TALKING THYROID.
The thyroid gland is a small butterflyshaped organ located in the front of your neck, wrapped around your windpipe. It is responsible for controlling your vital bodily functions, like regulating metabolism and controlling heart, muscle, and digestive functions. It produces hormones that affect things such as your heart rate and body temperature.
Thyroid disease is a general term for a medical condition that keeps your thyroid from making the right number of hormones. When your body makes too little (hypothyroidism) or too much of these hormones (hyperthyroidism), it can cause unpleasant and potentially serious problems that may need treatment. These two main disorders can be caused by a variety of conditions. They can also be passed down through families (inherited). One in 20 people in the UK have a thyroid problem, with women six times more likely to suffer from the condition than men.*
“Back then, I didn’t even know what a thyroid was.” Six years ago, Mollie Peters knew something was wrong with her body. She had a visible lump in her neck, which she was told by her local hospital was a cyst.
“It didn’t feel right to me, as alongside the lump, I didn’t feel well. I had no energy, I felt weak, and I was irritable and anxious. My nails and my hair wouldn’t grow. I kept telling my mum that I didn’t feel right - you get to know your own body.” Mollie returned to see her healthcare professional some years later as the cyst was still present. She had several examinations and tests including some blood tests for her thyroid function. Her results showed her thyroid was producing too much of its two main hormones and she was hyperthyroid, which explained her symptoms. In an unusual twist of fate, her healthcare professional suspected that the lump in her neck was something more
serious than a cyst.
“Just before this happened, I had returned to Team NWAS as a call handler in our patient transport service (PTS) control room. I used to be on the road as an ambulance care assistant for PTS two years previous and left to work with children and older adults. After rejoining NWAS, I had to reduce my hours as I couldn’t function past six in the evening. My management team was great in making reasonable adjustments for me.”
In summer last year, Mollie had a thyroidectomy to remove her thyroid. After she had it done, she was told that it was cancerous. Mollie must now take a hormone replacement drug called levothyroxine as her thyroid is not there to produce the hormones her body needs. Without the medication, Mollie would have hypothyroidism which may include symptoms of tiredness, muscle aches, and weight gain. Mollie will be on this drug for life as it keeps her well and enables her body to control vital functions.
“Every person who has a thyroid problem has a different journey. For me, my story is quite unusual as thyroid cancer rates in the UK are so rare, but having it removed was the best thing for me. The cancer was causing my thyroid to produce too many hormones which was making me so poorly. Now it isn’t there, and the cancerous cells are gone, I feel like a different person.” Mollie is now an apprentice emergency medical technician 1 with us and wants to use her story to raise awareness of the importance of the thyroid. Whilst thyroid cancer is rare, Mollie’s sister has just found a lump in her throat and is currently awaiting the same tests, so she feels like it is an important message to share.
“Back then when I first became poorly, I didn’t even know what a thyroid was. A lot of people who I speak to have the same reaction I had; “So what is your thyroid? And what does it do?” If I can help to educate so people are aware of what the thyroid gland is, and I can help just one other person along the way, I’ll be happy.” *University of Aberdeen
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