Surviving Thyroid Cancer: 1 Year Later (Patient Testimonial Update: Erica Ervin)

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07/01/23

Erica gave us an update on her thyroidectomy one year after her first interview and two years after the operation. She also offers advice for anyone recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer. See her video from last year here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8q5AKAJcz0&list=UUvrrpNGZ_WUWW4-jtXtbUCA

Erica: Obviously I panicked immediately when I first heard the word "cancer." I was definitely very scared. It's always scary when you find out you have cancer or anything serious like that.

My name is Erica Ervin and it's been two years since my thyroidectomy.

My first surgery, it was just a one-inch scar. I mean, I really have no scars. My surgeries went really well. My first incision was an inch long, kind of in the front and center at the base of my neck.

I actually ended up having cancer come back in one of my lymph nodes. Dr. Lee, in my surgery that I had last summer, removed, I believe it was twenty or so lymph nodes on the right side of my neck. And all of them were biopsied and only one contained cancer, so that was good.

So for the rest of my life, every morning I have to take a hormone replacement pill. But it's okay, I just take mine in the morning first thing when I wake up with a full glass of water. And then get ready for the day and then I can have breakfast. And then you also have to have fairly regular blood testing because your levels can change throughout the years. So yeah, pretty much since after the first surgery I've felt pretty normal. Or as normal as I can feel.

If I was talking to someone who was just diagnosed and found out they had to have surgery, I would definitely tell them it's okay to be afraid. But fortunately I know with thyroid cancer, it's very curable. Especially when caught in the beginning. The surgery is very minimally-invasive. The healing is...I found to be pretty quick. I was worried about scaring, and I'm sure most people are. The scaring was very minimal. Many people who meet me don't even know I've had two surgeries.