What a year! and now facing a potential Thyroid Cancer!

[Gokhan_Tr]

Hey everyone,

I have diagnosed in Feb 2016, started my treatment at the beginning of April with Stribild, and I am UD by November.  In the mean time:

* I had super high triglycerides (like real high over 1300).
* High LDL (400)
* Low HDL (like 12)

And then I went on a strict diet, super healthy, lots of fiber, no sugar, not even fruits, and All went back to acceptable levels (trig:200, LDL:100, HDL:30) still more to go but God if I have the chance!!!

And again in the meantime, my dad was in ICU for a month since he had a heart failure, then my partner had a minor heart attack and they put a stent, then he had to go thru another angio to put 2 more stents (he's only 45 btw).

And last week, I went for my check up, and my doctor insisted on a neck ultrasound even though I said I had these lymph nodes since I was a kid. So the lymph nodes were really fine, but they have spotted two SUSPICIOUS nodules in my thyroid (one of them is actually a lymph node that is right next to thyroid).

Today I had my biopsy, the pathologist said the first findings seem like I'll need a surgery but it is a very early stage! I was like WTF! Cancer now?!?

I have checked couple of entries but I couldn't find anyone went thru a surgery, so I will see my doctor on Thursday with my final biopsy report and will talk to her as well. But I would appreciate any opinions about this is there is anyone who went thru.

The most frightening part is that if it is cancer what will happen next? cause everyone I met who went thru any type of cancer had several other types of it and they died.

I just wish this year to end very very quickly and All I hope is health for me, for anyone I know and for the entire world!

Sorry if I am being dramatic but I don't think I am in the right mindset these days to handle all of it

[harleymc]

I hope this turns out ok for you.
Hugs

[Hopeful2016]

Wishing you all the best and sending my prayers to you

[Gokhan_Tr]

Wishing you all the best and sending my prayers to you

I hope this turns out ok for you.
Hugs

Thank you very much @Egyptianman and @harleymc

[ColoradoSkiFanatic]

Hey there.  I sincerely hope your biopsy comes back negative for cancer, but if not, don't lose hope.  As of a month ago, I can call myself a cancer survivor, and one of the interesting things about my journey is how many friends and colleagues came to me with their own stories of how cancer touched people in their lives... spouses, siblings, parents, friends.  It's hardly ever talked about, but there are lots of cancer survivors out there... and there were so many stories of good outcomes... people cured and doing fine years later.  In particular I know two survivors of thyroid cancer, both healthy and cancer free after more than a decade. 

Oncology these days is pretty amazing.  Hopefully you don't have to find out how amazing, but whatever happens, you're not alone.

[xunil]

I'm awaiting a call for an appointment with an endocrinologist for aspiration of a large nodule on my thyroid.  Which I also have large lymph nodes which sprouted the ultrasound from my physician.  I then got referred to a ENT who I saw yesterday.  He said he's not concerned at all about the lymph nodes and mine are probably abnormally large but normal for me given all the history I told him about having very reactive nodes since I was a kid.

It wasn't clear to me if you got a for sure diagnosis of cancer yet or not.  I know there are four types of thyroid cancer, and three are very treatable with surgery and radioactive isotope therapy (effective and harmless not like chemo).  The fourth kind is not curable but is also the most rare of them all, which thyroid cancer is extremely rare period. 

At least 1 in 40 males have a thyroid nodule and the number in females is almost 1 in 3.  That said the chances of them being cancerous is extremely rare.  I'm hoping for the best for you (and me)!

[ScaredNinja]

One thing I learned is don't read online until you need to.  Cause I had an ultrasound done on my liver and I looked online at the results and something did not understand hepatocellular disease in Google comes back as liver cancer but in doctor language it's a disease of the liver which I had fatty liver lol.  I was so freaked out after Google G it that that I could not sleep and waited for the doctor to open to talk to them ASAP my heart was racing so fast.  I knew everything about liver cancer by the time they opened and how long I had left to live and when I finally talked to the doctor it's only fatty liver lol.

[Gokhan_Tr]

Hey everyone,

I am sorry I was out for a while, but I am back!

Thanks a lot for all of your messages, and a speacial thanks to @ColoradoSkiFanatic, I have read your story, you're my hero, literally!

and @xunil, I hope things went well for you, here is what happened to me in the meantime :-) please let me know if you have any questions, I will be glad if I could help in anyway possible.

So I had my biopsy done on 21st of december and it wasn't pretty :-) but it was a good kind of cancer, papillar carcinoma. but I had to go thru a major surgery on 25th of December which took 7,5 hours, they removed my thyroid gland and all of the lymph nodes around the neck (since it was metastasized), they have removed 41 nodes and thyroid gland, and 5 of them were melignant, and then I had to go thru a diet for 6 weeks (iodine free diet) so I could get a radioactive iodine treatment, but thank god it was much easier than what @ColoradoSkiFanatic went thru. just one dose and being locked up in a lead room for a week was enough, which followed by swelling and a bit pain.

The process was a bit too fast and I was a bit down after the surgery, since I have been ripped open around my throat with almost 30 cm cut and hard times with eating, talking and really down mood due to lack of thryoid. but all is going back to normal since I have started thyroid hormone now. 

I was a complete bitch for 6 weeks when I was lacking thyroid, now my BF says that I am back to my own bitchyness levels :-)

So this is behind me with a scar to remind me all the time, and still having hard times to move my neck etc but I am much better.

thanks everyone for your supoport and messages! Love you all and now I clearly  know there is always someone going thru worse than what I had, so I am wishing everyone well and health!

[Wade]

Hi Gorkan, What a shitty way to spend Christmas...on the operating table !
Sounds like some pretty extensive surgery and the lead room sounds awful.

I'm glad the worst is behind you, and I think you had a right to be bitchy BTW 
You are a brave soul and I hope you are completely well soon.

Hugs, Wade

[MrThankful]

Great to hear the end result is looking good! I'm sitting in on my fourth round of chemo treatment for enlarged B cell lymphoma...likely caused by HIV/AIDS as I never knew I had it for over a decade. While it's scary, it sucks and doesn't seem fair - in a way, I'm grateful for it.

Hopefully your follow ups over the next couple years go great as well!

[Tonny2]

      OJO        HELLO  Gokhan_Tr

HOW NICE TO HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN...NOW, YOU ARE MY HERO!!!, IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO HEAR GOOD NEWS FROM A MEMBER THAT HAS TO GO THROUGH CANCER...I'M HAPPY FOR YOU MY FRIEND...HUGS FOR YOU AND YOUR PARTNER, I GUESS HE LOVES YOU A LOT HAVING TO DEAL WIRH A BITCHY PARTNER, LOL     OJO

[ColoradoSkiFanatic]

OMG.... I'm so sorry to hear you had to go through all that.  The surgery sounds awful.   But glad you're feeling better, and I hope you continue to improve.  Sounds like you are staying strong mentally and have a good support system... I know how important that is!  Welcome to the cancer survivor's club

[harleymc]

Dear Gorkan,
you'll certainly have interesting scars.
I'm glad it went well.
Hugs

[Gokhan_Tr]

Thanks a lot @coloradoSkiFanatic, @harleymc, @Tonny2, @wade, @MrThankful

And I am really sorry about what you have to go thru @MrThankful, I hope your chemo will go well and work out well. Please keep me posted somehow. Sending you lots of love and good vibes, I wish I could be there physically to at least help you in any way possible! wish you all the best and hoping you'll get this thru as well.

And thanks a lot to POZ family, you guys are really the only people who gets it all.

Oh and I got my first CD4 and VL after the surgery and the treatment, VL stll UD (yay!), and Cd4 just fell a bit (740 (it was 820 before everything). So seems like I'm still going to be around :-)
 

[Wade]

Great News, Gokhan 
I think you should celebrate !

Hugs, Wade

[Gokhan_Tr]

I will :-) Thanks again @wade

I already have planned my trip to Paris :-) (I love Paris). So Anyone out there who is/will be in Paris, please let me know!

Hugz everyone!

[Tonny2]

         OJO     HELLO THERE, I WNTO TO GO TO PARIS TOO, TAKE ME. LOL...CONGRATULATIONS FOR YOUR NUMBERS, I GUESS YOU WILL BE AROUND FOR A LONG TIME, I FEEL SORRY FOR YOUR PARTNER, LOL, AT LEAST YOU ARE NOT IN A BIG BITCH MODE, LOL, AGAIN, CONGRATZ, HOPEFULLY THIS NEW YEAR WILL MAKE YOU FORGET THE LAST ONE...LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL, ISN'T IT?...   HUGS                  OJO

[xunil]

Yikes!  Glad you toughed it out and made it through to the other side! 

I finally got into the endocrinologist last week and got my results this week:

-----
Atypical follicular (hurthle) cells of undetermined significance.  Review of the material reveals many non-cohesive large cells with Hurthle cell morphology.  The nucleoli are prominent in almost all cells, which is typical for Hurthle cell morphology.  Some large single cells have amphophilic cytoplasm are seen.  There are many pigmented histiocytes in the background.

The degree of Hurthle cell proliferation and number of histocytes would have a multi-nodule goiter with Hurthle cell change. A less likely possibility is a neoplasm with Hurthle cell morphology.  Patient's history of HIV and lymphadenopathy has been noted.
-----

Basically the way the endocrinologist explained it, I am in this very grey category where they are seeing abnormal cells, but cannot identify cancer, but the possibility exists that it is there but further in the gland.  In 3 months I'm going back and having another biopsy this time with an additional molecular marker test.  The endo said this should give him a better idea of whether he would definitely recommend surgery, or if the watch and check approach is acceptable.  So more waiting for me.  In the meantime I'm following up with my primary and going to see about getting a second opinion just for good measure.