Coping With Stressors
- TV personality Ali Fedotowsky-Manno’s husband Kevin Manno recently underwent thyroid cancer surgery, and it’s an experience the “Bachelorette” alum has dubbed as stressful. Her husband is back at home following his procedure and both are taking time to rest amid his recovery.
- Manno is battling papillary thyroid cancer, the most common type of the disease which originates in the thyroid gland’s follicular cells.
- Thyroid cancer is a disease that begins in the thyroid gland, which is at the base of the neck. The cancer will often present itself as a large bump (tumor) in the neck, and symptoms of thyroid cancer can be mistaken for a common cold.
- Chances of cancer recovery increase significantly with early detection, so it’s important to address any new or unusual symptoms you’re experiencing with your doctor promptly
- A cancer diagnosis can have a profound impact on mental health, affecting patients, survivors, and their loved ones in a variety of ways. Some ways a diagnosis can reveal itself in your mental health can be through added stress and anxiety, mood swings, depression, and social isolation.
- Coping with a diagnosis or some other stressor in your life can be an emotional experience that affects your mental health. Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik suggests people facing these challenges tap into their support group to help navigate their emotions.
The surgery comes just a few weeks after Fedotowsky announced her husband’s diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer, the most common type of the disease which originates in the thyroid gland’s follicular cells.
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“I didn’t realize how much stress I was holding until after the surgery was over. I am drained!”
Her husband also took to his Instagram story share a photo of himself after surgery, standing alongside his wife, and to commend everyone for their “prayers & positive vibes” which he insists he felt.
“And thanks to the best caretakers anyone could ask for!” he concluded, while tagging his wife and his mom Joanne Manno.
It’s wonderful to see Manno returning to normalcy at home and receiving support from his loved ones, including him and Fedotowsky’s two children. We’re also delighted to learned that Manno remained positive prior to surgery, as Fedotowsky noted in another social media post that he was making herself and ” everyone around him” laugh in the hospital.
Kevin Manno’s Thyroid Cancer Battle
Both Fedotowsky and her husband shared a “Manno Family Update” on January 26th of this year, explaining his recent papillary thyroid cancer diagnosis.
“Thankfully it’s a very treatable cancer. He has 2 malignant spots on his right side and it appears it is also in one lymph node, but we won’t know for sure until his surgery,” they explained.
“Please share any experiences you have with thyroid cancer, and we are specifically curious about stories related to whether or not you or someone you know had their full thyroid or half of it removed with the cancer only on one side.”
They continued, “If the surgeon gets in there and determines the whole thing has to be removed regardless, we will of course move forward with that. But going into the surgery, he has a choice to be aggressive or leave half if possible.”
Expert Thyroid Cancer Resources
In a followup post, they also shared how Manno had “absolutely ZERO symptoms and his blood work came back perfect” prior to his diagnosis.
What led to his cancer diagnosis was a whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, which he underwent through Prenuvo, a company founded in 2018.
It’s important to note that MRI scans are typically considered a safe and non-invasive imaging procedure with minimal risks associated. However, like any medical procedure, it is essential to be aware of potential risks and safety concerns so that you can make informed decisions about your healthcare.
Manno and his wife explained further, “And we can’t stress enough, how important it is to have a doctor that pays attention to your charts, and of course, paying attention to your own charts and follow ups! Which we didn’t. Thank goodness our doctor did.
“Sharing @kevinmanno’s story in hopes that it helps others advocate for (and stay on top of) their own health in whatever form that may be.”
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Thyroid Cancer Symptoms
Thyroid cancer is a disease that begins in the thyroid gland, which is at the base of the neck. The cancer will often present itself as a large bump (tumor) in the neck. It remains unclear what causes the disease. Some symptoms of thyroid cancer can be mistaken for a common cold.
Dr. Scott Strome, a head and neck cancer surgeon who is currently the dean of the University of Tennessee College of Medicine, and previous chair of head and neck surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, explained thyroid cancer in an earlier interview with SurvivorNet.
“We’re now able to detect thyroid disease, thyroid cancers, much earlier than we used to be able to,” Dr. Strome said. “We tend to see it predominantly in younger women, but it can occur in both men and women. In most cases, I tell my patients that, ‘Your thyroid cancer is a barnacle on the ship of life.’”
Expert Thyroid Cancer Resources
Dr. Strome suggests finding an experienced thyroid expert for treatment.
“Folks who have thyroid cancer, they need to go to a really experienced thyroid setting and have folks who really understand the disease. Those are for the most indolent type of thyroid cancers, called papillary,” he explained.
“Thyroid cancer is a pretty interesting disease, because papillary is a really indolent cancer. On the other end of the spectrum, you have what’s called anaplastic thyroid cancer, which may be one of (if not the) most aggressive cancers that we see. So it’s a whole spectrum of disease.”
Treatments for thyroid cancer can include surgery, hormone therapy, radioactive iodine, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Symptoms of thyroid cancer include the following:
- A lump in the neck, sometimes growing quickly
- Swelling in the neck
- Pain in the front of the neck, sometimes going up to the ears
- Hoarseness or other voice changes that do not go away
- Trouble swallowing
- Trouble breathing
- A constant cough that is not due to a cold
“Most people have no discrete symptoms; the majority of cases now are found incidentally,” Dr. Allen Ho, an ENT at Cedars-Sinai, said in a previous interview with SurvivorNet.
“However, a sizable number of people may first discover their cancer when they feel a bump on their neck. Other possible late symptoms include problems swallowing, the sensation of something in their throat, neck compression when laying flat or voice changes.”
The good news is that many of these possible symptoms, including lumps in the thyroid, are both common and commonly benign — but it never hurts to ask your doctor.
Chances of cancer recovery increase significantly with early detection, so it’s important to address any warning signs of thyroid cancer, or any cancer for that matter, with a medical expert swiftly.
How To Manage Anxiety During High-Stress Times
Battling a mental health issue, cancer, or learning to move forward after treatment can be an extremely stressful time for so many people. How can you manage your anxiety while dealing with so many other things?
RELATED: What You Need to Know About Stress
Dr. Marianna Strongin, a clinical psychologist and founder of Strong In Therapy, has been helping the SurvivorNet community by sharing coping mechanisms and a structured way to think about handling these issues.
“The way that I define anxiety is that it’s an internal question that we simply can’t find the answers to,” Dr. Strongin previously toldSurvivorNet.
Dr. Strongin says that one of the main causes of anxiety is uncertainty about life, and a cancer battle can fuel anxiety for individuals because of the lack of uncertainty about the future.
Many people will turn to media platforms for answers, but Dr. Strongin says that individuals often end up with more questions as a result which leads to more anxiety.
The first step for coping during stressful circumstances is understanding one’s anxiety. To do this, Dr. Strongin suggests checking in with oneself everyday to see where the anxiety is manifesting and what questions are causing the anxiety. From there, it’s important to answer those questions and reassure oneself with positivity.
“The answers are our coping skills,” Dr. Strongin says. “Some people are really good at always giving themselves answers…other people don’t have the coping skills to answer their anxiety and as a result the anxiety increases. … We are all facing the same questions.”
She continues, “Some are facing them much more than others and some are better at answering those questions than others. What’s really important is to pay attention to is what those questions are, what the frequency of those questions are, and how you’re answering them.”
Managing Your Mental Health
A diagnosis of cancer or disease or some external stressor like a troubled relationship can offset your mental health in ways you least expect.
Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik says your emotions will be fluid when facing a diagnosis. SurvivorNet has some tips to help keep your mental and emotional health in a good space if you find yourself coping with a stressful situation.
The National Institute of Mental Health says you should seek professional help if you are experiencing severe or distressing symptoms that have lasted two weeks or more, such as:
- Trouble sleeping
- Changes in appetite
- Struggling to leave bed in the morning because of your mood
- Trouble concentrating
- Loss of interest in things you usually enjoy
- Inability to perform normal daily functions and responsibilities
Equally as important is recognizing the value of self-care. The National Institute of Mental Health offers practical guidance on how to boost your weekly self-care routine.
- Regularly exercising
- Eating healthy, regular meals
- Staying hydrated
- Prioritizing sleep
- Exploring relaxation programs or techniques
- Setting goals/priorities
- Staying positive
- Connecting with others
Genetic testing can also help people wrestling with their mental health. It has been shown to match people with the best medication for mental health treatment. While genetic testing has helped make treatment plans for other diseases, such as certain types of cancer, the ability to use it to help people suffering from anxiety and depression is relatively new.
“Doing the genetic testing has absolutely transformed the landscape of psycho-pharmacology,” psychiatrist Dr. Plutchik tells SurvivorNet.
“It’s something that I highly recommend for anybody that is taking medication, whether they are being treated for cancer or not … I recommend it for children who are taking medication. I recommend it for elderly people. Anybody who is taking medication, I think, can greatly benefit from genetic testing,” Dr. Plutchik added.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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