Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month

I haven’t wanted to blog for a while, I think that’s a good thing really. Today is the 1st of September, I’m excited about this because this is my favourite part of the year as we transition into Autumn, the night’s draw in and the leaves turn.  I like getting back into the school routine too and then there’s Halloween, which is one of my favourite events of the year and the Hocus Pocus DVD comes back out!

But this month I discovered is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month.  It’s funny to think that this time last year that meant absolutely nothing to me, and I didn’t really know what a Thyroid was.  Now I bloody do and now I don’t have one. Look how quick things can change.  So, I thought it fitting to get back to my blog and post a little something to mark the occasion and to do that I wanted to talk about symptoms and acting upon any symptoms you may experience.  In my case I just had a swelling, not even a lump…a raised area in my neck that I honestly didn’t know whether I was just imagining things.  It kept disappearing and coming back again until I couldn’t stop looking at it and noticed it sometimes felt a bit strange when I lay down.  I’ve added a picture here of what it looked like…I’m obsessed with looking at pictures of myself to see if I can date when it first appeared.  I could have had it ages and not even known because thyroid cancer, thankfully grows slowly.  I also now have a new obsession of looking at everyone else’s necks…especially when I’m in a Zoom or Teams meeting, I’m not sure how I will ever approach someone and say “erm…your neck looks a bit weird, you should get that checked out!” 

I can say this, whilst my swelling was cancer most people’s isn’t.  I have met lots of people this year who have had the scans, FNA’s, the surgery and found that after all that it was just a lump, completely benign and absolutely nothing to worry about. Even if you do get that dreaded diagnosis, it is treatable and you will be absolutely fine…just keep going, turn up to all the appointments and know that whatever is thrown at you it’s a means to an end.  Keep a goal at the end, a light at the end of what feels like a very dark tunnel and that will get you through.  

If you notice anything unusual, if for one second you have a little niggle, doubt, or a feeling that something just isn’t right…please, please go and get checked out because once I was in the system and I knew I started to feel a whole lot better and that seems crazy, doesn’t it?  Living with it isn’t the same as doing something about it…living with it is stressful and anxiety inducing because you know at some point you are going to have to face it and the chances are it is absolutely nothing to worry about.  But if by the small chance it isn’t why wait…don’t put yourself through the anxiety, get checked out because the treatment and the surgeries are really not that bad and there is support out there…so make sure you take it!  Happy Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month…I think this is an excuse to have cake!