sleepingbeauty23
26-09-16, 13:49
Hi all,
Just after some opinions from people who have either had a similar issue or know someone who has. A side note, I have health anxiety and the reason I had a thyroid ultrasound in the first place was because I had a feeling of a lump in my throat for about a month prior (higher up than the thyroid and only on the right side of my throat).
A thyroid ultrasound that I had recently picked up a 8mm papillary thyroid carcinoma on my thyroid in the isthmus (the central bridge that joins the 2 thyroid lobes/glands together). I have been referred by my GP to a surgeon to have this removed. I saw a local surgeon in my town, a general surgeon who also does quite a few thyroid surgeries. I was also referred to a specialist head and neck surgeon in Sydney (one of the largest cities in Australia and 3 hours from where I live) for a second opinion.
I wasn't very impressed by the surgeon in Sydney. He said to me that the surgery wasn't urgent because "it's not going to kill you" and said that in some countries doctor's wouldn't even bother removing it, he didn't want to order any further tests (such as blood tests or ENT - see below), he recommended a partial thyroidectomy instead of a total thyroidectomy, wasn't too impressed that I had received another opinion from the surgeon locally and I advised I was in a private health fund but he wouldn't tell me how much the surgery would cost above the Medicare schedule fee (could potentially end up costing thousands of dollars) until I committed to having the surgery completed by him.
The local surgeon however requested further thyroid blood tests and has referred me to an ENT to check where my vocal chords lie and how they are before completing surgery. He has told me I won't be out of pocket for the surgery as he charges the Medicare schedule fee and was fine that I was getting a second opinion. He was a lot nicer to me and had a better bedside manner than the surgeon in Sydney and has recommended that I have full thyroidectomy and that it occur as a matter of urgency (within 30 days).
I'm leaning towards getting the local general surgeon to do it, my only concern is how close the voice box lies to the thyroid and I'm nervous about losing my voice or it being damaged which is a risk of surgery, as I talk a lot in general, but also have to talk a lot in my job.
From what I have read on the internet on medical websites and in medical journals, when there is cancer in the isthmus many surgeons prefer to remove the whole thyroid as isthmus tumours make up only a small portion of thyroid cancers compared to cancer of one or both of the lobes/glands on either side of the isthmus. I understand that at the end of the day that the decision is mine to make, but if anyone else has had experience with either themselves or someone they know undergoing this kind of surgery and their experience I would love to hear about it.
Just after some opinions from people who have either had a similar issue or know someone who has. A side note, I have health anxiety and the reason I had a thyroid ultrasound in the first place was because I had a feeling of a lump in my throat for about a month prior (higher up than the thyroid and only on the right side of my throat).
A thyroid ultrasound that I had recently picked up a 8mm papillary thyroid carcinoma on my thyroid in the isthmus (the central bridge that joins the 2 thyroid lobes/glands together). I have been referred by my GP to a surgeon to have this removed. I saw a local surgeon in my town, a general surgeon who also does quite a few thyroid surgeries. I was also referred to a specialist head and neck surgeon in Sydney (one of the largest cities in Australia and 3 hours from where I live) for a second opinion.
I wasn't very impressed by the surgeon in Sydney. He said to me that the surgery wasn't urgent because "it's not going to kill you" and said that in some countries doctor's wouldn't even bother removing it, he didn't want to order any further tests (such as blood tests or ENT - see below), he recommended a partial thyroidectomy instead of a total thyroidectomy, wasn't too impressed that I had received another opinion from the surgeon locally and I advised I was in a private health fund but he wouldn't tell me how much the surgery would cost above the Medicare schedule fee (could potentially end up costing thousands of dollars) until I committed to having the surgery completed by him.
The local surgeon however requested further thyroid blood tests and has referred me to an ENT to check where my vocal chords lie and how they are before completing surgery. He has told me I won't be out of pocket for the surgery as he charges the Medicare schedule fee and was fine that I was getting a second opinion. He was a lot nicer to me and had a better bedside manner than the surgeon in Sydney and has recommended that I have full thyroidectomy and that it occur as a matter of urgency (within 30 days).
I'm leaning towards getting the local general surgeon to do it, my only concern is how close the voice box lies to the thyroid and I'm nervous about losing my voice or it being damaged which is a risk of surgery, as I talk a lot in general, but also have to talk a lot in my job.
From what I have read on the internet on medical websites and in medical journals, when there is cancer in the isthmus many surgeons prefer to remove the whole thyroid as isthmus tumours make up only a small portion of thyroid cancers compared to cancer of one or both of the lobes/glands on either side of the isthmus. I understand that at the end of the day that the decision is mine to make, but if anyone else has had experience with either themselves or someone they know undergoing this kind of surgery and their experience I would love to hear about it.