A couple of months ago I was talking to my husband on webcam as he'd dashed back to the UK to be with his parents... his father had been diagnosed with cancer.
I'd been to the doctor with my son... he'd had a knock playing rugby and we wanted to check all was well. Whilst he was getting dressed I chatted to the doctor... filling time as you do.
"Why can't I drink alcohol? I go red, get very hot and itchy... last time I had one tiny sip and the effect lasted for 3 days" I joked... expecting him to say hard luck.
"It could be your thyroid - I'll send you for a scan" says the doctor.
I went away with my prescription thinking how bizarre. I'd had four previous blood tests in 8 years checking for thyroid problems; I was symptomatic but my bloods always came back normal... I thought he's barking up the wrong tree.
A couple of weeks later the ultrasound picked up a very enlarged thyroid with several large nodules. From here I had more appointments and scans. It all seemed to gain a momentum of it's own and a few weeks ago I had my thyroid and some lymph nodes removed. The surgeon told me after the operation that he beleived at least one of the nodules were malignant.
The cancer was confirmed a few days later and yesterday they confirmed I had stage II Follicular Thyroid Cancer. Well differentiated and very treatable.
I feel like I've been holding my breath for weeks... I keep being told this is a good cancer but it doesn't feel good! I'm angry that it took a silly conversation with a French doctor to find something that has been growing in my throat for years... and doctors in the UK suggested anti-depressents for me!
I feel scared and feel a fraud at the same time... there are worst cancers and I'm lucky... aren't I?
