melissa

Just dignosed
Hi Melissa,
None of us ask for cancer to interupt our lives but it does. I planned on getting back to school this next semester as well but now because of the cancer I'll be waiting longer. There's help out there. Contact ACS I've heard that they can provide transportation. Also see if you can apply for medicaid that will help with doctor and hospital bills whether you do or don't have other health care coverage.
Don't give up on your dreams, they will come true. Cancer is a battle that we have to fight and you will and you will win the fight.
I have also found that the people in the chat room are great. Even though everyone doesn't have the same kind of cancer we all have cancer and support eachother.
Cindy :-)

firefly71

Hi!
I was 29 when diagnosed.
Hi!

I was 29 when diagnosed. I had papillary carcinoma. I had a total thyroidectomy and RAI.

I have had 2 clean scans since (in Sept 01 and Dec 05) and am currently sweating through my latest tests, hoping and praying that it hasn't come back.

Many hugs to you...