Emily Greenwood, a 21-year-old teacher from Southend-on-Sea, Essex, initially dismissed her extreme tiredness and rapid weight loss as the result of being a busy mother to her two-year-old daughter, Harriet. However, after falling asleep while playing with her toddler and discovering a hard lump on her chin, she sought medical help and was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
Early Symptoms Dismissed as Motherhood
In September last year, Emily noticed a pea-sized lump on the left side of her neck while driving to university. Believing it was related to her eczema, which sometimes causes her lymph nodes to swell, she thought nothing of it. Over the following months, the lump grew to the size of a £2 coin, and Emily experienced profound fatigue and unintentional weight loss, dropping from 52kg to 43kg. She attributed these symptoms to the demands of caring for her toddler.
In January, Emily discovered a hard lump on her chin and decided to consult her GP. Blood tests showed low iron and folate levels but normal thyroid function. Her GP advised her to take iron and folate supplements, suspecting anaemia. However, an ultrasound revealed a suspicious lymph node in her neck and a thyroglossal cyst under her chin. A biopsy confirmed thyroid cancer.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Emily described hearing the word 'cancer' as terrifying. Thyroid cancer, once considered rare, has increased by 36% in the last decade and tripled since the 1990s. In England, more than 84% of patients survive for ten years or more, but around 460 deaths occur annually. In March, Emily underwent a total thyroidectomy and neck dissection to remove the tumour and 25 lymph nodes. She is expected to be cancer-free after radioiodine treatment in July and plans to start her career as a primary school teacher in September.
Emily will need to take thyroid hormone replacement medication for life. She is now raising awareness about the importance of pushing for imaging scans if a lump is found, as her blood tests did not detect the cancer. She stated, 'I definitely wished I got the lump checked out straight away as the cancer may have not spread to my lymph nodes. You need an ultrasound and a biopsy if you have a lump.'
Raising Awareness
Emily urges others not to settle for blood tests alone. 'A lot of people say that thyroid cancer doesn't have many specific symptoms, but for me I felt really tired and lost loads of weight. You need to make sure the GP doesn't just give you a blood test and send you on your way,' she said. Her story highlights the need for vigilance and proactive healthcare.
