Advertisement But then there are times when people say a story saved their lives.
I keep running into a guy from Vernon County, who introduces me as “the guy who saved my life.” He read one of my stories on the importance of brain aneurysm screening, and signed up for the screening. He was immediately referred to the emergency room where doctors fixed his aneurysm before it burst and killed him.
Health reporters don’t view themselves as health educators but play that role anyway for their readers. I consider that role important because then my stories can be useful to readers.
It appears my story on Dr. Scott Blanke, a Franciscan Skemp ear, nose and throat specialist, and his concern about the rising number of thyroid cancer cases drew a good response and some action. Blanke answered questions about thyroid cancer and explained how to perform a neck exam in the July 11 Health section.
Blanke has seen five patients who were referred to him after they read the story. He saw a woman who had been seen at another clinic, where doctors said they would perhaps do a biopsy in a year. She sought Blanke for a second opinion, and he found her nodule was cancer after a biopsy.
“She knew she had a nodule and was worried,” Blanke said.
The woman’s thyroid cancer was detected early, and she will soon have surgery. Her prognosis is excellent.
A man conducted a neck exam as outlined in my story and he thought he felt something. He will be returning to Blanke for a biopsy.
The most unusual fallout from the story was a woman who conducted a neck exam on her female cat. She thought she felt a lump and took her cat to see veterinarian Dr. Gary Wiegel, who confirmed the lump. Blood tests revealed the cat had hyperthyroidism and the cat now is on medication.
In case you missed Blanke’s advice for a neck exam, here it is again:
n Conduct five sweeps with your second and third finger. Four of the five sweeps start underneath the ear. You’re trying to feel for a lump.
n Sweep the jawbone and the chin area starting under the ear.
n Start under the ear, and go down the big neck muscle and all the way to collarbone.
n Again start under the ear and go behind the big neck muscle and to the shoulder blades.
n Start under the ear, and go straight back down to the back of your neck and down to upper shoulders.
n The most important sweep: Start at the front of the ear, and go straight to the jawbone and windpipe. Sweep straight down the windpipe, feel the collarbone and push in real hard and feel the thyroid. The thyroid will go up and down when you swallow, and you should be able to feel a lump moving if it is present.
May you find nothing. But if you feel something suspicious, get it checked out.
