I was about 18 years old when I first felt the nodule on my throat and didn't think much about it and didn't make mention to anyone about it. It was about the size of a pea then and when it was removed, when I was 29, it was a little smaller than a ping pong ball. It was thyroid cancer. My thyroid was removed, started the synthroid, had a little radioactive iodine, etc, etc, etc. If you have experienced thyroid cancer, you know the drill. And that is what it was for me; a drill, a procedure, a way to "get better", but I knew, I knew the reason why it came into my experience. I created it. I created the cancer in my body, simply by my thought and belief that I could not express myself.

For those of you who have experienced thyroid cancer, know exactly what I am talking about. When I was a kids growing up, I had no idea how to express myself. I always silenced my thoughts and feelings from the outside world. I would just blatantly lie to someone and tell them something I thought they wanted to hear when they would ask, How are you?, What are you up to?, questions about ME. My brain would say, "No way I am not letting you in..."

Well, I am here to tell you that the cause of my cancer was directly related to my lack of self expression. I would allow myself to build up all this emotion, energy, fear, rage, anger, resentment and I would put it into a big pot that I would close and lock up. Over time, I would put this closed pot over heat and allow it to simmer, until one day, and many times over the course of a year, the pot just exploded.

My family, my friends, my colleagues, my ex-wife, my daughter all knew what that looked like and each time it would happen I would make myself wrong for it which would intern perpetuate the cycle of lack of self expression.

I knew it was time for me to start becoming self expressed in who I am. This is part of the journey that landed me into coaching and public speaking. The purpose of who I am is to have a global impact to society in this conversation of self growth and personal power. To support that purpose, who I am is honesty, truth, integrity and commitment.

Even just the word cancer is an interesting illusion because when we hear the word cancer, we immediately equate to death and someone we know, who had cancer. Its no wonder why so many people are generating cancer in their bodies, fear perpetuates fear and the more fear about getting something, the more we get it into our experience.

Remember, I was exactly where you are and understand the experience that is showing up in your life. It does not matter if it was thyroid cancer, brain cancer, liver cancer, breast cancer, we created it all and we can create something other than what is there right now.

Now, I coach others, just like you and me, on moving from the experiences of cancer and dis-ease in our immediate now into the experience of who they truly are in their expression of the true self. I believe that all dis-ease and illness, ailments, etc. are a direct causation from our thoughts about ourselves over time that have manifested in our bodies. I am here to tell you that each one of us has attracted the experience in. I am also here to teach you how to attract the experiences you want in your life through the laws of attraction. The very same laws that attracted the dis-ease we didn't want into our lives. You can use the laws of attraction to your advantage and sustain the experiences you want in your life.

Patrick J. West Executive & Relationship Coach LIFE2DREAMS http://www.life2dreams.com patrick.west@life2dreams.com (p) 631.767.1427 Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Patrick_West

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Thyroid Cancer Overview

What is Thyroid Cancer?

Thyroid cancer is a disease that affects the thyroid, a gland located in the front part of the neck. The thyroid is responsible for regulating our metabolism.

It is estimated that over 30,000 people will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer this year. Thyroid cancer is normallt reated with success and has an excellent rate of survival.

Thyroid Cancer Symptoms

Early thyroid cancer often does not produce symptoms. But as the cancer grows, thyroid cancer symptoms may include:

• A lump, or nodule, in the front of the neck near the Adam's apple
  
• Hoarseness or difficulty speaking in a normal voice;
  
• Swollen lymph nodes, especially in the neck

Thyroid Cancer Risk Factors

The following risk factors are associated with an increased chance of developing thyroid cancer:

• radiation exposure
  
• family history
  
• being female
  
• being over 40
  
• race - caucasians are more likely to develop thyroid cancer
  
• not enough iodine in the die

source:about.com

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You may be shocked to find out that you have thyroid cancer. You may also feel angry, scared, depressed, or anxious. There is no normal or right way to react to or cope with having cancer. Try to remember to take care of yourself and to get help when you need it.

The goal of treatment for thyroid cancer is to get rid of the cancer cells in your body. How this is done depends on your age, the type of thyroid cancer you have, the stage of your cancer, and your general health.

Most people have surgery to remove part or all of the thyroid gland. Sometimes, a suspicious lump or nodule has to be surgically removed before you will know if you have cancer or not.

After surgery, you may need treatment with radioactive iodine to destroy any remaining thyroid tissue. Once you no longer have all or part of your thyroid gland, you will probably need to take thyroid hormone medicines for the rest of your life. These medicines replace necessary hormones that are normally made by the thyroid gland and prevent you from having hypothyroidism-too little thyroid hormone. For more information on hypothyroidism, see the topic Hypothyroidism.

Initial treatment

Your treatment for thyroid cancer may include:

• Surgery to remove the part of the thyroid gland that contains cancer. Removing one part (lobe) is called a lobectomy. Removing both lobes is called a thyroidectomy.
• Radioactive iodine, which is used after surgery to destroy any remaining thyroid tissue. Once you have your thyroid surgically removed, you may have to wait several weeks before having radioactive iodine treatment to destroy any remaining thyroid tissue. During the waiting period, you may have symptoms of hypothyroidism such as fatigue, weakness, weight gain, depression, memory problems, or constipation. Your doctor may also put you on a low-iodine diet before your treatment. If you are on a low-iodine diet, you cannot eat foods that contain a lot of iodine, such as seafood and baked goods. Depleting your body of iodine may make radioactive iodine treatment more effective because your cells become "hungry" for iodine.
• Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy, which may be used if you are not healthy enough to have surgery. TSH suppression therapy reduces the TSH in your body, which may help prevent the growth of any remaining cancer cells.

Ongoing treatment

After treatment for thyroid cancer, you may need to take thyroid hormone medicine for the rest of your life to replace the hormones that your body no longer makes. You will also need follow-up visits with your doctor every 6 to 12 months. In addition to scheduling regular visits, be sure to call your doctor if you notice another lump in your neck or if you have trouble breathing or swallowing.

At your follow-up visits, your doctor may order:

• A blood test to measure your thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level. This test helps your doctor know if you are taking the right amount of thyroid hormone medicine.
• A blood test to measure your thyroglobulin level. This test helps your doctor know if your cancer has come back. Before this test, you may have to stop taking your thyroid hormone medicine for several weeks. This can cause you to have symptoms of hypothyroidism such as fatigue, weakness, weight gain, depression, memory problems, or constipation. Sometimes, shots of TSH are given to reduce symptoms of hypothyroidism.
• Serum calcitonin tests, if you had medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).
• A radioiodine scan to see if the cancer has come back or spread to other parts of your body.
• Other imaging tests to look for signs of cancer such as ultrasounds, X-rays, CT scans, and in rare cases, MRIs or PET scans.

Treatment if the condition gets worse

Thyroid cancer rarely comes back (recurs). If thyroid cancer does recur, it may be found during a physical exam, on an ultrasound, or as a result of increasing thyroglobulin levels. Unlike other types of recurrent cancer, recurrent thyroid cancer is often cured, especially if it has spread only to the lymph nodes in the neck. Recurrent thyroid cancer is treated with:

• Surgery to remove any remaining thyroid tissue and involved lymph nodes.
• Radioactive iodine.
• Chemotherapy. Medicines such as doxorubicin and cisplatin may be used for certain types of recurrent thyroid cancer.²
• Radiation therapy to the neck. This is rarely used.

source:http://www.webmd.com/cancer/tc/Thyroid-Cancer-Treatment-Overview

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What is thyroid cancer?

Thyroid cancer is a disease that you get when abnormal cells begin to grow in the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is shaped like a butterfly and is located in the front of your neck. It makes hormones that regulate the way your body uses energy and that help your body work normally.

Thyroid cancer is a rare type of cancer. Most people who have it do very well, because the cancer is usually found early and the treatments work well. Once treated, thyroid cancer rarely returns.

What causes thyroid cancer?

Experts do not know the exact cause of thyroid cancer. But they do know that people who have been exposed to a lot of radiation-either from the environment or from medical treatment-have a greater chance of getting thyroid cancer.

A dental X-ray now and then will not increase your chance of getting thyroid cancer. But past radiation treatment of your head, neck, or chest (especially during childhood) can put you at risk of getting thyroid cancer. Radiation was used from the 1920s to the 1950s to treat problems such as acne or enlarged tonsils, but it is no longer used to treat health problems other than cancer.

What are the symptoms?

Thyroid cancer can cause several symptoms:

* You may get a lump or swelling in your neck. This is the most common symptom.
* You may have pain in your neck and sometimes in your ears.
* You may have trouble swallowing.
* You may have trouble breathing or have constant wheezing.
* Your voice may be hoarse.
* You may have a frequent cough that is not related to a cold.

Some people may not have any symptoms. Their doctors may find a lump or nodule in the neck during a routine physical exam.

How is thyroid cancer diagnosed?

If you have a lump in your neck that could be thyroid cancer, your doctor may do a biopsy of your thyroid gland to check for cancer cells. A biopsy is a simple procedure in which a small piece of the thyroid tissue is removed, usually with a needle, and then checked.

Sometimes the results of a biopsy are not clear. In this case, you may need surgery to remove all or part of your thyroid gland before you find out if you have thyroid cancer.
How is it treated?

Thyroid cancer is treated with surgery and radioactive iodine treatment. It rarely needs radiation therapy and chemotherapy. What treatment you need depends on your age, the type of thyroid cancer you have, and the stage of your disease. Stage refers to how severe the disease is and how far, if at all, the cancer has spread.

Your doctor may also remove lymph nodes in your neck to see if cancer has spread beyond the thyroid.

Can thyroid cancer be prevented?

You cannot prevent thyroid cancer.

One rare type of thyroid cancer, called medullary thyroid cancer (MTC), runs in families. A genetic test can tell you if you have a greater chance of getting MTC. If this test shows that you have an increased risk, you can have your thyroid gland removed to prevent thyroid cancer later in life.

source:http://www.webmd.com

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