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First thyroid ultrasound results from 2003 (pre cancer saga)
Aug 13, 2009 11:04PM
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Finally found the ultrasound results from my thyroid ultrasound which led to the beginning of the thyroid cancer family saga (there was a 5mm area of papillary carcinoma in one of the nodules).
Luckily I was able to watch the ultrasound while the technician was performing it and was able to see the nodules. The nodule which ended up containing the cancer looked very irregular and I could see the solid areas, jagged edges, and irregular shapes. That is where the "bad gut feeling" kicked in and I went straight to a surgeon.
My results after surgery:
Stage I papillary carcinoma - right lobe removed '03, left lobe removed (benign) '04, recurrence and RAI '06
- Two months after my diagnosis my youngest sister was in a mild car accident and a nodule was found on a chest x-ray. She had a biopsy which was negative but opted for TT anyway. She had Stage II papillary carcinoma (she is included in the count below). After that, the other 3 sisters had thyroid ultrasounds as did my two children. One other sister opted for a biopsy, which was negative, she too had papillary carcinoma which was found after TT. (Yes, the family was 0 for 2 with the biopsies finding cancer)
Here are the surgeries for the rest of the family:
-three sisters with papillary carcinoma (all complete TTs in '04). Youngest sister had three recurrences and three doses of RAI. Her cancer metastasised to breasts and liver. Today she is 100% cured.
-other sister and my teenager (16 years old) daughter also had TTs in '04 - both had atypical (precancerous) nodules
-my son is still 100% nodule free (yipee!!!) but is checked every year
******************************************************************************
THYROID ULTRASOUND: Examination dated 10/22/03.
HISTORY: Evaluate nodule.
FINDINGS: The right lobe of the thyroid measures about 5.1 cm in maximal length and about 1.3 x 1.5 cm transverse. The left lobe measures about 4.6 cm craniocaudal and about 1.3 x 1.3 cm transverse. The left lobe has diffuse regular normal homogeneous echogenicity. The isthmus is also normal. The right lobe, however, has 3 complex oval cystic areas in the mid and lower lateral right lobe. The larger two measure about 1.2 and 1.0 cm each craniocaudal and 1.0 x 0.6 transverse is the largest transverse measurement.
RADIOLOGIC DIAGNOSIS:
1. Mild thyroid asymmetry with the right lobe slightly larger than the left.
2. Three predominantly cystic complex nodules in the mid and lower right lobe of the thyroid with the largest measurement being 1.0 x 1.2 x 0.6 cm.
Luckily I was able to watch the ultrasound while the technician was performing it and was able to see the nodules. The nodule which ended up containing the cancer looked very irregular and I could see the solid areas, jagged edges, and irregular shapes. That is where the "bad gut feeling" kicked in and I went straight to a surgeon.
My results after surgery:
Stage I papillary carcinoma - right lobe removed '03, left lobe removed (benign) '04, recurrence and RAI '06
- Two months after my diagnosis my youngest sister was in a mild car accident and a nodule was found on a chest x-ray. She had a biopsy which was negative but opted for TT anyway. She had Stage II papillary carcinoma (she is included in the count below). After that, the other 3 sisters had thyroid ultrasounds as did my two children. One other sister opted for a biopsy, which was negative, she too had papillary carcinoma which was found after TT. (Yes, the family was 0 for 2 with the biopsies finding cancer)
Here are the surgeries for the rest of the family:
-three sisters with papillary carcinoma (all complete TTs in '04). Youngest sister had three recurrences and three doses of RAI. Her cancer metastasised to breasts and liver. Today she is 100% cured.
-other sister and my teenager (16 years old) daughter also had TTs in '04 - both had atypical (precancerous) nodules
-my son is still 100% nodule free (yipee!!!) but is checked every year
******************************************************************************
THYROID ULTRASOUND: Examination dated 10/22/03.
HISTORY: Evaluate nodule.
FINDINGS: The right lobe of the thyroid measures about 5.1 cm in maximal length and about 1.3 x 1.5 cm transverse. The left lobe measures about 4.6 cm craniocaudal and about 1.3 x 1.3 cm transverse. The left lobe has diffuse regular normal homogeneous echogenicity. The isthmus is also normal. The right lobe, however, has 3 complex oval cystic areas in the mid and lower lateral right lobe. The larger two measure about 1.2 and 1.0 cm each craniocaudal and 1.0 x 0.6 transverse is the largest transverse measurement.
RADIOLOGIC DIAGNOSIS:
1. Mild thyroid asymmetry with the right lobe slightly larger than the left.
2. Three predominantly cystic complex nodules in the mid and lower right lobe of the thyroid with the largest measurement being 1.0 x 1.2 x 0.6 cm.
Hi,
Thanks so much for sharing --- everybody reading this out there -- it is so important to have a neck check done while at your Dr -- Thyroid Cancer is something many don't know about or think about, yet is serious and can spread to other areas as Utah has shared with us.
Utah - was the 5.0mm found inside one of the cysts or was it independent finding outside of the orig. 3 cystict complex nodules found on the ultrasound?
How are you doing? Glad to see you post this journal - What a great family photo op! Who are you?
C~
Co-CL Thyroid
Thanks so much for sharing --- everybody reading this out there -- it is so important to have a neck check done while at your Dr -- Thyroid Cancer is something many don't know about or think about, yet is serious and can spread to other areas as Utah has shared with us.
Utah - was the 5.0mm found inside one of the cysts or was it independent finding outside of the orig. 3 cystict complex nodules found on the ultrasound?
How are you doing? Glad to see you post this journal - What a great family photo op! Who are you?
C~
Co-CL Thyroid
The photo is over 10 years old. I'm the big-hair blonde 2nd from the left (no more perms for me!!).
In the photo are my parents (I'm next to my mother and my dad is in the back), my 4 sisters (the only one with "precancerous nodules" is the one with the red dyed hair on the right end), and my two children. That sister and my daughter credit large amounts of Mountain Dew and hair dye in preventing their atypical cancer from turning into full cancer but that is just a theory. :-)
The youngest of the sisters is the blonde 2nd from the right (short hair) - she is the one who had the three recurrences and spread to liver and breasts. She now has two beautiful daughters and is cancer free!
We've all changed drastically since the photo (most of us lost a lot of weight - thank you cancer :-) and have changed our hair color).
The 5mm of cancer was found in the largest cyst/nodule. The post-op report said that it was "encapsulated" but it recurred three years later. Papillary carcinoma is infamous for that!
Yeah - don't just blow off abnormal ultrasound results people and GET YOUR NECKS CHECKED!!!!
Hugs all
Utahmomma
In the photo are my parents (I'm next to my mother and my dad is in the back), my 4 sisters (the only one with "precancerous nodules" is the one with the red dyed hair on the right end), and my two children. That sister and my daughter credit large amounts of Mountain Dew and hair dye in preventing their atypical cancer from turning into full cancer but that is just a theory. :-)
The youngest of the sisters is the blonde 2nd from the right (short hair) - she is the one who had the three recurrences and spread to liver and breasts. She now has two beautiful daughters and is cancer free!
We've all changed drastically since the photo (most of us lost a lot of weight - thank you cancer :-) and have changed our hair color).
The 5mm of cancer was found in the largest cyst/nodule. The post-op report said that it was "encapsulated" but it recurred three years later. Papillary carcinoma is infamous for that!
Yeah - don't just blow off abnormal ultrasound results people and GET YOUR NECKS CHECKED!!!!
Hugs all
Utahmomma
You all look super!
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