Thyroid Cancer Support

Question: thyroid cancer support groups for teens in ohio?

Answer: Thyroid cancer is kind of rare so you may have a hard time finding a group in your area that is just for teens. Try the nearest children’s hospital as they treat teenagers as well as little kids. I had my thyroid removed last year due to a stage 2 MX NX papillary carcinoma. Before they went in they thought it was the size of a golf ball and in fact it was a bit bigger then a lemon. I’m only 31. Cancer sucks. And yeah, the www.thyca.org website is a good one for general information. I hope you are feeling better soon. If you want to email me feel free. I know I’m not the age group you are looking for, but I can listen and maybe I know something of use.

Question: is it safe to take thyroid support supplement when my thyroid is healthy? I have a family history of thyroid disorders. My mom had thyroid cancer and my father had hyperthyroid. I had a goiter 3 years ago. It was drained and turned to be benign. My recent blood work indicated that my thyroid is functioning normally. However, I have been feeling a bit sluggish and have put on over 10 pounds in the last 5 months without changing my eating habits at all. Any advice is appreciated!

Answer: First of all, the blood work you had done was most likely a TSH test or possibly a T3 or T4 level test. These tests are very basic and not very accurate. The T4 hormones need to be converted to T3 hormones that are 4 times more active and do most of the metabolic work in the body. The thyroid is a gland that responds to other glands (like the pituitary) to function. Most people in America today are deficient in iodine. (Thank you Crest toothpaste, Fluoridated water, etc.) Fluoride depletes the body of iodine. The T3 hormones have 2 iodine molecules and 1 tyrosine amino acid molecule that make up that hormone. The T4 hormones have 3 iodine and 1 tyrosine amino acid. In order for the body to convert the T4 hormones into the T3 hormones, you must have enough Rubidium in your body to allow this to happen. The Tests doctors give you do not take any of this into consideration. They simply rely on the TSH test for example. If the TSH test shows high amount of hormone in your body, this means the pituitary is producing lots of this because the Hypothalamus is sending it a command to do so. The Hypothalamus reads the endocrine "feed back loop" and determines if the metabolic rate is o.k. in the body. If it appears slower than it should be, it sends a hormone to the pituitary to increase TSH. In regard to thyroid problems, many things can cause this problem. The parathyroid glands, contrary to popular belief of endocrinologists, can be infected and cause thyroid issues. The first test you can do for yourself very easily to get started trying to figure out the "root cause" of the thyroid problem is to find out if you are iodine deficient. There is a simple test to determine this. Get a bottle of "Tincture of Iodine" from a legal drug store and paint a patch on your forearm about 2" x 3." I suggest doing this first thing in the morning. Then watch it throughout the day. You should be able to see the patch 24 hours later. If it disappears in a few hours, you are very deficient in iodine. This is the main ingredient in making the thyroid hormones. If you are deficient in this, how can anyone expect to be able to make thyroid hormones at all? Doctors will tell you that very few people are deficient in iodine. Really, doctor? You find fluoride in more and more things today. Sodas have fluoride in them. Green tea is loaded with fluoride. Toothpaste. In fact, if you look at the tube of fluoride toothpaste, you will find a warning to keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. Why? If it is so good and safe, why would they put that warning on there. Because it can be lethal. Fluoride is one of the most lethal chemicals known. It is used in making atomic bombs. The fluoride they put in water supplies is from toxic waste dumps. They say it prevents cavities. Primitive man had NO cavities and cavities is a modern man's disease due to foods being fed to people by our illustrious food industry. The weight gain you are feeling is most likely from eating out of your "metabolic typing." You need to get metabolically typed to find out what foods your body metabolizes the best and then concentrate on eating the right fats and oils, eliminating grains that are not soaked over night, reducing your carb intake, and eating the right kinds of meat from GRASS FED COWS. Get the book called, "Life Without Bread" by Christian Allan, Ph.D. and this will give you a basic understanding of what you need to do about diet. good luck to you

Question: is it safe to take natural thyroid support supplement when my thyroid is healthy? I have a family history of thyroid disorders. My mom had thyroid cancer and my father had hyperthyroid. I had a goiter 3 years ago. It was drained and turned to be benign. My recent blood work indicated that my thyroid is functioning normally. However, I have been feeling a bit sluggish and have put on over 10 pounds in the last 5 months without changing my eating habits at all. Any advice is appreciated!

Answer: Well, those natural thyroid support supplements are generally made from either bovine or ovine thyroids (dead cow or pig thyroids ground up into powder and made into pills). If this is the kind you are looking at it could have not only a negative impact on your thyroid function but also on your liver. Most credible homeopaths don't recommend taking those kind of pills (the ones made from body parts) because not only is it terribly processed, but it is hard for your body to know what to do with it - it isn't really like your body's hormones, but it is still telling your body to do something. It will make your thyroid function increase, and that might not be what you want if you want to have a healthy thyroid. Good luck

Question: everything there is to know about thyroid cancer.? I just found out my friend's mom has thyroid cancer and i want to know enough about it to support her and be able to talk with her about it. Is it treatable? Compared to other cancers how serious is it? I guess just anything you think I should know before talking to her.

Answer: I has thyroid cancer, and it had spread into some glands in the neck. I was told after the surgery to remove the thyroid if you have this kind it's the easiest to cure. After going through lots of test to see where all this went. I took some big doses of radioactive iodine. I did not like the part of being in isolation cause I was radioactive to others.Or the taste in my mouth. But I am still here after 15 years. Yes, I still go through a testing every year. So far nothing. You take your thyroid meds each morning and you'll feel fine.And you will have to have thyroid test several times a year. Now that don't sound to bad now does it?And perhaps she will be blessed and it's only the thyroid and a small does of iodine will be all she'll need.God be with you all.

Question: Thyroid Cancer -problem with Thyca Groups? I am in my late 30's male and diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I tryed to join a group named Thyca and was denied membership, no one will tell me why. I joined their other group, Thycamental Challenges and was in there for about a day and was banned too. Is anyone else having problems joining this group? The group does not care that my wife and kids are crying thinking I am going to die, I wanted to join the group for support and feel closed out.

Answer: Sorry you have been denied access to one of the thyroid cancer groups. Unfortunately that happens from time to time. Sometimes the group owners only want those posting that have the same opinion they have and that is wrong. The only way others can learn is by reading of many people's experience. I suggest you look for another group. Below is a good thyroid site and they do have a message board as well. It's general thyroid info, but many of the members have had thyroid cancer and can hopefully be of help to you. Good luck!

Question: anyone with thyroid cancer? Hi all, I have been diagonsed with hurthle cell thyroid cancer. I have not found too many answers or support. Did not know if anyother cancer patients know about this group I just joined, it is called Jennells Thyroid Cancer Forum. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/jen19801976/ I joined awhile back and you can ask anyquestions or you can answer others and it is free - very cool group, unfortunately I need them. Any other thryoid cancer people out there???

Answer: Hi Sam, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of 14, and had my thyroid and parathyroid removed. I also had radioactive iodine treatments for several rounds, because the cancer had spread to my lungs. I'm now 27 and cancer free. At the time that I was going through all of this, there seemed to be very few support groups or forums out there for thyroid cancer patients, but now, there is a wealth of info out there, and more and more people are coming forward with their stories. I wish you the best of luck...keep your head up, and if you'd like to talk, please feel free to contact me.

Question: Does anyone know where you can look to find a support group? My sister and I both have thyroid cancer and I was wondering if they had any support groups for that type of cancer and if so where are they?

Answer: You can check the hospital where you are getting your treatment, they usually have a few resources you can turn to. The internet is another source, keywords thyroid cancer and your hometown or the nearest large city.

Question: My friend is dying from thyroid cancer. Will she experience acceptance of this before she passes? She had cancer at 14 but was cured. Now years later has thyroid cancer. The thyroid was removed but cancer remains. She has had this cancer now for 2 years. She says she won't be cured now. I'm just wondering if when a human is dying do they eventually accept that this is happening to them. I'm wondering if you ever find a sense of peace in knowing that you are going to die. I am supporting her through her struggles and sadness. It is hard for me to ask her how she feels. I wonder if all she feels is continous devastation. Does anyone know. Please help.

Answer: I'm sorry that you and your friend are going through this. I have breast cancer that is now stage IV. I forced myself to think about death and dying as it related to me to hopefully get passed the hysterical stage which I had been in. Some people thought I was very negative, but I kept hearing bad news and putting my head in the sand didn't help at all. So, now I know that it is coming, though I don't know when (at this time I don't want to know). I am getting together with friends and family and doing a whole lot more with those people who are important to me. As a result, I feel much better, and the next bad news I hope won't be as devastating. I find talking about this to others has gotten me to a point of being much better about it. I actually make jokes or do what ever to move along in my life. I am thinking of your friend. She won't be cured, but she could decide to live her life instead of waiting for it to end. A much more positive approach.

Question: My friend has cancer; How can I help her? My fifteen-year-old friend has thyroid cancer. As devastating as this is for me, I'd like to be there for her to support her during the chemo, if she does have to have it, and generally support her. What should I do?

Answer: Just be there. Don't feel like you have to always say the right thing. Don't feel like you have to be the one to do something profound for her. Cancer is awful and the horrible thing about it is that the people who are closest to you will turn away from you because they "didn't know what to say." Just let her know you're there, let her know you'll always listen to her, but be honest with her and say that while you won't always know what to say you are going to be by her side no matter how hard things get. And don't be a downer around her. Be as positive as you can be around her because I've seen a positive attitude work miracles. It can totally and completely change the course of her illness.

Question: Does anyone else find "support" groups scary? I have thyroid cancer so I joined a support group and they've managed to terrify me! I know I'll be fine but I think it's time to quit the group.

Answer: No, I don't find support groups to be scary but I think it can also depend on the topic of the support group in question as well.

Question: Are different cancers assigned different colors? I know Breast Cancer is a Pink Ribbon. Are there certain colors assigned for the other cancers for support. Or do you just pick a color? My daughters teachers father has a thyroid cancer and they want to wear ribbons for support. Where can i find the right color for this cancer?

Answer: Other than the yellow wrist bands from the Livestrong Foundation and the pink ribbon . . there aren't too many other well known colors. Many of the colors are duplicated by different diseses and organizations. According to several sites it appears that purple is the color that represents thyroid cancer. http://www.craftsnscraps.com/jewelry/ribbons.html

Question: Can my diagnosis be cancer? I'm 34 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child.I have been having Cold &cough from about 2 weeks.I thought,it must be seasonal allergy,but I never had such allergy before.I took allergy medcine & felt ok fora couple of days but my cough returned after I stopped the tablets. About 2 days ago,my husband noticed a lump on my throat.My OBG prescribed some antibiotics for cough & cold & refered me for thyroid blood work & endocrinologist. They did an ultrasound of my thyroid nodule.And they scheduled a FNA-biopsy instantly. What does it indicate.I am going to have this biopsy today but I am very sad & scared. Once I am at my doctor's office then They are going to explain everything.But just trying to find some support here. I learnt that thyroid cancer is very treatable and I am ready to accept the bitter truth. But I am extremely scared that it may be throat cancer or something else.Or the one in my thyroid probably spread. Your personal experiences and answers will be greatly apprecia

Answer: Any kind of cancer can be awful scary. It may not be cancer. Do not focus on the gloom and doom....each case is different and "if" it is...you are getting early treatment. Perhaps there are options and I am sure it will all be discussed at the appropriate time. You stay upbeat for you and the baby. Because any unnecessary stress won't help either of you. This may be a test of faith for you...the reeds bend with the adversity of the storm and remain....so shall you...pray and rest in the peace all will work out as it is suppose to.

Question: If we nuke Iran will our forces deployed overseas be exposed to radiation?? ...Via radioactive fallout or some other vector in harmful doses?? How small of a radioactive dose is harmful?? it has been ascertained in the studies done by government radiation releases over the town of Hanford that small exposures to radiation are likely to have highly adverse effects on the human thyroid gland... frequently resulting in thyroid cancer. Small doses of radiation also may cause a high rate of birth defects... Please try to support your responses with useful information... this is something we should all discuss before advocating use of nuclear force on the middle east with our loved ones deployed in the region. Plus I just really want to know... because I thinks its important. I don't mean to say that I advocate nuking Iran... its just that so many people are always crying that a nuke should be dropped whenever we have even a minor disagreement with anyone... In this case it just happened to be Iran and I wondered if people would understand that a nuke is serious business if they realized that it could harm our troops... but then I really wanted to know... would doing that harm our troops.... I don't doubt it would... but to what extent?? What about the environment?? What about countries and people nearby?? I didn't mention the civilian casualties in my question because any sucker who thinks they can just drop nuclear bombs to solve problems obviously won't be swayed by the suffering of civilians anyways... thats just not how the "just nuke em" mindset thinks... and you can't reach them on that level... because the only reason they so quickly wish to drop a nuke is because they simply don't care about things like that.

Answer: Should the US use nuclear weapons on Iran, the most l;likely scenario is to use them on the centrifuges under construction to separate the isotope U-235 from the more common U-238. U-235 can be used to build nuclear weapons U-238 cannot. As Iran is building the separation complex underground, in hardened facilities, most likely the US would use B-61 Bombs, which have relatively small payloads around 100-200 kilotons. And, since the bombs would be targeted for underground facilities, the bomb would NOT be an air burst, but rather a bunker-buster type of detonation. Unfortunately two serious problems result here. (1) underground bursts will emit large amounts of radioactive dust and earth materials that will eventually come to earth as radioactive fallout but .... (2) should Iran begin operating the facility its destruction would also release the uranium hexafluoride being separated into the air. This would be an immense amount of radiation though probably less than the 10,000,000 curies released at chernobyl. American armed forces would be exposed to the fallout depending upon the weather and distance from the blasts. Rain would help knock the fallout down, yet is unlikely. I don't know the prevailing wind directions so I can't speculate as to the cloud fallout paths. Small doses may cause birth defects but statistics also reveal that LARGE doses do not necessarily mean that birth defects will be found in every case. Its a crap shoot.

Question: Is radiation treatment used for anything else other than treating cancer? My Gran is having radiation treatment for her thyroid glans. I'm not sure what is wrong with her glands as my grandparents haven't gone into much detail. My grandad said she doesn't have cancer but I don't believe him. I have done a search on google for tyroid raditation treatment and everything came up with cancer. Could this sort of treatment be used for anything else? I want to support my grandparents if my Gran but I would like to know the truth. They are probably protecting the family so we don't all worry but I want to know if its cancer.

Answer: I think your Grandpa is right and is referring to the radioiodine treatment for hyperthyroidism. This information is specifically for patients who will be treated with radioiodine, a radioactive form of iodine. It includes some special instructions to follow during and after your treatment. Why will I receive radioiodine treatment? Your doctor has advised you to receive radioactive Iodine I-131 (radioiodine) because it is the most appropriate treatment for your thyroid condition. The radiation given off by this form of iodine decreases the function of thyroid cells and inhibits their ability to grow, which is the desired and beneficial medical effect of the treatment. Who is the best source of information concerning my condition and treatment? Your doctor is the best source of information concerning your condition and treatment. The link below has more FAQ about this. It lists some guidelines for you to follow for a short time immediately after your treatment (usually no more than 2 to 5 days, depending on your treatment and your doctor’s instructions). You can download this brochure to use as a guideline in discussing your particular situation with your doctor to help you make more informed decisions. How does radioiodine work? The thyroid gland accumulates iodine from the food you eat and uses this iodine to perform its normal function, which is to make thyroid hormone. Radioiodine is used to treat overactive thyroid glands and certain kinds of thyroid cancer. It is taken up mainly by the thyroid gland. In the treatment of hyperactive thyroid glands, radiation from the radioactive iodine damages a portion of the thyroid gland to reduce its activity. Larger doses of radioiodine may be used after thyroid cancer surgery to destroy any remaining diseased thyroid tissue. How safe is radioiodine? The practice of treating one’s thyroid with radioiodine is a common, well-accepted form of treatment that has been used medically all over the world for more than 50 years. Most of the radiation from the radioiodine will be received by your thyroid gland. However, the other tissues in your body will receive some incidental radiation. This small amount of radiation typically does not produce any adverse effect. How long does the radioiodine stay in my body? The radioiodine from your treatment will temporarily remain in your body. Most of the radioiodine not collected by your thyroid gland will be eliminated within the first 2 days after your treatment. Radioiodine leaves your body primarily in your urine, but very small amounts may leave in your saliva, sweat, and feces. The amount of radioiodine remaining in your thyroid tissue is responsible for the desired medical effect. However, this amount also decreases rapidly. This means that the possibility of radiation exposure to you and others is reduced with time. Over time, no radioiodine remains in your body. Can others be exposed to radiation from the radioiodine given to me? Exposure to radiation from the radioiodine in your body may occur if other people remain very close to you for extended periods of time. Try to keep the time you spend in close contact with others to a minimum. Contamination with radioiodine can occur if it is deposited in any place where other people may have contact with it. For instance, if some of the radioiodine in your saliva gets on the bathroom counter as you brush your teeth and then on to someone’s hands, contamination has occurred. If this radioiodine is then taken into someone’s body from the hands or from food that has been touched, it will cause a small amount of radiation exposure to that person. However, radioiodine decays and disappears by itself as part of the physical processes that make it radioactive. For example, it will not remain on the counter indefinitely because its quantity is reduced by one-half every 8 days. This is what is meant when it is said that the "half-life" of radioiodine is 8 days. How can I reduce radiation exposure to others? The amount of radioiodine in your body during the treatment is small. Although there is no evidence that the radiation from this amount of radioiodine will cause any problem, it makes sense to take steps to minimize exposure, no matter how small. If you follow simple precautions during the first few days after your treatment, you can eliminate or reduce the possibility of radiation exposure to others. http://nps.cardinal.com/nps/content/nucpharm/unitdose/thyroid/thy_patient_info.asp

Question: Needing support? I am a 28 yr old woman with weight issues. I am happily married with a 1 yr old,but still feel depressed and miserable about how much I weigh. I weigh about 250, and my doctor is sending me to get some tests run to check my thyroid and other things. I know what I need to do to help myself. Diet & exercise is the main focus on a healthy lifestyle. I feel it all escalated after I lost my dad 3 years ago to cancer in a 2 week span of finding out what was wrong with him to his actual death. I have been on/off depression meds for over a year. It's so very hard with being a full time student, working part time, and having a toddler. My husband is/has always been supportive, but I guess I need some input/support from others who do not know me and who may be dealing with the same issues as myself. I also do not take any medication/birth control to cause the weight gain. Please any information is greatly appreciated. I need to do this for me and my family. Thank You very much

Answer: I will be happy to help you and give you support. I have been fighting being heavy my whole life and I know it's not easy. I also lost my dad when I was 30 and packed on a lot of extra pounds. It takes some strength to out yourself on a new eating plan. One thing I have learned over the years is not to weigh yourself everyday that can be devastating especially for a women we always fluctuate in our weight for different reasons. Let your clothing let you know that you are losing weight the scale can be the devil if you let it. Changing your eating habits in even the smallest ways can help you lose weight, add more water to your daily intake as well as watch the fat grams on the food that you eat. And as silly as it sounds make sure you eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and have snacks too! This will get your metabolism going I promise it's true I've lost 26lbs since January thanks to changing my eating and exercising. Also you say that you have a 1 year old, do you live in a place where you can walk your baby in a stroller? Walking is a great low impact exercise and you can build up how far you walk each day. If you have access to a pool try running in place in the pool it's a great way to do cardio. Im not an expert but I know what it's like to be miserable and overweight almost a year ago I weighed 193lbs and at the time I didn't have any desire to lose weight but now I am down to 159 and I am much happier. You can do it I promise! Feel free to email me if you want some other tips.

Question: I just got diagnosed with hypothyroidism? I had a checkup last week and had to take a blood test. Today i went to get my results and my doctor told me I had hypothyroidism. Not severe, but I still have it, and they put me on a semi-low dose of Levothroid (levothyroxine) that I have to take for 3 weeks and then go back to the doctor to get another test and see how it's working out for me. I feel terrible, I'm 19 years old, and I feel like this is going to impact my life for good. I never had any medical problems, never been to the hospital, ER, etc. I'm just really scared as to what this could mean. My doctor and I had a long talk about it, but I'm still really unsure and scared. Can anyone who's gone through this or has it, give me some advice? I just want to know if my life will be normal or even the same again. Has it interfered with your life at all? I also heard it can cause thyroid cancer, which is just awful. Thanks for everyone's support :]

Answer: i have had this for 9 years. as long as you keep it under control you will be fine. they found mine on an accident as well. i am 34 now. you can email me if you have any specific questions. maxum74@yahoo