Cancer stories

Jen’s story

I was diagnosed with a papillary thyroid cancer 10 years ago when I was 31.

I’d had laryngitis on and off for a while, but as I’m a receptionist I put it down to talking too much. As my husband and I were going overseas for a month, I had it checked out so I could get any prescriptions I needed here. The doctor felt a lump in my neck and sent me for an ultrasound.

I could tell by the technician’s face that something was wrong. He called a doctor, who immediately did a fine needle biopsy. The next day, I was told I had cancer – all from a little lump I couldn’t even feel or see.

My doctor referred me to a specialist who said that as it’s a fairly slow-growing cancer, to have my holiday and he’d operate when I returned. A couple of weeks after coming back, I had a total thyroidectomy. I had no real side effects other than a scar, which has faded. I recovered quickly and was back at work after a couple of weeks.

After the surgery I was put on thyroxine to get my hormones stable. Two months later, I had the radioactive iodine. I was in hospital for two nights while I was radioactive, and then at home I had to follow all the precautionary safety measures, such as sleeping separately from my partner.

I now have thyroxine once a day in the morning. I was really tired until the dose was right.

Some people say that thyroid cancer is a good cancer to get. I know that their hearts are in the right place, and yes, it is a ‘good’ cancer because the remission rate is pretty high, but it’s still cancer. The diagnosis has reminded me to appreciate the small things in life.

This information was last reviewed in January 2020. View who reviewed this content.

A/Prof Diana Learoyd, Endocrinologist, Northern Cancer Institute, and Northern Clinical School, The University of Sydney, NSW; Dr Gabrielle Cehic, Nuclear Medicine Physician and Oncologist, South Australia Medical Imaging (SAMI), and Senior Staff Specialist, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, SA; Dr Kiernan Hughes, Endocrinologist, Northern Endocrine and St Vincents Hospital, NSW; Yvonne King, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council NSW; Dr Christine Lai, Senior Consultant Surgeon, Breast and Endocrine Surgical Unit, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Surgery, University of Adelaide, SA; A/Prof Nat Lenzo, Nuclear Physician and Specialist in Internal Medicine, Group Clinical Director, GenesisCare Theranostics, and The University of Western Australia, WA; Ilona Lillington, Clinical Nurse Consultant (Thyroid and Brachytherapy), Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital, QLD; Jonathan Park, Consumer.

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