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Lakeshia’s Story (Thyroid Cancer)

Lakeshia Thyroid CancerHey everyone! My name is Shenta. I’m 25, and I am a Thyroid Cancer Survivor. In February 2013, I noticed a lump in my throat. I never had any problems with it. Around the beginning of Summer ’13, I caught a regular common cold, and it would not go away with any medicine that I took. I went to the hospital, and all tests came back normal. The doctor said, if the lump isn’t bothering you, then it is okay. Five doctors said that to me.

In October, I broke my leg. I believe this set off the line of events that would occur. In November, I began to stop breathing in my sleep for a little while, and then it happened when I was awake. Scared me to death. Then one day, I woke up and had absolutely no voice, even though I was perfectly fine when I went to sleep. My dad took me to the doctor, but with no different results. Went to another doctor who got me to do an ultrasound on my throat. It was the weekend of my college graduation. That Monday, they called to say that I needed to be seen by a specialist in Chapel Hill. Personally, I knew it was something bad because Chapel Hill consists of the best doctors for terrible things!

I went in January on a Thursday, and the doctor told me that if I hadn’t come in two days, the goiter would have cut off my air supply, and I would have died. I couldn’t believe it! I had to have emergency surgery that following Monday. He told me that there was a 1% chance of me having thyroid cancer, so DON’T WORRY! Yea right! That Monday, they told me the surgery would last only two hours. I went in at 8am, and when I came out it was dark outside, leading me to believe that something went terribly wrong. I had a total thyroidectomy. They clipped one of my vocal cords and had to repair all four parathyroid glands! And I HAD THYROID CANCER! Contrary to belief, I wasn’t mad, sad, or scared because, in my mind, I was thinking like, thank God that this is over. IT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING.

Since then, my levothyroxine dosage has been changed 17 times. I have suffered horribly from hallucinations and delusions (I hear voices and feel like bugs are always crawling on me). I have sharp pains in my head, arthritis in my shoulders, and loss of hearing in my right ear. I can’t gain weight, can’t warm up on my own, and can’t bear to hear loud noises (everything and everyone seems soooo loud). I often get depressed and stressed for no reason. I’m afraid a lot, very paranoid, and am afraid to be in crowds. Since having surgery, I have lost over 60 pounds, and this freaking levothyroxine does NOT seem to be working. That’s just naming a few. There are over 300 symptoms. Half of the doctors don’t even know that, and they send you to other specialists, thinking that you have something else, when it is just that hypothyroidism is so severe. One symptom is infertility. To show you that all things are possible through Christ, I recently, in September 2015, just had a baby girl with NO BIRTH DEFECTS!

Ladies, please don’t give up the fight. ALWAYS fight like a girl! We are powerful. We can all be survivors! One God, one voice, one love!

Lakeshia
Virginia
Submitted 10/13/2015

The informational content of this article is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.

This story is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.

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3 comments

  1. Aziza

    Thank you so much for sharing your story. I’m 35 and through a CT scan for chest pains and shortness of breath they found a thyroid nodule. Long story short an ultrasound found a goiter with multiple nodules, 2 of them being close to 2cm, and I have a biopsy this upcoming week. Of course they say don’t worry and all that but I’m very scared. Hearing your story has relaxed me quite a bit and in sooooo happy that you now have a healthy baby girl! To me that makes your story a success story. God bless you.

  2. lloyd

    I am not a girl but I too have had thyroid cancer and have been through the wringer.hypothyroidsm is not easy and thyroid cancer is not the good kind.levothyroxine has to be adjusted regularly. along with osteoarthritis in both knees and left shoulder and right hip this is pure hell for some of us.i pray you improve and feel great soon! take care and hang in there I know I will.

  3. Paulette Pinczes

    On the positive side. -My Story – I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in my mid 20s. It all started with a golf ball size growth in my neck that caused difficulty breathing. I had a biopsy of fluids that were aspirated, told it was just a fluid filled cyst and that only a small percent (1%) turns out cancerous. I was in the 1%. I had a partial thyroidectomy and took every dose of Synthroid they make after they removed one side of the thyroid. After a couple of years, I had a recurrence and instead of surgery they lit me up with Radioactive Iodide. It took a while to heal and back to dosage adjustment I went.. It is a pain with all it’s inconveniences, but I have dealt with it for 29 years now. Don’t give up. Thank God they found it and you are on a road to recovery. Chin up. Life is worth the ride!

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