I finished running a Ragnar Relay Race here in UT around the end of June 2009. The day after my wife was giving me a much needed massage ( I know what I nice wife huh?) when she noticed a slight bulge on one side of my neck. She wanted to have it checked out, but I told her not to worry about it. We went on a family trip and I told my wife I would have it checked out when we got back if it was still there.
A week or two later I went to the doctor and after looking at it they ordered an ultrasound. I went and got an ultrasound on my neck. After the ultrasound they were decided that it was not my thyroid and that I should see an Ear Nose Throat Dr to have the bulge looked at and removed.
I set up an appointment with Dr Denys and he looked at my neck and thought it was just some type of growth that just needed to be removed. He asked that I get an MRI so he can be sure before he removes it. I went and got an MRI with iodine contrast.
After the MRI he asked that I come in and told me that there was another mass found on my thyroid that was small. He had me lay back and did a fine needle aspiration (biopsy) on the two masses.
A few days later he called me back into his office to tell me that I had papillary carcinoma. (Aka Thyroid Cancer) We scheduled Aug 25 2009 to have it removed and I was very sad I could not run the St George Marathon I was almost completely trained and ready to run.
