FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – According to the American Thyroid Association, an estimated 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disease and data from the American Cancer Society indicates that just over 44,000 Americans will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer this year.
For most of her life, Debbie Eldridge struggled with her weight.
“Up and down often and I tried every fad diet out there and never stayed committed because those are hard to stick to for long periods of time,” she said.
When the scale hit 300, Debbie became driven.
By cutting back on calories and upping her exercise, she lost 180 pounds.
I felt like I’d worked so hard, was at the top of my health, like I can do anything,” Eldredge said.
She was feeling better than ever, then came an unexpected diagnosis: thyroid cancer.
“It was such a gut punch. I was so scared because I’d never had a major illness. I’d never been in the hospital except to have my kids and I’d never had a surgery except for a c-section in 1984 and I was like ‘What’s happening?’”, she said.
Eldredge turned to Broward Health endocrinologist Dr. Elys Perez.
“Thyroid cancer has become more common over the years, and I think that has to do with probably our ability to identify these tumors way sooner,” Perez said.
Statistics show that thyroid cancer affects women more than men and many women also suffer from under-active or over-active thyroid function.
“The thyroid is a gland that sits at the base of the neck and it’s responsible for many body functions, so it controls metabolism, it controls how slow or how fast your body is reacting, so everything from weight gain to weight loss to energy levels to a multitude of things,” Perez said.
She said medications can help manage under or overactive thyroid function and added that thyroid cancer patients typically do well following surgery.
“So, a lot of patients are doing better with less aggressive treatments nowadays,” Perez said.
Within a week of surgery, Eldredge was back at work and feeling great again.
“I feel like I got my sparkle back. I’m a firecracker again and I’m ready to take on the world,” she said.
Eldredge credits her quick recovery with early diagnosis, due, in part, to her annual physical.
She hopes her story will encourage others to keep those yearly appointments.