What questions I should ask my doctor???

Blair84
Blair84 Member Posts: 45
edited March 2014 in Thyroid Cancer #1
I was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma last week. I'm going to see the surgeon on Feb 17, what questions should I ask him?? Im very new to this, 25 years old.

Comments

  • Perstephanie
    Perstephanie Member Posts: 26
    #2
    I don't really know either but,
    How big is the tumor/nodule/node/mass? Where is it? What is he recommending? A total thyroidectomy or a lobectomy? Does he want you to have radioactive iodine ablation afterward? When do they want you to schedule your surgery?

    I'm 28 and haven't had my surgery yet. I'm still terrified. I have no idea what I'm going to do. You're in good company. I'm actually seeing a surgeon on the 17th too.
  • Blair84
    Blair84 Member Posts: 45
    #3
    Perstephanie said:

    I don't really know either but,
    How big is the tumor/nodule/node/mass? Where is it? What is he recommending? A total thyroidectomy or a lobectomy? Does he want you to have radioactive iodine ablation afterward? When do they want you to schedule your surgery?

    I'm 28 and haven't had my surgery yet. I'm still terrified. I have no idea what I'm going to do. You're in good company. I'm actually seeing a surgeon on the 17th too.

    Thank you
    Yes. I'm pretty scared but actually I've been handing this situation pretty well...praying helps. 4 years ago I was diagnosed with depression so now I know exactly what to do to not go back to the same state of mind. Staying positive is very important...
    I just got diagnosed last week, when you got diagnosed?
  • kb55
    kb55 Member Posts: 7
    #4
    thyroid surgery
    I had a total thyroidectomy in November & had no problems at all. The main thing is to see a surgeon who specializes in thyroid surgery, one who does this on a daily basis. My endo dr. sent me to a lady surgeon who specializes in thyroid & female surgeries and she was great. My advice to you is to be sure of the qualifications of your surgeon and you are very right about remaining positive. It is so important!
  • Anna82
    Anna82 Member Posts: 4
    #5
    Blair84 said:

    Thank you
    Yes. I'm pretty scared but actually I've been handing this situation pretty well...praying helps. 4 years ago I was diagnosed with depression so now I know exactly what to do to not go back to the same state of mind. Staying positive is very important...
    I just got diagnosed last week, when you got diagnosed?

    How did yall's appointment
    How did yall's appointment go? I had my surgery done by an ENT surgeon who has done MANY of these surgeries. Some people travel from the other side of the country to have him do their surgery. The biggest thing is making sure you are confident with your surgeon. Make sure he has done many of these because the surgery is very close to important vessels and nerves. I had my surgery done (about 8 in the morning) and as soon as I was not nauseous from the anesthesia anymore (about 8 that night) I went out to eat at Olive Garden. I still felt a little groggy while the anesthesia wore off and I was on pain medication but two days later I was fine. I lost my voice a little and had a little trouble drinking that went away about a week later. But all in all he did a GREAT job. My incision looked wonderful and was very minimally painful. I still don't have some pitches in my voice but he had to dig on the left side to get all my tumor out, it was 4.2 cm! So I'm sure it is just inflammation pressing on my recurrent laryngeal nerve. Now, I'm just awaiting the RAI and I am on this crappy low iodine diet. The waiting for me is the hardest! Hope everything went well!

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