Cancer Community

Hello to all,

I am new here and haven't been diagnosed, I actually haven't even been to the doctor yet. I'm waiting for my health insurance to kick in first, I have two more weeks left I am having issues with my thyroid. I have for quite some time. In 2003 shortly after my first daughter was born my GP told me "Oh you have a goiter." she sent me to for bloodwork which showed a "low" but normal result. Because of insurance changes I had to switch doctors a few times but I made sure to carry the information over. In 2006 I switched doctors again and he felt my thyroid and sent me for an ultrasound, the results were that I had 2 small masses and 2 cyst like lumps but they appeared benign so follow up in 6 months. My current marriage fell apart and I lost my insurance so I never followed up. I never even made it a second thought, assuring myself "I'm young, I'll be fine." It wasn't until this past year that I really felt it bugging me. Like something in the back of my mind telling me something wasn't right. After my second child I lost a lot of my baby weight, getting down to my high school weight. But in the last year I've gained all of it back and then some. I thought it was due to poor exercise because I eat healthy. I've had a lot of coughs and sore throats, but put it off as "must be allergies". But in the past few months I've felt a lot of pain not just as a sore throat but sharp pains shooting through my neck, I get a weird taste at the back of my throat and my inner ears are always sore and I get a "popping" like when you're driving through the mountains, but I live at very low eleation in the desert. About three months ago I noticed that I feel like I have something in the back of my throat, it makes it hard to swallow sometimes and I sound "winded" when I breathe. A few days ago I noticed that my right collar bone sticks out more than my left, my right side of my neck is prominently more swollen and this morning saw this purpleish/blueish ring around my neck almost like I had a piece of rope around my neck or something. I get headaches and "brain fog" quite a lot too....A part of me is telling me that I am silly and I am fine. I will turn 28 in February and I am a single mother to two young girls. But a part of me sasy something is not right too.

Has anyone had similar symptoms? I know I need to go see a dr about this and will ASAP but I guess just needing to say it all out loud since I don't want to worry my family & friends with all this.

Any advice is much appreciated!