All of us thyroid cancer people may have fewer problems with their cancer treatment than the life long problems they face with out a thyroid. Do you have any idea what exactly your thyroid does? Most people don't so don't worry if you don't know.
Finally I have found an article that easily explains what exactly a thyroid does.
"The thyroid is a small hormone-producing gland in the neck that controls our metabolism,” explained Army Col. (Dr.) Henry B. Burch, chair of the Endocrinology Division and professor of medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Burch is also the endocrinology consultant to the Office of the U.S. Army Surgeon General, and works in Endocrinology Service at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC).
“In addition to controlling metabolism, the thyroid plays a key role in maintaining [body] temperature, or thermogenesis,” added Burch, whose work has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)."
So the one big thing it does do is regulate your metabolism. And what exactly does your metabolism do? Well its kind of complicated. Try reading this to get a basic idea but its your body's little engine that keeps it going. And without a metabolism your body just slows way down and turns into a little blob. I just laugh at all those diet tips that tell you to 'ramp up' your metabolism or your thyroid.
And that temperature control thing? I'm always cold. Unless its 100 degrees with 100% humidity and then I'm just whiney.
So imagine if you had to control your metabolism by taking pills for the rest of your life and always feeling cold. This is life after thyroid cancer.
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