Andrew’s Cancer Journey
Join Andrew in his brave battle against thyroid cancer, a story of hope, love and resilience. Get inspired to overcome life’s challenges!
Andrew Antonacci // 30 Stories Campaign™ // Thyroid Cancer Awareness
It started when I noticed enlarged lymph nodes on my neck. I went to my primary care doctor, who told me it was nothing to worry about, and then to an ENT specialist for a second opinion, who also said it was nothing—just a benign nodule.
I was told this was ‘one of the best cancers to get,’ but I still had cancer… it wasn’t easy to wrap my head around that.
Fast forward to 2021, I started going to a new primary care doctor. He noticed my enlarged nodes and said that he wanted me to get them checked out. I didn’t think much of it, given that other specialists told me it was nothing. However, after having biopsies done, I was told I had thyroid cancer that had also spread to my lymph nodes. I felt reassured when I was told this was “one of the best cancers to get,” but I still had cancer, and it wasn’t easy to wrap my head around that.
I was nervous about the next steps, especially seeing if it had spread anywhere else besides my lymph nodes. A week later, I got CT scans done that confirmed the cancer didn’t spread further to my lungs or stomach, which was an absolute relief.
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I knew I still needed surgery and additional treatment, and even though it was an intimidating process, the team that helped me through it all could not have been better. They were relaxed and comforting, and made the thought of what was ahead much more bearable.
…recovery was not easy, especially the soreness in my throat, tightness and numbness on the right side of my neck, and the pain of eating.
I quickly scheduled the surgery, and in a matter of weeks, I was on the operating table. While it went according to plan and was a success, recovery was not easy, especially the soreness in my throat, tightness and numbness on the right side of my neck, and the pain of eating.
For a good portion of the next month, I was eating mostly soft foods given the discomfort and had trouble moving my neck. I also developed a sort of speech impediment, which scared me. I didn’t know if it would be permanent, and it was not something I was prepared to face; however, after a month or so the speech impediment went away, along with the pain of eating. I also had a pretty gnarly scar going from my right ear all the way down to the left side of my neck, but it healed incredibly well, all thanks to the impressive job done in the operating room.
…I experienced first bite syndrome… basically a sharp pain every time I took my first bite of food.
Another side effect I experienced was first bite syndrome, which was basically a sharp pain every time I took my first bite of food (still don’t understand why it happened and it wasn’t fun). I was told the amount of time that the pain might last could vary quite a bit from person to person, but in my case, it took around 18 months for it to subside.
As with most thyroid cancer patients, a few months after surgery I went through radioactive iodine treatment (RAI), which wasn’t too bad given I didn’t experience any side effects. Regardless, it was quite an experience. The specialists giving me the pill used pliers to open up a heavy-duty container, they used these pliers to get the pill into a cup, and told me to swallow the pill directly from the cup.
…I am surrounded by people who love and support me, and it made everything so much easier.
They said whatever I do, don’t pick up the pill, which was funny given I’d be ingesting it shortly. One thing that was really helpful during this part of the treatment was staying hydrated and eating tons of sour candy, which kept my salivary glands functioning properly.
Every six months after this treatment, I was getting ultrasounds done to make sure nothing malicious or unusual had appeared. Fast forward to today, the scans and ultrasounds show there is nothing to worry about. It goes without saying, but I’m so thankful for the doctors and the nurses that took care of me. They were (and are) amazing people, and I knew I was in good hands from the start.
I learned a lot about myself… and even though it wasn’t easy… I came out stronger.
One of the main takeaways from this journey was that I am surrounded by people who love and support me, and it made everything so much easier. I received so much support from so many people, and I’m not sure if I could’ve done it without them.
I learned a lot about myself when going through the diagnosis, the surgery and the treatment, and even though it wasn’t easy, it’s safe to say I came out stronger.
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