Cancer is a very scary word and diagnosis. Thyroid cancer sounds scary, yet it is a very treatable cancer and for most patients the outcome is positive. The thyroid gland is located near the windpipe in the neck and its function is to process iodine from the blood to make thyroid hormone, thyroxine. This hormone provides vital body functions, such as regulating the body temperature. Before thyroid cancer can be cured, it must be detected. Thyroid disease symptoms and steps for its diagnosis are as follows:
Instructions
1. Know the risk factor. Those who are at a greater risk for thyroid cancer include women, whites, those exposed to radiation in their youth, those with family history of thyroid cancer, and women who've had a pregnancy after the age of 30.
2. Recognize the symptoms. Those with thyroid cancer may suffer some, all or none of the following symptoms: lump below the Adam's apple area, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, swollen lymph nodes or pain in the neck and throat. The pain may spread up to the ears.
3. Take a blood test. Blood tests can be used to help discover if there is a problem with the thyroid.
4. Take an ultrasound. Sometimes a patient has none of the symptoms listed in Step 2. I didn't. But I signed up for a medical screening which included a battery of blood tests and ultrasound, and they detected something near my thyroid.
5. Visit the doctor. Go to an ear, nose and throat specialist. My doctor gave me another ultrasound, and like the screening check up, he also detected something.
6. Test the lump. Some growths near the thyroid are benign. To determine the proper treatment the doctor must discover if the lump is malignant or benign. One way to do this: the doctor inserts a needle into the thyroid area, and withdraws a sampling which is then sent to a lab for testing. This procedure is done in the doctor's office, and yes, it is painful. But it only takes a few seconds, so take a deep breath and practice some Lamaze style breathing to get through the test.
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