Thryroid Cancer after Breast Cancer?

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  • obbosmel
    obbosmel Member Posts: 27
    edited May 2009

    I had the right portion of my thyroid removed last week because the FNB was inclusive.  Mine came back B9

  • blackjack
    blackjack Member Posts: 1,010
    edited May 2009

    obbosmel..did you need to go on thyroid meds now that you had part of your thyroid removed?

    Did you have any side effects from the removal?

    Blackjack

  • AllieM22
    AllieM22 Member Posts: 464
    edited May 2009

    I don't know if there is a connection via BC spreading to the thyroid or vice versa however I think there is something genetically which may link them--my brother had thyroid cancer very young (19 yrs old) but the had the "good" kind--they just removed it and gave him the one-time radioactive iodine pill and then he had to take the pill from then on. I was dx'd with BC at 42 with no family history of BC or ovarian cancer. When I met with the genetics counselor to get info on whether I should take the BRAC gene test, they said that that was a possible sign that something was genetic b/c of my brother's cancer. (I ended up skipping the test as my BC was ER+ and apparently that generally rules out BRAC1 issues (90% of the time) although it could still be BRAC2 but the % was very low).

  • obbosmel
    obbosmel Member Posts: 27
    edited May 2009

    I go back to the doctor on Thursday and I think he will put me on medicine.  It might be to early to tell about side affects but the surgery affects were just typical of any surgery.  They do require an overnight stay.  I went back to work 6 days after surgery and was able to drive.  Regular activities can be resumed this weekend, about two weeks after surgery.  Anxious to start the medicine and hopefully get rid of some of this weight gain!!

  • hollyann
    hollyann Member Posts: 2,992
    edited May 2009

    Elephant Sister Lucy reporting for duty!.....Here is my trunk held out for support for whoever needs it.......

  • Jane_M
    Jane_M Member Posts: 1,549
    edited May 2009

    I have my thyroid US scheduled for June 8th.  I'm also having a dexa, echocardiogram and pulmonary function test the same day.  There's no sense in me getting worked up over it.  I'm going on vacation the first week in June and I'm not going to let it spoil my trip.  Anybody else here old enough to remember Doris Day?  Que Sera, Sera....whatever will be, will be...the future's not ours to see..que Sera, Sera.

  • blackjack
    blackjack Member Posts: 1,010
    edited May 2009

    HI girls..just came home from having my thyroid biopsy. The ENT took 3 samples from a lg nodule in the isthmus thyroid. It was not bad. Now my neck is swollen. Did anyone have that after a biopsy? He also told me a need to see an Endocrinologist for meds maybe?? Is this all normal or should I be worried.

    Blackjack

  • blackjack
    blackjack Member Posts: 1,010
    edited May 2009

    hopefor30....glad to see that you are feeling better. My neck is very sore and swollen. I have been icing it all day as I have to work tomorrow. Just to much to get done for the end of the year stuff at school. My bruising is all in the front and not pretty. I hope it will fade soon like tomorrow. lol

    I will get the results Friday..I will let you know. Hope you are having a restful evening .

    blackjack

  • TenderIsOurMight
    TenderIsOurMight Member Posts: 4,493
    edited May 2009

    Hopefor30- you are in my thoughts, wishing you strength as you wait for your surgery. You're so right, knowing it's a cancer once again we just want it out, the sooner the better.

    Might you ask if they have any cancellations on the surgical schedule that they bump you up? 

    Keeping my thoughts focused on a low grade, less aggressive pathology here.

    My best to you, and to blackjack too.

    Tender

  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited May 2009

    Check out this great website on thyroid cancer:

    www.naturalthyroidchoices.com

  • blackjack
    blackjack Member Posts: 1,010
    edited May 2009

    Vivre...thank you for the web site. It was very interesting to read about the thyroid gland and how powerful it is. I may look into getting a holistic md.. I just don't want to have something taken out that is really needed to help my body function properly.

  • hollyann
    hollyann Member Posts: 2,992
    edited May 2009

    Just checking in to see how all of you are doing........I am on synthroid fro hypothyroidism...I have been for years now.....Wonder if that has any bearing on my breast cancer diagnosis?....hmmmmmm   food for thought I guess.......Hope all of you are doing better today.......

  • may31
    may31 Member Posts: 18
    edited May 2009

    I got my results Tuesday. Benign! I will see the doctor again in 6 months and have another ultrasound to check the status of the nodule and to determine if any others have cropped up! He did not get the results of the blood test so I guess he will let me know if my thyroid is not functioning properly. He said I don't appear to have any of the symptoms but we'll see. I'm much relieved and the waiting really is horrible ! I talked to a friend of mine last night who finished chemo/radiation last year and her internist sent her for an ultrasound thinking her thyroid appeared enlarged with the physical exam. I guess some of the doctors are aware of the correlation. I guess it's something we'll all have to continue to monitor.

  • oldstudent
    oldstudent Member Posts: 61
    edited May 2009

    Hi, all. Just got word of a cancer diagnosis after a lumpectomy. I'm not yet sure of the details of the diagnosis. The surgeon wants to biopsy the lymph node and do some more margin clearing, but I don't yet know details. But I wanted to jump into this discussion. I, too have been hypothyroid for a number of years. I've also had very cysty breasts and ovaries, and I've also had some "sebacious cysts" removed from my back. I wonder if there is some sort of a connection that has to do with the formation or health of fibrous tissue or glandular tissue in the body, no matter where it is located. I know that "Marfan's syndrome" is a disease that affects connective tissues throughout the body so maybe there is something like that affecting glandular tissue?

    Just a thought. . .

  • Nicole_Bronx
    Nicole_Bronx Member Posts: 29
    edited May 2009

    anyone here felt sore throat/lost their voice days after a lumpectomy? (or mast?) my mom is feeling that her throat is very dry and is losing her voice (i mean this does happen to her when she's about to get sick, but the link bet the thyroid and bc is making me worried :-()...maybe she is just getting a cold and i am reading too far into things...i have been reading that the thyroid problems occur during or after treatment so maybe its just a cold...

  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited May 2009

    Nicole-how long ago was her surgery? You know they stick things down the throat during surgery that my have caused irritation. Also, surgery can cause all the glands to go into overdrive,fighting off infection. I had terrible post nasal drip.

  • Nicole_Bronx
    Nicole_Bronx Member Posts: 29
    edited May 2009

    hello vivre :-)

    her surgery was on tuesday the 19th of May...ohhh i did not know that they did stick things down the throat, would you happen to know what for?  thanks for the info!  she does suffer badly from allergies (seasonal) and mine have been flaring up, so it could be the glands and allergies

  • Nicole_Bronx
    Nicole_Bronx Member Posts: 29
    edited May 2009

    Thanks Hope,

    I guess I am just a little worried because she's just now developing these symptoms, I suppose it is just a delayed reaction.  Thanks for the comforting words :-)

  • Jo_Ann_K
    Jo_Ann_K Member Posts: 277
    edited May 2009

    Boy, was I glad to read this thread.  Now almost 6 months post-radiation, and I went for my annual GYN exam. The doctor suggested I have my thyroid levels checked. I have had hypothyroid disease since I was in my teens (now 54 years old) and it has been monitored frequently and well-regulated. 

    You can imagine how shocked I was that my thyroid levels were seriously low, but after reading this thread, I have a better idea of what's going on. So my question is, did any of you have the experience of hypothyroidism from radiation resolve after a period of time or was the change permanent?

  • blackjack
    blackjack Member Posts: 1,010
    edited May 2009

    JoanneK... just to answer your question I never had any thyroid issues. I am 2 yrs out from rads. I c/o for the last 4 months that there was something in my throat. Low and behold there was a lg. solid mass on my thyroid. Had a biopsy that came back B9 last week. Do I think rads did this. Yes I do ..have to see an endocrinologist for meds now and bl level cks. Rads can really screw up your insides. I have lung damage from rads and now the thyroid....

    I hope all goes well for you.

    BJ

  • vivre
    vivre Member Posts: 2,167
    edited May 2009

    Hey BJ, Have you done the iodine loading test? You can get the info at breastcanceraction.org. Also read the book by Dr. Brownstein, "Iodine, why you need it, and why you can't live without it". The idodine loading test is a urinalysis that measures if you body is absorbing iodine. They theory is that the lack of iodine is linked to cancer. There are some articles at helpmythryroid.com also.

    When I had my thyroid tested, my doctor said that the the US RDA standards are half of what they are in Europe. Even though it has been proven that the US standards are too low, they still use the same standards. Thyroid health is an essential element to not having a recurrance. So get it checked, do the iodine loading test, and start taking iodoral supplements to alleviate thyroid problems.

  • blackjack
    blackjack Member Posts: 1,010
    edited May 2009

    Vivre,

    Thank you for the info. I was not aware of the iodine test. I am very interested in this and also the 13C and DIM. Who are you seeing to help test your levels?. What brand of 13C and DIM do you take? Let me know. Thanks for the great info and I will have to start reading up on this. I am not taking any meds and I am 2 yrs out. Just have this thyriod issue now and want to avoid meds and surgery.

    Bj

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