5 Things I Learned From Having Thyroid Cancer

I recently had my six month scan after having my Thyroid removed from a Cancer diagnosis. When I went in to have my surgery I was told repeatedly that I most likely did not have Thyroid Cancer. In fact the only reason I had opted in for the surgery was because I was struggling to breathe. Then, I woke up from my surgery and heard the words, "It was Cancer." I really don't remember most of what was said after that. I felt my world rock and twist upside down. I was later told that Thyroid Cancer is the "Good Cancer." I have a lot of replies to that "Good Cancer" comment but that's another post for another day. In the last six months I've learned a lot but today I want to share the top five things that I've learned.

1) I got really clear on who I serve. Before my diagnosis I was struggling with my health coaching business and did not really know who I wanted to help. I wanted to help everyone that wanted to get healthier. That's not the best way to go about business. I realized that I wanted to help other moms like me.

2) Having Cancer shows you how strong you really are. My three month post surgery bloodwork showed that I was extremely anemic and Vitamin D deficient. I knew that I was exhausted but thought that my body was still out of whack. I was trying to get into a good workout schedule as well as homeschool my kids and run my business, my doctor was trying to figure out how I was even upright. I realized that I am incredibly strong.

3) It's okay to ask for help. I have incredibly productive days and I have days that I just need to curl up and take a nap. Both things are okay. There are days that I am going to need help and it doesn't make me weak, needy, or a burden. In fact, I beleive that asking for help shows great strength. There are days that my husband cooks dinner, does school with the kids, or whatever else needs to be done because I physically can't do it.

4) I know my body better than anyone else. The problem with Thyroid disorders is that not many people understand them and the lab results can be incredibly ambiguous. Technically my lab numbers are in the "okay" range, however I know that they are still off. I know my body better than a lab result and am finally comfortable asking for my medical team to look a little deeper into what's going on in my body.

5) I literally am what I eat. We all grew up hearing, "You are what you eat." but none of us really paid attention to it. However, I now totally get that. I now work hard at eating as clean as I can so that my family and I feel spectacular!

In conclusion, I wouldn't wish Thyroid Cancer, or any other form of disease, on anyone but I am so glad that I can use what I have learned to help others.