After talking to a friend this morning, who has a friend whose mother passed away from thyroid cancer, it occurred to me that if I had not gone to the emergency room earlier this month, I wouldn't know I have cancer. It would still be growing and possibly spreading like it belonged there.
I've been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, so anytime I go to the doctor, many of my symptoms are passed off as psychosomatic. September 4, 2012 was no different. I had chest pains, bad chest pains and a lot of pressure behind my sternum. Of course I Googled, but that can be scarier than just going to the doctor. So I called my family doctor and spoke with the nurse. She recommended that I go to the ER, but wanted to consult with the doc. She came back on the line and said the doc just wanted me to to come into urgent care because it was most likely my anxiety. Of course.
I showered and hopped in the car to head to the urgent care. But something in my gut told me to go straight to the ER. I felt kind of stupid because it was probably just anxiety and a little gas. (seriously, I didn't tell anyone because I thought I had to burp.) But it hurt! When I get to the ER, they stick me straight in a trauma room for chest pain. I heard people come and go all day on the other side of my curtains. I was given everything they pass out for heart attack symptoms and they began running a full gamut of tests centered around my "cardiac health". After nine hours in the ER, it was decided that I would stay because my heart rate wouldn't stay up and the pain was still there.
I showered and hopped in the car to head to the urgent care. But something in my gut told me to go straight to the ER. I felt kind of stupid because it was probably just anxiety and a little gas. (seriously, I didn't tell anyone because I thought I had to burp.) But it hurt! When I get to the ER, they stick me straight in a trauma room for chest pain. I heard people come and go all day on the other side of my curtains. I was given everything they pass out for heart attack symptoms and they began running a full gamut of tests centered around my "cardiac health". After nine hours in the ER, it was decided that I would stay because my heart rate wouldn't stay up and the pain was still there.
During the course of my 3 day stay at Hotel Mercy Hospital, when they couldn't find anything wrong with my heart but the pain and weird heart rates and blood pressures persisted, they ran more tests. THANK GOD they did. THANK GOD I listened to my body.
1780, One thousand seven hundred eighty, people are estimated to die from thyroid cancer this year. That doesn't seem like much when compared to other cancers. And my chance of survival is astronomical compared to other cancers.
But when my kids compare their mom to that number, it's freaky because they only have one mom, my husband only has one wife, and my mom only has one kid. I have things left to do, so I'm not going anywhere anytime soon...but things would be different if I'd listened to my first call to my doctor.
And when you receive paperwork in the mail that actually has the words "Diagnosis: Thyroid Cancer" hand written under your name...you start to wish that you'd get paper cuts on your eye balls, because it feel much better in that moment.
1780, One thousand seven hundred eighty, people are estimated to die from thyroid cancer this year. That doesn't seem like much when compared to other cancers. And my chance of survival is astronomical compared to other cancers.
But when my kids compare their mom to that number, it's freaky because they only have one mom, my husband only has one wife, and my mom only has one kid. I have things left to do, so I'm not going anywhere anytime soon...but things would be different if I'd listened to my first call to my doctor.
And when you receive paperwork in the mail that actually has the words "Diagnosis: Thyroid Cancer" hand written under your name...you start to wish that you'd get paper cuts on your eye balls, because it feel much better in that moment.
