I have been diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer and am looking for any good websites to research it.?

Question

I would like to know the survival rate, alternatives to surgery and radiation. I am also interested in natural cures as I am still breastfeeding.

Answer 1

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/thyroidcancer.html
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/thyroid-cancer/DS00492
http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/wyntk/thyroid
http://www.medicinenet.com/thyroid_cancer/page4.htm#toc6at

The prognosis is excellent, IF you get it treated by conventional means. If it is confined to the thyroid, I think I would opt for surgical option rather than radiatioactive iodine therapy. Why are you opposed to the surgical approach?

You might want to discuss with the surgeon, and get a second opinion from an endocrinologist, putting it off, while closely watching it, until you are no longer breastfeeding. But that baby needs a healthy mom who is going to be around at least another couple of decades. Please don't turn to alternative medicine for this.

Answer 2

I'm sorry to hear of your problem. Survival rates for this is quite good, but of course it is worse if the tumor has spread. Usually it is found early enough for a high likelihood of "cure."

If I had this diagnosis, I would have surgery to remove the tumor, if not the entire thyroid and radiation therapy that the doctor recommended. Thyroid tissue radiation is about the easiest because the Thyroid concentrates iodine so well that they just give you radioactive iodine and almost all of it goes to thyroid tissue. As radiation therapy goes, this is almost ideal. Thyroid function is easily replaced by a daily pill, and this hormone therapy is in fairly common use as many people's thyroids fail to function over time due to immune problems. Ideally, you would like to have a surgeon who performs several thyroid surgeries a year. Practice is important in close work surgeries like this. Hopefully, in skilled hands, you are less likely to lose function of your parathyroid glands and your very important recurrent laryngeal nerve. Don't delay unnecessarily, though. Forget the "natural cures." This is serious business and the only tested cure for this problem is surgery. Don't lose your life or health to be a guinea pig for therapy with herbs, magnets, enemas, bone realignment, chelation therapy, etc. Do what is known to work. There is too much at stake. If you feel you must use these types of therapies then use them in conjunction with your surgery and make sure your doctors know what you are doing.

I am praying for you and expect a good result if you follow a competent M.D.'s advice. Here are some legitimate medical links to start with. The last link is to a patient's journal who describes his experience with papillary thyroid cancer. May God bless you and protect you.

Answer 3

My 15 yr. old daughter also has thyroid cancer. The alternative to surgery and radiation is to allow the cancer to spread and risk your life. Survival rate is excellent (90% and up) when treated promptly and properly. A total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine treatment is the standard. However, if gone untreated, the cancer will spread (if it hasn't already). Metastasis (spreading) is commonly found in lymph nodes in the neck and chest. Distant metastasis is not uncommon in locations such as the lungs. PLEASE gather all the information that you can on this topic. Educating yourself is extremely important. Also, PLEASE find an endocrinologist that is accustomed to treating thryoid cancer patients. This is essential to your well-being. I found that many endos think they can "handle it", but that is not what you want. If you happen to be in Ohio, email me ([e-mail]).

I only have a couple of websites, as I focus on pediatric websites since my daughter is my little patient.
www.thyroid.org
www.thyca.org

Coming from a HUGE breastfeeding advocate, please remember that your health is essential for you to raise that child that you are breastfeeding. Even if you have to stop early ( i know I would hate it too), it may save your life! Best of luck to you, this isn't an easy road to travel.

Answer 4

I THINK YOUR BEST BET IS A SECOND OPINION FIRST. I PERSONALLY WENT THRU THIS IN THE LAST 4 MONTHS AND CAN SAY I FEEL COMFORTABLE IN FEELING CANCER FREE. I DID GO THROUGH BOTH SURGERY AND THE I-131 RADIATION THERAPY. I HOWEVER WAS NOT PREGNANT AS YOU ARE, SO I DO UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERN. THE WEB SITE ON ENDOCRINOLOGY IS A GOOD CHOICE. I WAS LUCKY THAT MY CANCER WAS CAUGHT EARLY BEFORE ANY SPREAD TOOK PLACE. THEY SAY IF YOU HAVE A CANCER, THIS IS ACTUALLY NOT SO BAD BECAUSE THE SURVIVAL RATE IS SO HIGH,UP TO 90 TO 95%. BEST OF LUCK AND MAY YOU ENJOY THE MANY YEARS TO COME AS A MOTHER.

Answer 5

be careful with the breast feeding. the treatment is often radioactive iodine which is used to ablate the thyroid. It is an extremely effective treatment but can be spread to you baby thru breast milk.

You can simply avoid the danger but make sure everyone knows when you go to the nuc med department.

good luck.

Answer 6

Visit my website

www. zeolitesfordetox. com/ davidlawrence

Read the testimonials and news target

Email for more info

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Hope this helps