Surgery experiences with Carmen Waltz

In this episode, Jessie talks with Carmen, who has been through 3 surgeries related to her thyroid cancer diagnosis. She talks about her experience of having to self-advocate in order to get diagnosed (with papillary and follicular thyroid cancer) and then experiencing lymphedema and nerve damage from surgery. She talks about the improvement she has been feeling after her most recent corrective surgery and what she found helpful throughout the process. Carmen talks about asking for help from others, questions she found helpful to ask her doctor, and focusing on life beyond her thyroid.  Carmen and Jessie also discuss some tips they found helpful related to surgery, such as eating soft foods after, massaging the scar (if possible), and asking questions after surgery.

Everyone's experience with surgery is different, so be sure to consult your care team about specifics for you!
For support groups (local or online), please visit: https://www.thyca.org/sg/

Please note: This podcast is unedited and represents the opinions, experiences and views of those speaking. Please consult your own medical doctor(s) or therapist for all matters involving your health and medical care.