Pathway to My Thyroidectomy

 

Pathway to My Thyroidectomy

 

It was about 15 years back, I was doing my internship in GE Research and Ishaan was growing 3 months in my womb. One day when I stood in front of the big mirror in the washroom, I noticed something is running over my neck. On inspection, found that one of the nodules has swelled up. I was perplexed but kept calm. My gynacologist also worried on seeing this and prescribed the blood test, and some ultrasound scan associated with it. Even the FNAC was done, everything was normal. Years passed and lived with my swelled neck. Later I got to know that once this nodule swelled up, it never go back to its original size, only an operation will remove the big node. Irrespective of that, I tried Homeopathy treatment for a few months, with no results.

By the time, the situation was like, I was bombarded with questions from friends, family, shop keepers, random people from the crowd on my swelling on the neck. I terribly wanted to get it operated and avoid any questions over it. But that point of time also, I didn’t had any trouble with that, other than the questions from others. I met Dr. Sharada from Vikram Hospital Bangalore (Now its Manipal). After doing many tests, scans, and consultation with ENT, they advised me “to live with it”. Its just a cosmetic issue. You wear your “duppatta” in such a way that it is not visible to others. I had made my mind for the operation, and this advise disappointed me. Irrespective of that, I follow the moto “Health first”, over any cosmetic issue. So decided to follow the doctors advise. This happened 10 years back.

Further down the line, I was quite busy in life. In 2017, 2019,2021 Haripriya, Harinandana and Aavani are born. And there was a time during Corona when nobody goes to hospital, if it is not an emergency. We lived in our hometown, Kerala about 3 years during Corona. Once we come back from Kerala, I found I am too much prone to cold, which I called “dust allergy”, and put the blame on “Bangalore weather and pollution”. Eventually, I started getting cough, in the middle of the night, and keep coughing for 1-2 hours, until it settles down. All these I called allergy.

 

Art of Living

We are members of out of “Art of Living”, for quite long time. But practicing the “Sudarshan kriya” was not a daily activity those days. I miss it most of the day. But try to attend the “follow up”, every Sunday. I thought my allergy will go off, if I practice it daily, and started putting conscious effort to do yoga and Sudarshana Kriya a part of my daily routine. The number of days in a week, I do these become improved to 4 or 5. But, I found no change in my so called “allergy”. That is the time, I started doubting on my thyroid swelling. By this time, it has grown too much. I started observing myself, and realized that not the 100% air that I breath in are reaching my lungs. I am aware now that, it is the time to stop for a while, and get it removed.

 

Coincidently, I joined in an AOL group, who does Sadhana intensively. The timing are so peculiar that no one will disturb us. It starts at early 3AM, and continue till 5.30AM, with 1 ½ hours of Yoga, including 108 sun salutation, and 1 hour of meditation. I was not sure, whether to join this group or not. I was completely not hopeful that I will keep doing it. Somehow I joined, and never able to do 108 Sun Salutations with the group. But I did  some 30-40 rounds everyday. I know that I am preparing my body for a big operation. Meanwhile when I met an ENT doctor, whom we know for years (Dr. Anitha Krishnan), I checked on this, and she told, this has grown too much she will not do it, and referred a doctor from Manipal Oncology department. Also added that, “Don’t get scared of seeing the oncology department. Just considering the size of this gland, only the doctors from oncology department do this operation. It need not be cancer”.

 

Waiting Period:

I waited for the vacation to come, and our vacation trip to get over, to meet the doctor. I was pretty much sure that, the moment I see them, thing will get fast forwarded. When I met the endocrinologist at Aster Whitefield, he had no doubt in prescribing for the surgery, and asked me to get the CT first, as the ultrasound may not provide the right information on the size etc. And I was excited. Being a member of CT Engineering team for almost 10 years in GE Healthcare, I was excited, and curious on which CT scanner Aster has. However, it didn’t disappoint me. I was happy to surrender myself on the one of the CT scanner, which I was also a part of Engineering. Revolution was an important journey in my career. That was GE’s add… “Touching Life” moment for me.

Finally when the scan report comes, it turns out that the thyroid gland has grown in to a dimension of 5x6x7 cm, pressing my vocal code, respiratory system and food pipe. I too wanted to get it removed as soon as possible. Met the surgeon Dr. Somashekhar, from Aster itself, and it a weeks time, my operation is done. The specimen biopsy report turned out negative. And I am doing good now… 😊