September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month

[susidivah]

Hi everyone

I meant to post this earlier in the month for your information...

September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month. For those who don't know, a lil info on the thyroid. It is the butterfly shaped gland located in your neck that is at your trachea. The thyroid hormones affect many functions in the body, including functions related to the adrenal and pituitary glands. More commonly known are their affect on your body's metabolism, blood pressure, and moods.

There are a few conditions associated with the thyroid. Probably the one most known and most common is hypothyroidism, where your thyroid makes too little hormones. This leads to sluggishness, weight gain, problems with memory, amongst other symptoms. Many people take medication to regulate their thyroid in those cases.

Another condition is the opposite of hypothyroidism; that is hyperthyroidism. This is where the thyroid makes too much hormones. This can lead to problems with the heart, high blood pressure, anxiety, weight loss, and a potentially fatal condition called thyroid storm. This is very rare though.

The other affects of hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid enlarges to form a goiter. These goiters can produce nodules, most of which are benign (not cancer). About 90% of nodules are benign. Ultrasounds, scans and biopsies can tell if nodules are cancerous or not.

Thyroid cancer is a rare cancer, but one of the most treatable ones. This is mostly because it is slow moving and the treatments for it can eradicate any thyroid tissue present in the body.

However in 2008 it is predicted that the newly diagnosed cases will be up by 11% over last year. I am now one of those statistics That is why it is important to check your neck for any changes in size or for lumps. Most times it is NOT cancer, nor anything wrong with the thyroid. But please have you doctor test for the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) to determine its functioning, as well as to do a neck check at your physicals.

If anyone has any questions please do not hesitate to pm me... I hope to put some website links on my webpage here at the Oasis for people to access for information for themselves and loved ones

I thank God every day for opportunities like this to share and hopefully make people aware how much He wants us to take care of our bodies.

Love you all,
Susi

[Sylvia]

Hi Susi
Back in 2003 after coming home from choir practice I asked my hubby if it was normal to feel a lump in your throat all the time. He told me to go get it checked out.
So I did. I had thyroid cancer. They had to remove the whole thing as the cancer was on both sides.
Since then I have talked to many to not be afraid to go get it checked out.
If you wait too long it will spread outside of the thyroid.
That is what happened to my friends Dad. He died.
So my friend decided he needed to get his checked out. Guess what?
He too had thyroid cancer. His had not spread and is doing fine.
His two sisters decided to get theirs checked out. You guessed it. Both of them had thyroid cancer too.
So it does run in families. Don't be afraid to talk to your doctor about it.
If I had waited I wouldn't be here to talk to you about it.

Love You All
Sylvia