Success Story
Earlene Thomas Knew Something Was Wrong—Lincoln Surgical Was Able to Provide Answers
In 2012, Earlene Thomas, a 36-year-old assistant for autism patients, noticed a nodule growing in the center of her neck. “It was getting larger and larger and larger and other doctors didn’t want to remove it. You could feel it and see it,” she recalled.
“I always used to say something was wrong with my thyroid because it was kind of hard for me to start losing weight, and my hair thinned. I had all the thyroid symptoms. I would wake up in the middle of the night and I would be choking. It would be hard for me to catch my breath and swallow," Earlene said.
A second opinion, then a third
Her primary care provider sent her to a doctor in Fairview Heights who performed a biopsy. The biopsy came back negative for cancer. "The doctor told me not to bother it, because it wasn't bothering me," she said. "But it was bothering me."
After going through this routine with another doctor and another biopsy, Earlene was referred to Endocrinologist Thomas Tse, MD. "Dr. Tse did a biopsy, and it came back okay at first," Earlene said. "But I wanted it gone. I was having so many issues with swallowing and not being able to catch my breath. That's when Dr. Tse sent me to D. Scott Crouch, MD, FACS.
Earlene first met with Dr. Crouch for this surgery in December 2012. (He had previously removed hard tissue from her left breast.) She had been prolonging and rescheduling the surgery after watching YouTube videos that scared her.
“I think I had to see him two or three times before I actually had my surgery, and we discussed all the options, the aftercare, the best place to actually have the scar," she said. "I saw so many pictures on YouTube where doctors basically just cut them. The scars are so horrible. So, we talked about where the scar would be."
Earlene also wanted an option that didn't mean being on medication for the rest of her life, and she was happy that Dr. Crouch respected that decision. "I love Dr. Crouch," she said. "He's so easy to talk to, and he answered all my questions."
During surgery at Memorial Hospital Belleville, Dr. Crouch removed the nodule and the right side of the thyroid while leaving the left side intact. When he sent the samples to St. Louis, they found cancer.
Post-surgery care
After the surgery, Earlene took a radiation pill and had follow-up ultrasounds every six months for two years. She has had no problems since the surgery. And that scar she was worried about? "It is perfectly perfect," she said. "No one even notices a scar unless I mention it."