Wanting to contribute to a better public understanding of cancer, Robyn Elizabeth from the United Kingdom spoke openly on the TikTok platform.
Robyn was diagnosed with cancer when she was just 29 years old. The woman admitted that before that she felt “always tired”, but put it all down to the fact that she recently had a baby.
But after doctors discovered the insidious disease, Robyn realized that she had underestimated the signs of cancer.
Surgery alone was not enough
The young woman explained that she had bags under her eyes, her face was pale and she constantly felt “like rubbish”.
Robyn listed other thyroid cancer symptoms she experienced: fatigue, enlarged lymph nodes, weight gain, fruitless efforts to lose weight, shortness of breath, changes in toileting habits, irritability and “brain fog.”
Since her diagnosis, Robyn has had two surgeries to remove her thyroid gland, which left her with a temporary loss of voice.
The thyroid gland is a small gland located in the neck, in front of the trachea.
One of the main functions of the thyroid gland is to produce hormones that help regulate the body’s metabolism, which is the process of converting food into energy.
After surgical interventions, she was treated with radioactive iodine, during which cancer cells are destroyed by radiation.
Robyn shared her knowledge of thyroid cancer treatments.
“If you have a lump that’s four centimeters or larger, that means the other side of the thyroid will need to be removed. Hence, the entire thyroid gland will be removed. In addition, in this case, radioactive iodine treatment will need to be applied, which will result in a stay in hospital and not being able to see people for a while,” explained Robyn.
She also highlighted several aspects of a cancer diagnosis that “nobody tells you about.”
“The feeling when you find out you have cancer… I don’t think anyone is prepared for it in advance and I don’t think it’s possible to predict how someone will react. I can only speak from my own perspective, but it was quite a strange experience for me,” Robyn admitted.
Feeling guilty
The woman continued that it is difficult to tell other people that she has cancer.
“It’s very uncomfortable to tell the people around you and it feels like you have to comfort them because the news is emotionally difficult,” Robyn observed.
She also talked about the feeling of guilt, which is especially strong if you have children. Previously, the woman used to take her baby outside every day, and during the period of active treatment, she complained that she could not be a full-fledged mother.
Now Robyn is living a life of waiting. Doctors cannot tell if the treatment has been successful until 9 months have passed since the end of the treatment.
True, the woman is raising funds for a cancer charity and is also preparing for the Great North Run in September.
Thyroid cancer is classified as a rare oncological disease. However, around 3,800 new cases are diagnosed in the UK each year, according to Cancer Research UK.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NVI), the incidence of thyroid cancer in Lithuania is not high, but it is slowly increasing. About 300 new cases of this disease are diagnosed every year.
Thyroid cancer usually affects middle-aged and older people, more often women.
Prepared from Express.co.uk inf.
2024-08-17 11:48:06