My Journey

Hi everyone! I hope that everyone is having a wonderful day, and it is filled with lots of love and peace. Now I believe you have come to read my blog today for a reason. This reason could be due to some higher powers working, but I just like to call it fate.

My name is Kahley, I am a 23 year old living in Western, NY. I have a degree in Childhood/Special Education, as well as a license in Esthetics (skincare). As a recent college graduate, I decided to postpone my (already accepted) graduate school program, and instead began a career in Esthetics. When I first sat down to figure out why the field of skincare would be my perfect career, I began to look at my bigger picture. During the summer of 2011, I did a lot of soul searching from my home life, career, finances, and spirituality. 

After a lot if thinking...my light bulb went off! I realized that I could put my two careers into one. You are most likely starting to think, "Why is this girl rambling on about her career...let's get on with the Thyroid stuff." In the end I decided the field of skincare was the best place I could give the greatest information that was ever given to me. 

At the age of 19, I woke up one morning in January of 2009, (just after transferring to my 4 year college/first time away from home), with my neck enlarged. When I woke up that morning, I decided to fix my hair in the mirror. This is when I noticed my giant neck! I had a cough that lasted about a month from a prior cold. I thought my lymph nodes could be enlarged because of my cold/cough. Lucky enough, my mom who is a nurse practitioner/nurse midwife, came to my rescue. I called her up to ask her about my neck. She just told me to run over to the campus wellness center to get it checked out. She jokingly said, "It could just be your Thyroid." My response was, "What the heck is a Thyroid?" My mom told me it was most likely fine, and just from my cough.

After waiting 30 minutes in the waiting room, I was finally called in. After an hour with the nurse practitioner, I came walking out of the office with my life changed forever. It sure enough was my Thyroid. The first thing the nurse practitioner told me that it could be the big C word. The word NO ONE wants to hear...CANCER! After freaking out and crying by myself in the wellness center, she took some blood work to see what my levels were. I called my parents right after. I called my mom on the phone crying hysterically. I could hear it in her voice that she was scared. My mom and dad were my saviors when I found out something was wrong with my health. I can never thank them enough for what they have done for me. 

A week later I went home for my first test. I went to my family doctor to tell me the same exact thing the school nurse told me....your Thyroid is enlarged. Every two weeks for the next 6 months, I would come home for  a new test or blood work. My poor parents, would drive two hours to get me at school on Friday, two hours to get back home, and then do it again on Sunday. I really have the BEST parents anyone could ask for!

After the first two weeks knowing of my new disease, I was scheduled for my first ultrasound. As soon as I walked into the room, the girl (who was not friendly at ALL), told me the lay down on the table. As soon as she started my ultrasound she asked, "Are you going anywhere for spring break?" I responded, "No, why?" The tech said, "Oh because I think you’re going to need it." I immediately knew something was wrong. It was something other than just an enlarged Thyroid. I came running out of the room. My dad followed me to see what was wrong. I felt bad because I really did have a freak-out moment on him. I could see it in the tech's face when she did the ultrasound that something didn't look right. Ultrasound Techs are not supposed to say anything or even hint at anything they can see on the screen. I was so upset that her expressions gave it all away. 


The next day after getting the results, I found out I had a Multi-Nodular Thyroid. I had 6 total cysts on my Thyroid. I had 3 on the left lobe, and 3 on the right lobe. Your Thyroid is shaped like a butterfly, and we can think of the lobes as the wings. The doctors think that my one cyst had burst into another cyst, causing it to swell. A week before finding my neck enlarged, I had jumped out of the top bunk bed at school. We had an emergency fire-drill at midnight, and I guess the fastest way of getting down was to jump. I think when I hit the ground, the impact caused the one cyst to burst, which called the swelling or bleeding. I kid you not, I could push out my neck and it would look like a bullfrog. It was disgusting! Of course my mom and sister thought it was awesome looking. Well it was the size if a golf ball when it came out! My family joked about it to make me feel better. We nicknamed my neck, Shrek Neck!

At the end of February 2009, I had to complete the "annoying" two day Thyroid scan. I have to tell you this was the biggest pain in the butt! I had to skip school (which in college is not always a good thing when you have a ton of work to do). The scan consisted of being at the hospital two days in a row, for about 4 hours each. On the first day the tech takes a scan of your neck under a huge machine. It sounds like you’re in an airplane, and goes back and forth around your head/neck. You are not allowed to move a muscle the entire time you are under the machine. It lasts around 25-30 minutes. The next day they give you an injection of iodine that lights up the nodules in the Thyroid. The tech then takes another scan. Well, the man who did my scan could not find a vein to give me the shot of Iodine. I do have very stubborn veins, but the man stabbed me at least 7 times! Finally, he called an Ultrasound Tech who had a portable machine. He used it to find a vein. I left with some lovely bruises. In my head all I kept doing was laughing at this man. He He was creepy to begin with too, and it kept my mind off things. After getting the Iodine in my system the tech completed the scan. My mom was able to watch the second scan, and see the picture of my Thyroid. The tech said he had never seen one so weird looking. Thanks man!

Finally, after all the blood work and tests, I met with my Endocrinologist. Let's just say she was not what I expected. She was rude from the moment I met her. She also made it seem like it was my fault for having a sick Thyroid. She told me flat out that she wasn't going biopsy my cysts. She would have had to have stabbed me 15 times to get them all. Then she stated, "Best thing to do is take it out. There are no ways of fixing the cysts or inflammation." My heart sank. I asked her if there were any others ways of treating it besides removing the whole thing. She said, "Nope!" You have to love those one answer statements people make. Ugh, I was so frustrated now. All I kept thinking was, "Great I'm not going to graduate school on time because of this stupid doctor! I was so mad, scared, angry, and felt alone. I would go to sleep at night, toss and turn, and keep thinking someone up there, please protect me during my surgery and after. Let everything be ok. My biggest concern was hoping I wouldn't be awake when they pull the breathing tube out of your throat. Of all things, that's what I was concerned with the most. Oh, I make myself laugh now!

I know this is quite an introduction to my journey! Just hang in there. In March 2009, I met with my surgeon. I have to say she was awesome! She had children my own age, and could understand how I felt. She reassured me that she had done this surgery on a 5 year old before, but had never seen my type of case. The first question I asked, "Dr. Ryan could my surgery wait until after the semester is over." She calmly said with a smile, "Of course!" What a relief that was. That day I was scheduled for surgery a week after I got home for the semester in May. Two months after meeting Dr. Ryan, the big day finally came. It was surgery time!