Answering your frequently asked questions

SAVE YOUR THYROID with Jennifer Holkem: Revisiting YouTube Shorts

This week, I’m doing something a little bit different…

Save Your Thyroid (SYT) educates patients on nonsurgical treatment options for thyroid cysts, nodules, and cancers.

Its been almost five years since we founded the Save Your Thyroid community on Facebook! That community has surpassed 10,000 members and continues to grow daily! As a result, we have seen a lot of frequently asked questions. This blog post is a compilation of some of those questions, each answered by a physician. As the community grows, so will this list of FAQs. Stay tuned for continual updates!

You can watch the FAQ playlist on my YouTube channel to see all the of videos featured below in one place!

Watch this playlist on YouTube!

Click here to watch the whole playlist!

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https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5tSaOk33p7_Jni8R2rZrAhDYq-J2QAK4&si=f_2AKeCJaIDz5hhW

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What is this podcast and blog all about?

To my subscribers, welcome back! If you’re new, welcome to Save Your Thyroid, a podcast and blog all about thyroid nodules. My name is Jennifer Holkem, and I advocate for fellow patients suffering with this very common condition. Thyroid nodules impact 70% of adults in their lifetime, and the standard of care is surgical removal of half or all of the gland. But in recent years, safe and effective non-surgical treatment options have become available.

In this podcast and blog, I sit down with patients and physicians to discuss life with thyroid nodules, treatment options, and how to save the thyroid whenever possible.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Biopsies:

• Thyroid biopsies: Are they safe and do they cause spread of cancer?

• Is it possible to treat using nonsurgical/thermal ablation without doing a biopsy?

• What is a FLUS (follicular lesion of undetermined significance) nodule?

Thyroid Cancer:

• Can larger thyroid cancers (over 2 cm) be treated with RFA?

• Do I need continuous follow up for thyroid cancer?

• I am a candidate for active surveillance of my thyroid cancer. Does that mean I am a candidate for thermal ablation?

• How does molecular testing help in choosing a treatment for thyroid cancer?

• What types of thyroid cancer may be treated without surgery?

• Is there a molecular test that can help me decide if nonsurgical treatment is appropriate for my thyroid cancer?

Clinical Trials:

• Where are clinical trials for RFA treatment of primary thyroid cancer taking place in Canada? - For more information, visit www.thyroidrfacanada.ca. Or, email Dr. Jesse Pasternak at pasternakoffice@uhn.ca.

• Where are clinical trials for RFA treatment of primary thyroid cancer taking place in United States (Memorial Sloan Kettering, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins)

Surgery:

• What information will help me and my doctor choose between a partial or total thyroidectomy?

• Will I need thyroid medication after a partial thyroidectomy?

• Is surgery after thermal ablation more difficult?

Thermal Ablation:

• Can my nodule regrow after thermal ablation treatment?

• Is thermal ablation a good treatment option for a toxic thyroid nodule that is producing excess hormones?

• What is the appropriate testing for toxic thyroid nodules?

• Will lifestyle interventions shrink very large thyroid nodules?

• My thermal ablation procedure did not adequately shrink my thyroid nodules. Is there another option besides surgery?

• Can children with thyroid cancer undergo thermal ablation treatment?

• Are patients with pacemakers candidates for thyroid RFA?

• Is radiofrequency ablation (RFA) appropriate during pregnancy?

• Is there a use for combination of thermal ablation (RFA, MWA, laser) with embolization (TAE)?

• What is the heat-sink effect and why does it a disadvantage of thermal ablation?

Thyroid Arterial Embolization (TAE):

• What is a good nonsurgical treatment option for multinodular goiter?

• What is a substernal goiter?

• Will my quality of life improve after nonsurgical treatment of my huge goiter?

• How can huge goiters be treated without surgery?

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The goal of this podcast and blog

I seek to provide data, resources, and expert opinions on the topic of thyroid nodules, and make it accessible to patients. When I was first looking for thermal ablation treatment, everything that I read was physician-facing material. It was very hard for me to understand. This material is meant to help patients understand what's going on in their thyroid gland and what an important gland it is. If you can keep your thyroid intact, that's going to help you live a longer, healthier life, and preserve your quality of life. Thanks for reading this far today! — Jen

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A huge THANK YOU goes out to these previous podcast guests for sharing their time and knowledge with me!

Who would you like to see next on my podcast? What questions would you like me to ask? Let me know here, or send me an email at saveyourthyroid@gmail.com!

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Disclaimer: None of the statements made in this or any other video by "Its me Jen again" should be considered medical advice.

If this post was helpful, please consider leaving a tip. Donations support my advocacy. Thank you!

Visit our community website for more information and find a physician offering nonsurgical treatment options for thyroid cysts, nodules, and cancers!

You can also make a donation to the Save Your Thyroid community via our nonprofit fiscal sponsor ThyCa. Please send an email to donations@thyca.org to designate your gift for SYT. Thanks so much for your support!