I belong to a thyroid cancer survivor forum & I have read far too many posts about husbands leaving their wives in the midst of their battle bc they felt the wives were just being lazy & moody. So Im going to educate the masses. The thyroid is an endocrine gland at the base of your throat in which the hypothalamus (responsible for certain metabolic processes and other activities of the autonomic nervous system) sends TSH (thyroid stimulating hormones) to the thyroid. The thyroid then produces T3 & T4 based on hypothalamus demands. These hormones regulate the growth and rate of function of many other systems in the body. Cancer kills the thyroid and its ability to receive TSH &/or produce T3 & T4 growth hormones. Side effects include: loss of metabolism (extreme weight gain), calcium deficiency, nervous system functions (intolerance to hot, cold & depth perception), bradycardia (resulting in fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and fainting) & a whole onslaught of varying side effects like tremors and yes fellas, our libido. Just bc the majority of us dont show the typical cancer-treatment side effects ie baldness, extreme weight loss or sunken face, doesnt mean we arent suffering. Most of our symptoms are primarily neurological & arent easily recognizable to the naked eye. Even after surgery, the synthetic hormone replacement via meds is very hard to regulate which causes us to be on an emotional roller coaster, comparable to menopause. So educate yourself before passing judgement on a ThyCa survivor bc its not a surgery, 5 yr treatment & youre done...its a lifelong battle.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 01:18:07 +0000
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