New Papillary thyroid cancer diagnosis scared advanced?

Hi,

Another male in your age group checking in. It’s incredibly scary to be told you have cancer, especially at such a young age. On a brighter note, thyroid is one of the ones that they are better at treating compared to other forms.

I had Total Thyroidectomy in December and medium dose RAI last month so do feel free to shoot me any specific questions you have.

More than anything, I’d advise you to take some time for yourself and your loved ones. Your cancer does not define the person you are, focus on being that amazing person, and don’t be afraid to reach out to a professional for emotional support if you feel you’d benefit from it. 

Hii Thankyou for your reply. My head is all over the place right now, I’m so scared as I never thought I’d get cancer. Guess il be having a high dose of radioactive iodine due to the amount of nodes involved. I know the prognosis for thyroid cancer is generally good but I feel in my case it may not be due to the spread. I’m also scared with my appearance as surgery will almost definately cause me some sort of issue with it being a TT with full neck dissection. Also the scar will literally be from one ear to the other which is rare in thyroid cancer. As I usually just see an incision at the site of the thyroid and a few cm across for local lymph nodes. I really don’t want to die from this :( 

Hey United!

So I was diagnosed aged 25, again healthy happy and care free. Presented with a lump then had a total thyroidectomy and neck dissection with about 5 lymph nodes removed. I had about 20 staples and my scar goes right across my neck. Nobody ever notices my scar! It’s in a natural neck crease so is barely visible! And I got full movement back a few months after surgery. I felt the same as you when I was diagnosed and it was one hell of a journey BUT I am three years on and still living life to the full. Yes I always have to keep in mind my medication levels and have blood tests etc but really I was sent to carry on with my life. I’ve attached a photo of my scar for you to see.. please do message me if you need. I’ve always felt talking to others who really understand gives me a lot of comfort.

Lydia x

I am also in the same boat. I have thyroid cancer and it also spread to my lymph nodes along the left side of my neck. Please, don't worry, the success rate for Papillary Cancer is one of the highest. My doctor said, if you're going to get cancer, this is the best type to get. From the research I've done, you will recover to live a perfectly normal life, so don't worry.

My surgery to remove my thyroid and nodes is this Tuesday 30th. I'm anxiously waiting and a little scared but I know I'll be safe and well afterwards. It's just something we've got to grin and bear to get through so we can carry on with our lives.

https://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/thyroid-cancer-forum/f/thyroid-cancer-forum/213571/new-diagnosis-of-metastatic-papillary-thyroid-carcinoma

This is the link to my forum thread, where DM and Lydia above also wrote some great advice and support information. Take a read and if you want to know anything from me after Tuesday, please drop me a message.

I think it's amazing you shared this photo. Thank you. 

Strange when they say things like ‘a good cancer to have’ Isnt it? got that a lot but never felt lucky at the time! it’s so true though, it’s usually completely treatable and doesn’t involve any nasty chemo. I don’t mind sharing my scar photo, my surgeon shows it off to anyone who happens to be around when I go for my appointments because he knows he did it so so neatly. You can’t even tell how big it is from the photo, the incision was around 5/6 inches! X