My Thyroid Cancer Scare: Diagnosis, Surgery, Recovery and Life 23 Years Later with Dr. Rashmi Roy
In this episode of Mom to MORE®, Sharon turns the tables with returning guest Dr. Rashmi Roy for a deeply personal conversation about the thyroid cancer scare that changed her life 23 years ago. This time, Dr. Roy takes the interviewer’s seat, asking Sharon the questions she asks her patients every day as Sharon walks through discovering her thyroid nodule, undergoing a biopsy, choosing a surgeon, and preparing for surgery with three young children at home.
Sharon shares what it was like to face an uncertain diagnosis, interview four different surgeons, travel out of state to find the right specialist, and prepare her children for a surgery when she didn't yet know exactly what the outcome would be. Dr. Roy adds expert insight throughout, explaining what thyroid biopsies are really like, why high-volume surgeons matter, what recovery can look like, and why thyroid medication doesn't have to stand between you and a normal, active life.
Tune in for an honest look at what it means to face a potentially life-changing diagnosis, advocate for yourself, and come out the other side with a powerful reminder: don't ignore your health, trust your gut, and find the right expert to guide you.
[00:00] Introduction
[03:12] How Sharon's Thyroid Nodule Was Discovered
[06:03] What It Was Really Like to Have a Thyroid Biopsy
[08:47] Finding the Right Surgeon
[13:07] Preparing Three Young Children for Surgery
[14:14] What Happened on the Day of Surgery
[19:17] What Recovery Was Really Like After Thyroid Surgery
[27:42] The Advice Sharon Has for Women With a Thyroid Nodule
[29:56] Asking the Hard Questions and Advocating for Yourself
[31:56] 23 Years Later: Life on the Other Side
Meet my guest, Dr. Rashmi Roy:
Dr. Roy is at The Hospital for Endocrine Surgery in Tampa, Florida.
Website: https://thyroidcancer.com/ To get Dr. Roy’s expert opinion on what’s going on in your thyroid, please indicate you’d like Dr. Roy to review your records.
Dr. Roy’s Goiter Guru YouTube Channel. You can also find her: @goiterguru on Instagram and TikTok. Please DM her there.
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Follow @momtomore on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Substack. @Sharon Macey on LinkedIn.
Keep an eye out for episode #72 of the Mom to MORE® podcast where Sharon is joined by Denise Pough, a SAHM who started watching home renovation and decorating shows and realized she could turn her love of interior design into a business. Coming soon - you won’t want to miss it ♥
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Sharon (00:54)
it's Sharon. Welcome back to another expert episode of Mom to More, Midlife Reinvention for Moms. If you listened to our last episode with Dr. Roshmi Roy, you already know that thyroid cancer is the fastest growing cancer in women, that most women have no idea they have a nodule, and that your blood work tells you almost nothing about whether your thyroid is healthy. That episode
Was essential listening. This one is a lot more personal. Twenty-three years ago, I was sitting exactly where some of you may be sitting right now. A nodule was found, the endocrinologist thought it could be cancer. It was a series of consultations and events I will never forget, and a surgery that changed everything.
Today, Dr. Rashmi Roy and I are taking you through all of it: the diagnosis, finding the right doctor, what surgery actually looks like, recovery, and what 23 years on the other side genuinely feels like. And luckily for all of us, Dr. Roy will be asking the questions her patients ask her every single day. This is the episode where science meets one woman's story. But before we jump in, I want to reintroduce you to my expert guest.
Dr. Rashmi Roy is nationally recognized for her groundbreaking work in thyroid cancer screening. She leads a large community-based thyroid ultrasound program focused on asymptomatic women, research that is actively shaping the conversation around making thyroid screening more accessible and potentially standard practice.
Thinking like what a breast exam is now, standard practice. A Johns Hopkins trained endocrine surgeon, Dr. Roy completed her surgical residency at New York Presbyterian Hospital and is one of the highest volume thyroid surgeons in the United States. She previously led the thyroid program at Penn Medicine, Princeton Medical Center, and served as assistant professor of surgery at Rutgers before joining the Clayman Thyroid Center in Tampa, Florida.
She also reaches over 90,000 subscribers through her Goiter Guru YouTube channel, where she educates patients on thyroid health and treatment options. It is a wealth of important and practical information. Dr. Roy, welcome back to Mom Tomore.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (03:10)
Thanks so much for having me, Sharon.
Sharon (03:12)
Thrilled that you're here again. And this is going to be a really dynamic episode. We're going to flip the table. You are going to be asking me questions that your patients ask you. And since I have lived this, been through the surgery, had everything, this is going to be hopefully highly informative to women out there because we really want them to understand the importance of taking that very first small step and getting your thyroid ultrasounding.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (03:40)
Yep,
exactly. so yeah, you know, the first question I ask my patients when they come in to see me is how did you find your nodule in the first place?
Sharon (03:49)
Really interesting and not the way that I expected to have found something like this. I was having heart palpitations and I went to the cardiologist. And the cardiologist said, I'm going to send you to get an ultrasound because I'm I'm curious as to why this is happening. And so he was the one that actually thought to send me to get the ultrasound of my thyroid.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (04:10)
So that's a very sharp physician because not many physicians would connect the two palpitations to thyroid, even though being hyper thyroid can cause that. That's not a first thought that a lot of people do. So I give I give that physician a lot of credit. so you had the ultrasound done and then what did it show?
Sharon (04:29)
So it showed that I had a nodule in the right lobe of my thyroid. And when he found that out, he said, I need you to go to an endocrinologist. And, you know, I found and he recommended someone. So I ended up going to this woman. And she ended up doing another ultrasound, identified that indeed it was there. And at first she she wasn't concerned about it. So I think we probably watched it for maybe six months, something like that.
at the most. It might have been less. And then I remember going back and her saying, You know what? I'm going to biopsy it.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (05:02)
So do you remember how
big it was?
Sharon (05:05)
maybe it was like two, it would it be millimeters? centimeters, okay. So like maybe it's like two
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (05:08)
Centimeters, centimeters, centimeters. Yeah. Okay.
Sharon (05:11)
centimeters, yeah.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (05:12)
So yeah, and so you had no symptoms. You had a nodule, you had no idea.
Sharon (05:15)
No. Correct.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (05:18)
you had no trouble swallowing, breathing, clearing your throat. You had no idea.
Sharon (05:23)
Correct. I had absolutely no idea.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (05:26)
And so that's so typical that patients can have nodules and be completely asymptomatic. So I think that's a super important thing to bring up, is that you can have no symptoms, and like you said earlier, your blood work can be completely normal, but you have a thyroid nodule and a potential thyroid cancer.
Sharon (05:45)
Correct. Correct.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (05:47)
okay, so you watched it for six months, and then for whatever reason, she thought that she needed a biopsy.
Sharon (05:53)
Correct. And we did the biopsy would you like me to explain that? Okay.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (05:57)
Yeah, yeah. So what
what did you think? You know, were you scared? did you want to do it? You know, what were your thoughts?
Sharon (06:03)
Well, I knew I had to do it. And of course, when someone says the word biopsy, especially when it has something to do with like your thyroid, there's always a little fear. But I knew that she was a very well-respected doctor and that it was gonna be okay. I had never had a biopsy of my thyroid. And so I do recall that, you know, my neck was stabilized and it was ultrasound guided, and a needle had gone into the right lobe.
and you know identified where was and I guess pulled out some cells and and pathology was done on it. Was it painful? No, it really wasn't. But
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (06:39)
Right.
Sharon (06:39)
anything new, I was young. I was in my 40s and I think as a woman sometimes it's easy to spiral a little. I'll raise my hand and say, okay, I could, I could be that person. But I'm really glad I had it done.
once all was said and done, it was over with really quickly
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (06:55)
Right, yeah. So a lot of patients they're so nervous about a biopsy. So I think it's important to realize that it's ultrasound guided, it's quick,
Sharon (07:04)
Mm-hmm.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (07:04)
and it's important. You know, people are afraid, there there's a lot of misconception that biopsies can spread the disease.
I don't
Sharon (07:12)
Mm mm.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (07:12)
know if that's something that you were afraid of, but a lot of patients are afraid of that, and that's just not the case. The standard of care is that you get a biopsy of your thyroid nodule. and then so then
You had the biopsy and then I'm sure you were just waiting on pins and needles for the for the pathology, right? Yeah.
Sharon (07:29)
Yeah, kind of. Absolutely.
as I'm sure most of your patients would be. so the biopsy came back as a Herthel cell adenoma.
but there was a chance that it was a Herthel cell carcinoma. So I'm gonna let you explain that because you're the doctor and I'm not, and you could explain it
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (07:45)
Right. Yeah. Right.
Sharon (07:48)
far better than I can.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (07:50)
Yeah, so you know, nowadays it's called a Herthel cell neoplasm. And so a neoplasm can be either benign or it can be a cancer. So a carcinoma is a cancer, and adenoma is benign. And a neoplasm is kind of the whole spectrum of benign versus cancer. So
Specifically with her those cell neoplasms, a biopsy cannot give you a definitive answer. And so the only way you know if this is going to be a cancer is if that half of your thyrogland is removed. So unfortunately, we're just not there yet in medicine to be able to tell patients right away if it's a cancer or not and what you need to do. So with that diagnosis on a biopsy of a Herthal cell neoplasm.
you need to have a surgery for diagnosis and cure. and so you had this vague diagnosis of a neoplasm and they obviously told you that you need an operation.
Sharon (08:47)
correct. Which, you know, at that moment, freak out.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (08:51)
Right.
Sharon (08:51)
and then I realized, okay, I am a rational human being and I'm a mom and I can handle anything because I had three young kids. And if I could handle three young kids, I could handle anything. And so that started me on my journey of trying to figure out which doctor, which hospital I was going to be at. I will make a note to listeners is that when I had this done.
Doctor Roy, you were probably in medical school, right? Yeah.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (09:17)
Right.
Yeah, so I wasn't out there yet,
but I mean, so what was your process? How did you know who to go to? Did you interview surgeons? Did you go to whoever they told you to go to? I mean, how did you find your surgeon?
Sharon (09:31)
So I interviewed four different surgeons at four different hospitals. And
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (09:35)
Good for you. Mm-hmm.
Sharon (09:37)
maybe it's a little more, but I thought it's my neck. And I've always thought I love my neck. I thought my neck was such a nice feature of my body. I want to make sure that, you know, I had like the best doctor possible to handle this. I think I probably had a recommendation from this endocrinologist. And I had seen, again, you know, four different doctors. when I really put it all together.
one doctor and hospital was a clear winner for me. I will little sidebar, and I'm not going to name names, but one of the doctors was someone that you and I had originally spoken about. And I remember meeting this doctor at a very fine hospital with a cancer center and a great reputation. And I remember walking in and meeting this doctor, and I immediately went, There is no way I'm gonna let this guy touch my neck.
And so I
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (10:25)
Yeah.
Sharon (10:25)
would love to say to you know our listeners that trust your gut, ladies. Really trust your gut. You know if someone doesn't feel right, if you don't like their bedside man, whatever it is. And as it turns out, you know of this physician, and your response to me was smart woman for for not going there. Yeah, I remember that
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (10:45)
Yeah. Yes. Exactly. Exactly.
Sharon (10:49)
distinctively. and I did end up at
Memorial Slum Kettering in New York City with Dr. Jayton Shaw, who was the head of head and neck surgery at that time at Slum Kettering. Yeah.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (11:02)
Right, right.
I mean, I think it's important for pa for patients, women to know that with a potential thyroid cancer diagnosis, just like you did, you have you don't pa don't panic. You have time to do your research. You just don't need
Sharon (11:15)
Correct. Correct.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (11:17)
to go to the person down the street. You can interview people, go on the internet. I mean, you know, I say this all the time now, and it's kind of
you know, in a joking manner, but finding a doctor is like finding a good restaurant. You read reviews, you know, and and now,
Sharon (11:34)
Correct.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (11:35)
you know, people write Google reviews. And I think it's really important to not only do research on the hospital, but on the surgeon, you know, the who is actually going to be cutting your neck open. And when you see the surgeon, ask the hard questions. You know, what is your complication rate? What is your recurrence rate? How many of these do you do?
which is I'm sure those are the questions that you asked. and you know, to your point, get that gut feeling of who who is going to be the right surgeon for you.
Sharon (12:05)
Absolutely. And you're right to point out that it was not a hair on fire sort of situation, right? That I had the time to do this, to figure out the right doctor for me. And I will also point out I don't live in New York. And so I decided to go to New York City because I felt that this doctor was the best, you know, for me at that point in time, we are not tied to the state that we live in.
To find a doctor in our state. In fact, the doctor that had been recommended to me in our state was the one where I just kind of went, no way are you going to touch me. And so absolutely be open to the possibility of traveling to a nearby state, neighboring state, it could be, you know, across the country, wherever you feel that you are going to get the highest quality care. and the doctor that actually makes you feel the most comfortable and is the most experienced.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (12:58)
Exactly.
So you've you picked your surgeon, you picked your hospital. So once you knew you were having an operation, you have three young kids
Sharon (13:06)
Yeah.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (13:07)
at this time, you know, did you explain it to your kids? what was life like before surgery and then, you know, the day of surgery? Traveling to New York,
Sharon (13:15)
Right.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (13:16)
leaving your kids at home,
Sharon (13:18)
That was, I mean, that was difficult. I will be super honest. That was really difficult for me because my kids were eight, six, and one. do you have visions of, you know, am I gonna wake back up? Of course you're gonna wake back up.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (13:31)
Right. We think as moms, we think about, you know, we're going under surgery. Are we going to wake up again? And of course we are, but that's
Sharon (13:38)
Yeah.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (13:38)
what we think about.
Sharon (13:39)
Yeah. And it was scary. I mean, with the with the kids being so young I had a a babysitter, luckily, who was, helping us out with that. And my mom, bless her heart, flew in from another state so she could be there with me and help advocate for me, because when it comes to stuff, your own mom can be really awesome in in that regard. And I was really happy about that, that that she was there.
and also my husband, you know, we came down together. And so day of surgery. I remember getting up very early we were close enough that we were able to drive to New York.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (14:13)
Right.
Sharon (14:14)
even before the surgery, you know, blood work had to happen. I remember I had to get
An x-ray of my of my chest to make sure there was nothing going on anywhere else in my body. There was a bunch of blood work. I will never forget that the phlebotomist at MSK, I didn't even feel the needle going in when they were doing blood work. So I was really impressed with that. So they had to do all that sort of pre-screening stuff. and then the day of, I remember going to the hospital and you know, they they gave you the gown and
You know, have to take everything off, rings, you know, wedding ring, all that sort of stuff. and is it nerve-wracking? Yes, I'm lying in a hospital bed at memorial slunk hetering, and I am about to undergo surgery. And they don't know if it's going to be cancer or not. And so what the doctor said to me was, Dr. Shaw said to me, he's like, Okay, here's how it's gonna go down. And he walked me through everything. And actually, I actually remember walking into the ER.
with them. Like I literally had an Ivy hooked up and we're like, he's like, come on, we're just gonna walk in. So we we walked in together. And I remember there was a blackboard on the wall, and they said, you know, is that your name? I clarified my name. They said, is this the lobe that we are going to be removing? I said, yes, that is correct. So they really double and triple check everything. the the barcode that's on your wrist. They're always scanning that. So there is
r t a a a ton of redundancy that happens, you know, when that happened. And so the way he explained it to me was we're going to take the right lobe out, we're going to send it to pathology. And if it is cancerous, we're going to take the other lobe out and do a total I think it's called thyroidectomy, correct? Thyroidectomy.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (15:56)
Paradoctomy. Yeah.
Sharon (15:58)
and if it is not cancerous, we're going to close you up and we leave you with the left lobe. So upon waking up,
discovered that it was not cancerous and so they closed me up and so I still have the left lobe of my of my thyroid.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (16:14)
what were you thinking as the patient? You know, you you don't know if you're gonna wake up with half your thyroid, your whole thyroid, are you gonna be completely dependent on thyroid medication? because I say this to my patients all the time is that, you know, we're gonna go in, hopefully I'm able to save half, I wanna save half, but I'm gonna let the biology of your tumor dictate what you need and and your family will be updated. So your family's gonna know first before you do.
And we'll talk in the recovery room. So yeah,
Sharon (16:40)
'Cause you're gonna be out, yeah.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (16:42)
so as a patient, you know, what is that what does that feel like?
Sharon (16:45)
well, first of all, you're you're sound asleep, so you don't necessarily know what's going on at that
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (16:50)
Right.
Sharon (16:50)
moment in time when your family knows first. it is, I'll be honest, I mean it is it is scary, but I realized that thyroid cancer from from my research is one of the easier cancers to to get rid of, right? To remediate. Am I saying the right the right words? to take care of.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (17:09)
It has a great yeah, it has one of the best prognoses.
Yeah.
Sharon (17:12)
Yeah, best prognosis. and yes, I'm sure that if you asked my husband, he would say you were totally making us all crazy. but and spiraling in my own unique way. but I realized it was something I had to do. I did explain it to all the kids what mommy had to do, and that, you know, for a couple of nights they were going to be with a babysitter. And and our my husband went back actually the first day.
And I ended up spending two nights in the hospital. and I'll go back, I'll go to that in a moment. But I remember talking to all my kids, and that was like really emotional, Dr. Roy, saying to these kids, this is what mommy has to do, and you know, I have to have an operation and I'm gonna be fine, even though in the back of your head you're kind of going, Am I gonna be fine? And right, but
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (17:55)
Am I gonna be five? Yeah.
Sharon (17:57)
we put on that face for the kids. But I was also trying to be on really honest with them and
And vulnerable and just say, you know, is it scary for mommy? Absolutely. But I'm gonna be good. You guys are all gonna be here together. daddy's gonna be home Monday night, and then mommy will be home, in a day or two after that. And our our baby, she was just like a year and change. So it was just a lot of hugs and crying into her hair and and things like that.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (18:18)
Yeah. Yeah.
Sharon (18:23)
Because she didn't really understand. But my my kids at eight and six did I think they understood ish.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (18:30)
Sure.
Sharon (18:31)
and it is highly emotional. But I took solace in the fact that I knew I was at a phenomenal hospital, you know, a major cancer center, that I had the head of head and neck surgery who was operating on me. And I felt I felt really good about that choice. So I I felt very confident. I knew that I was in really good hands. and
You know, just like with any of your patients, there's that sense of sort of in God's hands right now. You know, it's in the doctor's hands, in God's hands, and I'm just you just gotta go with it, right? Because I knew I was doing what had to be done for my body and for my long term health. All right. I didn't wanna put my head in the sand and go, I'm just not gonna worry about it. I knew I had to deal with it. And I'm I'm so, so glad that I did.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (19:11)
Right. And how were you feeling after immediately after surgery, if you remember, you know, weeks after, things like that.
Sharon (19:17)
I do. Yeah. Yeah,
I do. I immediately remember waking up and I think they had put something in my eyes so they were still moist. They were there was like some eye drop that went in, and so I things were a little fuzzy. I remember seeing my husband and my mom and I remember throwing up, which I know
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (19:35)
Yeah.
Sharon (19:36)
which I know is sometimes a side effect of anesthesia anesthesia, correct?
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (19:39)
And it's usually right. Mm-hmm.
Sharon (19:41)
and I remember just being a little disoriented. you're totally in a fog when you first wake up because you've been out for a while. I was out for several hours, I think, while they were doing the pathology.
And you know, he said, good news, it wasn't cancer. We closed you up and you still have your left lobe remaining. and my neck was all bandaged, right? This was all bandaged up. What really struck me, Dr. Roy, was the tiniest movement in your body, your neck is always affected. Whether you're
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (20:08)
Yeah.
Sharon (20:09)
sitting up or you want to turn to the side, and I I couldn't turn my head normally, so I had to like turn my whole body.
you know, one side or another
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (20:15)
Mm-hmm.
Sharon (20:16)
at first. what astounded me was just how often your neck is engaged in every movement of your body. Yeah,
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (20:21)
Yeah.
Sharon (20:22)
that I really did not expect. this is also kind of funny.
The nurses were really aware of what was going on. it wasn't so much more challenging for me, but my mom, bless her heart, says to the doctor, She's going home to three young kids. She needs another night in the hospital. You cannot release her. And so, yay, mom, right?
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (20:37)
Right.
Sharon (20:41)
and so they got me another night in the hospital because after 24 hours, I was not ready to go home.
I was not ready to deal with kids. I was not ready to get in the car. But 48 hours later, I was feeling so much better. I was feeling like a
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (20:54)
Yeah.
Sharon (20:55)
brand new person. And I thought, you know what? I can get dressed. I can actually go home. And it was
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (21:01)
Mm-hmm.
Sharon (21:01)
that addition for me, this is again very personalized just for me, that additional 24 hours made all the difference in the world. So
I'm glad
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (21:09)
Yeah.
Sharon (21:09)
I had that.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (21:10)
Yeah. yeah, people are pretty surprised of how quick the recovery is. You know, I tell patients, I expect you to be eating, talking, walking, caring for yourself, you know, that afternoon.
but you know, some people just need the extra time and you know that's you know, obviously individualized for every patient. we have patients that when they fly in to see me.
I had keep in a hotel for two days afterwards you're okay to take care of yourself, but do you necessarily wanna be with three young kids? No, you know, not not quite yet.
Sharon (21:37)
No, no. Yeah.
And I also wanted to talk to you about the like where you put the the incision. And what was interesting was twenty-three years ago, he he did it where I had a natural fold in my neck, but he ended up sort of like midneck. And I love the way you do it, where it's lower almost like a necklace.
I wish it was
how you are doing it now because
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (22:02)
Yeah.
Sharon (22:03)
it definitely disappears more. I know I have a little scar tissue. That would does not happen with the way you do the incisions.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (22:11)
there's
score tissue, but it heals much better. It's a much more cosmetically appealing incision line where, you know, I expect it to fade away after two or three months. So, but it was done much differently back then. you know, just like everything, as things progress in time, we learn more and things like that. So, but yeah, I mean, when you have thyroid surgery.
you're gonna have a neck incision most likely that's all that patients see. So I wanna make sure that, you know, you're happy with your incision and, you know, that's not a constant reminder of, you know, that day.
Sharon (22:43)
Right. And of course,
every time you look in the mirror, that's all you see. Right?
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (22:48)
Right.
Sharon (22:48)
Your eye goes straight to your neck and and that's all you see.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (22:51)
So I mean, were you given any restrictions after surgery? how quickly were you back to doing your normal activity? Things like that.
Sharon (23:00)
the restrictions were more how was I personally feeling?
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (23:04)
Mm-hmm.
Sharon (23:05)
And I knew that I couldn't sort of move my neck right to left the way I normally do and I had to actually move my whole body and I was just more careful. Like I kept it covered up. I think I kept it covered up for like the first year because I just didn't want to get any sun on it. I give it the best chance of healing so everything would sort of disappear. and my restrictions were more, I just had to be careful about picking up the baby.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (23:25)
Right. Heavy lifting. Yeah.
Sharon (23:25)
because, you know, at first exactly.
So no heavy lifting for probably a few, few weeks.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (23:32)
Yeah, yeah.
Sharon (23:32)
and they basically said, Listen, you'll know how you're feeling and if you can do that. I didn't do any heavy lifting until I went back and had the stitches removed. I know that surgery has progressed so far that the stitches are on the inside,
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (23:42)
Exactly.
Sharon (23:43)
correct?
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (23:44)
Yeah, yeah. there's no stitches to remove anymore. my restrictions are really no heavy lifting for three weeks. and now things have changed where I actually want you to move your neck. Like I don't want you moving like a robot. I want you to move your neck because if you don't move it, then you get more scar tissue. so things have progressed a little bit in that sense.
But yeah, the major thing is just no heavy lifting, but I let patients go back doing light cardio after three or four days, which, you know, patients obviously they want to get back to their activity as quickly as possible.
Sharon (24:16)
Right. in terms of getting back to activities, I I do remember, you know, slowly getting better and going back to my activities. I'm a tennis player. I mean, six weeks later I remember that we had gone to Florida and I was doing a tennis camp. And I had a bandana around my neck, and that was six weeks post surgery. So,
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (24:30)
yeah. Yeah.
Sharon (24:34)
I was able to move my neck, normally. and the fact that it was just six weeks after this,
significant surgery in my life, right? That was the most significant surgery I'd ever had, that I was really kind of back at it. So that was
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (24:45)
Mm-hmm.
Sharon (24:45)
really nice. And in terms of medication, if we can go there,
my endocrinologist put me on Synthroid. And I have been on Synthroid for 23 years. They originally started at point like 50 micrograms. And even 23 years later I'm taking point
like 88 micrograms. So
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (25:06)
Okay. And how do you feel on it?
Sharon (25:08)
I'm like the Energizer Bunny. I really am. And yeah, yeah, yeah.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (25:11)
I know that from just knowing you.
Sharon (25:14)
it's just become like routine. You know, I take the synthroid every morning and I don't think it really matters if it's synthroid or the generic.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (25:21)
know, some patients it does for you for you know, if if you've just been on the synthroid, sometimes it does. I prefer the brand name if possible, if patients can do it, just because of with the generic, you never know what it's actually being filled with. so the brand name, you know, I prefer. but you know, I think it's really important to talk about
Being on thyroid medication because so many people are afraid to have the surgery because they're afraid of being on thyroid medication. And I tell patients that I expect you to feel exactly the same way before and after. there may be a two to three month adjustment period, but you shouldn't really miss a step.
Sharon (26:01)
I a hundred percent echo that and agree with that. And and I think at first, probably for at least the first ten or fifteen years, I was on synthroid and then,
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (26:09)
Mm-hmm.
Sharon (26:09)
you know, transitioned more to the the generic after all of those years. Yeah. Right.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (26:12)
Yeah. And and some people it doesn't matter, but some people, you know, it makes a difference.
Sharon (26:16)
Yeah.
So being on the synthroid has been no big deal. I am living my normal life. Everything is fine. I have a ton of energy. I would not be afraid of doing this surgery because you're afraid of having to take a medication for the rest of your life. that should be the worst thing that ever happens to you in life, right? Is that you have
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (26:33)
Right. Right.
Sharon (26:34)
to take this tiny little pill for the rest of your life for thyroid regulation,
it truly has been no big deal for me, and I'm glad that I had it. And obviously, you know, for several weeks afterwards, you're taking really good care of yourself and you're dialing things back because you have to. You just had a pretty major surgery, but life goes back
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (26:50)
Yeah. Absolutely.
Sharon (26:52)
to normal, and
everything is really just fine.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (26:55)
okay. So I mean, is now looking back, you know, it's been t over twenty years, is there anything that you wish that you knew back then that you know now?
Sharon (27:06)
Hmm. That's a really good question. I would say
that I would have pushed for like a lower incision point and moving the neck average, like, you know, doing doing that more deliberately than I did before.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (27:20)
And what about if there is someone out there listening right now that, either feels a lump on their neck or has just found that they have a thyroid nodule? I mean, what from your experience, I mean, what would you tell them?
Sharon (27:34)
Do not ignore it, mama. Do not ignore it. you have one life and you've got family and kids and people that depend on you. In the greater scheme of things, this is so minor in terms of something that you can deal with. And whether it's, you know, a nodule or if it's cancer, finding a doctor that you believe in, and like what you guys do down at Clayman Thyroid Center, Dr. Roy, I think that makes just
all the difference in the world,
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (28:00)
Right. And I would just add, you know, this is a major operation, even though it's a quick recovery, it is a major operation. There are really important structures there, the nerves that go to your vocal cords, the parathyro glands, your trachea, esophagus, things like that. So find an expert.
Don't just go to someone that does this one every once in a while. You really need a high-volume expert thyroid surgeon if you need an operation. And if you're listening to this and you don't know if you have a thyroid nodule, get an ultrasound because you know it's oftentimes asymptomatic and doesn't show up in your blood work. So get an ultrasound to see what your thyroid looks like.
Sharon (28:41)
Dr. Roy, I wanted to echo what you said about finding a high volume surgeon who is an expert in their field, because I knew of another woman who actually had the surgery with someone who was not as experienced as someone like you, and they did have an issue with their vocal cords. Cause when you open this up, like you just said, your your vocal cords, you know, everything is all right there. And they ended up having an issue. And so it sort of
To me, I was like, thank God I didn't go with that certain physician. And and so I think I just really want to reiterate how important it is to find someone who really, really knows what they're doing and that they do the surgery all the time and not just intermittently. I think that is critical.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (29:24)
Exactly. And ask the hard questions because when patients ask me the questions, I am so thankful that they're asking it and and then I know I'm talking to an educated patient. the surgeon should never get upset if a patient is asking them their complication rate, their volume, things like that. and if a surgeon does get upset, then that's a little bit of a red flag. So that's another thing to watch
Sharon (29:46)
It's a huge red flag.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (29:48)
don't don't feel gaslighted. the doctors shouldn't be getting angry at you or annoyed with your questions. this is your life. This is potentially a cancer diagnosis, this is your future. so you really need to take it into your own hands.
Sharon (30:01)
Right. Very well said. Thank you for that.
exhale here. Dr. Roy, thank you so much for this important conversation. I know that every woman out there listening to this is going to realize that yes, I am in control of my health, that I should get an a thyroid ultrasound because it gives me knowledge that I didn't have before. And if everything's fine, then great. How frequently should someone get an ultrasound of their thyroid? Like say a woman goes in and she's
forty and everything looks fine. When should she repeat that test?
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (30:36)
Yeah, so I mean I get this is going on my research. but I think if you have an ultrasound and it is and you don't have any nodules there, then you don't need to get another ultrasound for maybe three years or so. but if you do have a nodule, then you should monitor it, you know, at least on a yearly basis, depending on, you know, how suspicious it is on the ultrasound.
Sharon (30:57)
Terrific. Thanks for that. And Dr. Roy, please tell our listeners where they can find you because you are, you know, are making yourself available to listeners. If they have questions, they could reach out. So please tell everyone how they can find you online, reach out to you. And folks, everything is going to be in the show notes.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (31:16)
Absolutely. So you can find I operate at the hospital for endocrine surgery in Tampa, Florida. the website there is thyroidcancer.com and you can just write that you want to speak to Dr. Roy and I will personally go over your records and give you my personal opinion, expert opinion on what's going on with your thyroid, or you can follow me on Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok at Goiter Guru.
you can direct message me there, things like that. and that's another easy way to reach out to me.
Sharon (31:48)
Great. Thank you for that. I know that this is going to be an episode that so many women get a lot of value out of, just hearing it from, the other side, like from a woman who's actually been there and done that and lived through it. And 23 years later, I'm like, woohoo, everything is great. And I'm just really glad that I had this done, that I didn't ignore it. And so thank you for that. This has been such an informative episode, and I'm so grateful for your time.
Rashmi Roy MD FACS (32:11)
Well, thank you for sharing your story. I think it's so important to get it out there.