My 23-year-old friend is going to have the left side of her thyroid removed next month. After battling thyroid-related symptoms since December and advocating for her health, she has finally found a doctor who seems competent and caring enough to treat her.
After a benign biopsy three months ago, my friend returned to her endocrinologist, at the request of her doctor, and recently learned the nodule on the left side of her thyroid has increased in side in the last two months, while the one on the right is more stagnant. She was also told the biopsy sample she had given was not good enough and had another one last week.
Since the second biopsy and the rate of growth, her doctor has decided the best course of action is surgery. So in one month, my dear friend will go under the knife, to hopefully revive with her right thyroid intact.
While removing the left portion of her thyroid, doctors will immediately biopsy the right and make sure it does not have to be removed. If all goes well, she will keep her right thyroid, which will keep her off thyroid hormone medications, and she will not have thyroid cancer, which is a small, but possible finding.
Do you know anyone, or have you personally gone through a similar procedure? How did it turn out? Do you have any advice for my friend?