Blurry Vision Papillary Cancer - Thryoidectomy tomorrow.

its Cancer.. there is no lucky
I am sorry to anyone who says your lucky about haveing a type of cancer i would snap at them that you dont want ANY type and there is no good type of cancer. I really wish doctors wouldnt say things like that.

yes when your thyroid goes bad you can have your vision change. my optomologist told me that i should have my vision checked every 6 months till i am through the cancer and then go to 1 year.

when i had mine go bad i was also into brain fog and the like its your body not geting the right amount of thyroid chemicals.

if they can tell what stage it is already it wouldnt be a good thing (means a later stage) if they cant mabey your lucky.. if you look a few posts down you can read my blog "My experiance with thyroid cancer nov 2009-oct 2010 (LONG)" when i was diagnostd they though it was clean by fine needle then they found out i had both papillary and follicular (both in stage one they think) ..

um CND dosnt sound good
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Central Compartment Neck Dissection
Refers to the bilateral removal of lymph nodes surrounding the midline visceral structures of the anterior neck - level VI. The lymph nodes include the pre- and paratracheal, pre-cricoid (Delphian) and perithyroidal. The superior limit of the dissection is the hyoid bone; the inferior limit is the suprasternal notch; and the lateral limits are the carotid arteries.

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as far as when they do the frozen section they might find as me that there are more than one type of thyroid cancer.

if you have any questions please ask us and ask your docotor as well as everyone else in the medical section who are going to do the surgery.

just cause they havent mentioned a stage dosnt mean you can not ask them. the more you ask them the more information you will get.

good luck and i cant wait to hear from you after surgery so you can share your story

sunnyaz said:

Blurry Vision
Hi Connie13,
I had the blurry vision before I knew I had Thyroid cancer, it is one of the symptoms. I just thought my eyes were going bad. It didn't go away for me. I know have to wear glasses. I can't read anything up close without them. I do the cross eyed thing when I try. I am okay with distance however. Brain fog is all a part of the package. It will get better after you are stable on medication. I also had nausea and sudden exhaustion. I had my Thyroidectomy on November 12 of 2009. No RAI at that time. In May of 2010 I found out I had metastasis to the Lymph nodes. Thirty four were removed on June 10th. RAI on September 1st 2010. This past Monday I found out that the surgeon missed a very large Lymph node and it has spread to other Lymph's again. I am seeing a new surgeon on the 23rd of this month to discuss a third surgery to remove more Lymph nodes. Even if you are stage 1 (as was I, and yes this will happen after your surgery when they are able to size it), insist on the RAI soon after your Thyroidectomy. Don't let them tell you that the benefits don't outweigh the risks. There is very little risk to RAI compared to the fight of your life later if it keeps returning. Also, have them do a test for the B-RAF mutation gene. If you are positive at least you will know what you are dealing with. B-RAF makes the cancer more aggressive and more difficult to treat. Aggressive treatment is the best option in the beginning of your diagnosis. This will reduce your odds of re-occurrence. And, don't buy into that crap about it being the "best cancer" to have. Cancer is cancer and without Thyroid medication you can not survive. There are plenty of people walking around without part of a lung or other missing body parts from cancer without having to take medication to survive the rest of their lives. The thyroid is an integral part of your body functions and without it there is havoc. I don't mean to scare you but you should know that your life will change without your thyroid. I wish you the best for your surgery. There is a lot of support on this site. Lots of people who are going through or have gone through this. Hope to hear about your progress soon.
Sunnyaz

i still get exhaustion now
i still get exhaustion now and then (they probaly dont have my synthroid level correct yet)

I totaly agree on the radiation too. yes its a scare and yes its got lots of potential negatives but i definatly think the issues i have
1) constant dry mouth
2) change of taste (everything seems metalic and salty)
3) minor sore throat and salavary glands now and then
4) getting tired now and then and being lower energy (problay too low synthroid)

i think thats all the negitives I have had from the radiation. and i would do it again if they think it would help.

I am 6 months past my radiation treatment and besides other issues that i eithor had before or issues caused by other surgeries (not related to thyroid cancer).

yes haveing to take a pill a day for the rest of your life may be in the easy range but alot of other cancers dont require any medication when your in remision.

again there is no Good cancer or best one to have or any of that crap. Cancer is cancer and they all are big pains.

if you dont have a support group or have anyone who has been trhough this tell us i am sure one or more of us will be willing to call you and talk to you about it. Oh and find a local cancer support group (sure its not thyroid focused) they know some of what you have been through and can help... i was nervious of going to my first one and then afterwards was annoyed that i didnt go pre surgery as well as greatly looking forward to the next one... heck im also looking for other cancer support groups in my area so i can go to those as well (schedule permitting)

good luck with your surgery

Definatly want to hear your experiances

dont let them wait a long time before radiation i pushed it as quick as i could for my health reasons (here was my quick range)

22 Feb 2010 Right side Thyroidectomy mass was 7.1 cm.
02 Mar 2010 results came back Thyroid cancer Papillary Carcinoma (ended up also as follicular)
09 Mar 2010 Thyroidectomy completion Surgery.
19 Apr Start the LID in prep for radiation treatment.
3 May 2010 first uptake dose of radiation (RI-131 UPTAKE) 8.1 uCi of I-131 t1/2= 8 days.
4 May 2010 radiation count on my thyroid followed by my second uptake dose of radiation (RI-123 UPTAKE) 2.8 mCi I-123 t1/2= 13.2 hours
5 May 2010 multitude of CT scans (multiple scans over a 3 hour period)
Hospitalized for treatment my dose of radiation 175 mCi of I-131 t1/2= 8 days
7 May 2010 released from isolation 7mr/hr 1 meter. Placed on Synthroid.

swt_reyes said:

Hello
I just wanted to wish you well with your surgery and I hope all goes smooth for you! Hard to be having these things done around the holiday season. My heart and prayers go out to you and your family!

Sincerely,
~Christy~

Blurry Vision
Christy,
This is one of the symptoms I forgot to mention in my other post. I always had excellent vision until about December of 2008. I just thought I was getting older, that's what everyone told me.
Julie-SunnyAZ

nevergiveup51 said:

Dear SunnyAz: My surgeon
Dear SunnyAz:

My surgeon told me the reason I am stage 3 is because it spread to 4 lymph nodes. I guess this is not true if your lymph nodes were affected and it was still considered stage 1. I am so sick of doctors. I had problems for a very long time, blurry vision, throat hurting, trouble swallowing, dizzy, brain fog, etc. and on synthroid for a long time and never once did a doctor suggest a ultra-sound to check my thyroid. My eye doctor, and I went to many, told me that after 40 your vision normally worsens. He had explained in detail exactly what happens with the eye as you age. Sounded good but I never thought this to be true for a second at least not in my case. Trouble is how do you get a doctor to listen to what you say?

Debby

Get Facts
I know there are a lot of doctors that think patients are stupid and don't know their own bodies. I argue with the two I work with all the time about it. Luckily they listen to my plea's for the patients. I advocate for them and they are getting used to it. They forget that not everybody is a "whiner." I actually printed out reports of symptoms from Web MD and showed my PCP that I had over 90% of the symptoms of Thyroid disorder. One symptom that is overlooked is something called Galactorrhea. It's discharge from the breasts many years after you give birth. Your breasts just didn't get the memo that you quit breast feeding. After many painful Mammograms and busting my Milk ducts open only to discover that the milk shot out toward my breast bone and looked like cancer, I decided to never have another Mammogram. I finally had to insist that he do more testing or I was going to go to another doctor. Then I kindly explained that if that other doctor found something he refused to search for that I would report him to the Board of Medicine. I don't see that doctor anymore because I just don't trust him. If you aren't getting answers or results from one, go to another and get another opinion. It's okay to tell them that you are frustrated with not being heard. Truthfully, if I wasn't in the Medical field, I may not have known enough to push it. That is one of the reasons I am on this site. I want to help educate as many people about Thyroid Cancer. According to the NCI, thyroid cancer diagnoses have increased at a rate of 6.5 percent a year from 1997 to 2006. There is proof that the increasing rate is not just a reflection of improved detection or greater awareness. Researchers say they really don't know what is causing the increase. The best we can do is make everyone we know aware of the possibility and teach them to check their throats for lumps on a regular basis just like we are taught to check for breast lumps every month. I hope this sheds some light on your situation. Sorry to ramble, but I could go on and on about the idiot doctors in our country.
Julie-SunnyAZ

nasher said:

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I want to help educate
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I want to help educate as many people about Thyroid Cancer. According to the NCI, thyroid cancer diagnoses have increased at a rate of 6.5 percent a year from 1997 to 2006. There is proof that the increasing rate is not just a reflection of improved detection or greater awareness.
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@sunnyaz

personaly I think it is both reasons. I know only 1 out of 60 people I work with knew anything about thyroid cancer prior to me getting it and now one other of my co-workers found out she is hyperthyridic its not cancer but she just didnt think that the symptoms ment anything.

Also most my command 500+ people know that I am recovering from thyroid cancer. I am not hideing the fact I have/had cancer and I am in the gym 4 days a week doing what I can (I have a series of other medical issues that limit what I can do).

basicaly over the last year my command started makeing sure people knew how to check themselves for most the ones you can check by yourself because I wasnt afrade to talk about it.

back in the early 90's and before people didn't talk about any cancer really or you may know of someone who got cancer but they were heavy smokers and such.

...

but yes the eyes can go and shift faster when your thyroid acts up my optomologyst told me that.

Helping Educate
This is so AWESOME! This is how the cure starts. I am hoping to find more cause for the disease. God willing and if I can get enough funding I am starting a research project of my own regarding the effects of Heat Stroke on the Thyroid. I started a post and have had a few responses. It's going to be a long process but I think it will be worth it in the end.
Julie

nbudhram said:

Blurry Vision
Julie,
Is blurry Vision Bad, i am having that too?

not good or bad
well it isnt nessarly good or bad its the fact that when your thyroid starts to go bad it may alter your vision so you may need to get glasses or get your glasses adjusted.

myself it has been just over 1 year since i have had my thyroid have problems and i need new glasses already (i used to go 4-5 years before my vision changed enough)

good luck

sunnyaz said:

Hi Nalita,
It's not that
Hi Nalita,

It's not that it's bad. I haven't heard of anyone going blind or anything. I never wore glasses before I started having Thyroid problems. I started noticing that my vision was becoming blurry in late 2008. In early 2009 I started gaining weight little by little even though I was very active. Then I began with the total and sudden exhaustion and nausea with the feeling of wanting to pass out or fall asleep just like a Narcoleptic. I would have to say that the blurry vision was my first symptom but I wasn't aware of it since I didn't know I had Thyroid Cancer. I just thought I was getting older and my eyes were going bad. I wear glasses now to read mostly. I can't read much without my glasses unless it's really big print. First I got the cheap "cheater readers" from the drug store. In November of this year I finally broke out of "cheap" and went for an eye exam and bought prescription lenses. It's a HUGE difference. My eye doctor says that my prescription will need to be checked about every year. I was surprised to find out that my eyes are not equal and this is normal for most people. You generally have one eye that is stronger than the other and your prescription is tailored to compensate the needs for each eye. Take care and God Bless!

Julie

BFAR Srcrean
BRAF screening.

Morning Julie,
How are you doing?
As always thanks for your advice. I saw the oncologist yesterday and my surgery is scheduled for Feb 7. I ask him about the BFAF screening and the said it was not necessary. Tell me more about this test; it is a biopsy that is done with the tumor that was removed? Can I just request the doctor to do the testing?

Eye problems
I had severe pain, blurry vision, sensitivity to light and dry eyes for two years before I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
Yes, it did subside after my thyroidectomy. Good thoughts going your way!