How to do a Thyroid Neck Check

Just thought I would share something that could be helpful in diagnosing either Thyroid Disease or Thyroid Cancer, something I was diagnosed with myself this past summer. Last summer thyroid cancer wasn't something I had even considered or thought I would have. Last October my family doctor did an examination of my neck and found that my thyroid was enlarged. Now a year on I live with Thyroid cancer. After initial ultrasounds, blood work and biopsies cancer was not found and I was told I did not have it. Then I had my thyroid removed - and there it was...

It all started with a "Neck Check."

According to the American Cancer Society:

"about 56,460 new cases of thyroid cancer (43,210 in women, and 13,250 in men) will be diagnosed in the United States in 2012. The likelihood of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer has been on the rise, and is now more than double than in 1990.
An estimated 1,780 will die of thyroid cancer during 2012. Thyroid cancer is, however, considered one of the least deadly and most survivable cancers, and 5-year survival rates for thyroid cancer are almost 97%.
Thyroid cancer is more common in younger people, and nearly two-thirds of those diagnosed with thyroid cancer are between the ages of 20 and 55.
Thyroid cancer is one of the few cancers on the rise in recent years, with a growth rate of about 6% a year since 1997. Many experts believe that the increase is primarily due to greater use of thyroid ultrasound technology, which is better able to detect previously malignant thyroid nodules that, in the past, likely went undetected. Some of the increased rate is, however, due to detection of an increasing number of larger thyroid tumor."

The Thyroid Neck Check

To underscore the importance of early detection, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) encourages Americans to perform a simple self-exam they call the "Thyroid Neck Check." Examining your neck can in some cases help you find lumps or enlargements in the neck that may point to thyroid conditions, including nodules, goiter and thyroid cancer. To detect a thyroid abnormality early, or lumps that may indicate potential thyroid cancer, follow these steps to perform your own "Thyroid Neck Check:"

1. Stand in front of a mirror
2. Stretch neck back
3. Swallow water
4. Look for enlargement in neck (below the Adam's Apple, above the collar bone)
5. Feel area to confirm enlargement or bump
6. If any problem is detected, see an doctor

Note: The "Neck Check" is not conclusive. A thorough examination by a physician is needed to diagnose or rule out thyroid cancer.

***Please visit  http://thyroid.about.com/od/thyroidcancer/a/neckcheck.htm to read the full article by Mary Shomon and to find out more about thyroid cancer and disease.***