Thyroid cancer diagnosis

I like many others have experienced the embarrassment of seeing the doctor and being dismissed as some kind of mental case coming in with an imaginary complaint. I tried seeing more then one provider for the swelling lymphnodes in my neck which at times were very painful. At one point a lymphnode in the right lateral of my neck swelled with extreme pain and developed a line of firmness that extended down from the lymphnode and felt like a cord.
I was willing to pay extra to go to the emergency in hopes for relief and a diagnosis. This did not happen. I had given up even though I was a medical provider myself. I got tired of hearing everything is fine otherwise known as (so WHY are you here?).

The cancer was even caught on film without getting a diagnosis when I had been hit by a police officer in a high speed chase. (I was the one waiting for the light to change not the one being chased. ) I was taken to the emergency room and a head/neck ct was done. They were so focused on the injury possibilities that the growth on the thyroid was missed. I had seen the provider weekly after that for treatment of injuries and mentioned the lumps in my neck with now the car accident was the blame of my neck problems.

I was diagnosed finally in 2007 and received treatment that was not effective. The thyroid cancer had infiltrated my lymph system. I had developed finally a symptom that caused the medical team more alarm. Overnight I felt as if some one was pressing on my trachea and I started choking uncontrollably when I layed down. The doctor then sent me for an ultrasound that led to the diagnosis.
Joanne Gigi Hardtke