Case C: Client-Director Guo (34 years old)

I attend health checkups on a yearly basis and the examinations were expensive and detailed but I’ve never checked on thyroid gland because it was never a body part that I’m very concerned about. To be honest, I didn’t even know where the thyroid glands are. After my enrollment into ISEEN and underwent health checkup, I was found to have a nodule that is smaller than the size of a green bean on my thyroid gland. Upon this finding, the family doctor made arrangement for consultation with endocrinologist. The endocrinologist said that it was difficult to determine the nature of the nodule as it was too small and we shall observe the condition for a while. Three months later, the family doctor arranged a medical review and he came with the advice of medication and a follow-up review after another month. As I felt that I was still young and I’m busy with work and other stuff at the end of the year, I did not take his advice seriously. When I returned for the follow up review on the 25th of January 2013, the ultrasound doctor told me that I might have developed thyroid gland cancer and I was advised to get a biopsy. ISEEN immediately made an arrangement for a consultation with endocrinologist and surgical specialist and all of them suggested on performing an operation.

I feel scared when I think about it now. If you ask me why, my father-in-law passed away 2 years ago due to prostate cancer. It was in the terminal stage when it was discovered and his lungs and bones were metastasized.  At that time, I felt that all that we have, be it money or anything, are useless in this situation. It was really painful to see the life of someone close to you draining away.

My family members were very nervous and stressed at that time and we wondered why this minute detail would develop into such a serious situation. The family doctors of ISEEN including its team of medical professionals from Beijing devoted much attention to this incident. They managed to contact Beijing 301 hospital, also known as, the Chinese PLA General Hospital, within the shortest time possible (28^th January, 2013) and the specialists from the 301 hospital also suggested performing a surgery. The surgery was conducted in the period of the Spring Festival and the Postoperative pathological biopsy revealed that the tumors were malignant!

My sentiment: I heard from the specialists of the 301 hospital that there are plenty of lymphatic systems around the thyroid gland. The outcome would be disastrous if the condition was to delay for another year or so. Secondly, throughout my years of doing medical checkups, my thyroid gland had never been checked, whereas, ISEEN will design a medical examination checklist that specifically caters to each and every of its members based on the common diseases of the region and age of the member; Thirdly, I was fortunate to have a family doctor who relentlessly urged me to go for medical reviews as I would definitely have forgotten about it due to my busy working schedule.