An earlier medical issue

I apologize for jumping all around, but I wanted to share this because I don't know if it has anything to do with the scarring that I am currently experiencing in my airway. 

 I started my career as an elementary music teacher. One day while teaching a kindergarten music class, I put my fingers on my throat to show the students where to feel their pulse, explaining how music has a heart beat just like a person does. I was a little rattled when I felt a lump under my fingers. 

 At lunch I called my doctor and made an appointment for the next day. I went to the appointment, the doctor examined me, and she proclaimed it to be a swollen gland. I had no reason not to believe her, so I left and waited for the swelling to leave. It didn't. I made an appointment about a month later and had it checked again, and was told them same thing. Long story short, I had appointments in October, November, December and January; each one resulting in the same diagnosis. In February it was determined that instead of a swollen gland I needed to have my tonsils out, and I was referred to an ENT. 

 The ENT entered the room and was at least 10 feet away from me when he said, "I couldn't care less about your tonsils. What are you doing about that nodule on your thyroid?" I looked at him like he was crazy and told him it was a swollen gland. He informed me there was no chance of it being a swollen gland. Unfortunately, he was correct. 

 After undergoing a battery of tests, it was determined that I had multiple nodules on both sides of my thyroid, but there was one in particular they were concerned about. It was quite large and when biopsied, it had something called a follicular lesion. The doctor said that this wasn't a definitive diagnosis of cancer. He recommended a partial thyroidectomy. The surgical team would remove the half of the thyroid with the large nodule, and if they found cancer, the other half would be removed as well. 

 The surgery date was scheduled quickly. I was scared to death. Here I was, not even 30 years old, facing the possibility of cancer. I had the surgery and the doctor came in to see me after and told me they didn't find any cancer so I still had the other half of my thyroid. I had to stay in the hospital overnight, and a follow up appointment with the doctor was made for the next week. 

 Being young I recovered quickly, and felt much better by the time the follow up appointment came. I was sitting in the exam room waiting for the doctor, and the door had been left open just a crack. I saw the doctor stop outside the door, pick up my file, and take a deep breath. My blood ran cold, because I knew with that gesture he was gearing up to give me bad news. I was right. 

 Three weeks later I was back in surgery to have the other half of my thyroid removed. This time was far more painful since they were reopening the same incisions. My cancer was papillary with a follicular variant and it was stage 1. Plainly spoken, it is one of the least aggressive forms of thyroid cancer. 

 I didn't have to have chemo, but I did have to have something called radioactive iodine. Thyroid cells are the only cells in the body that absorb iodine. In order to kill any that remain, they have thyroid cancer patients go on low iodine diets. My doctor wasn't terribly strict, just basically no fish, but I know of some people who could eat very little on their plan. After so long on the low iodine diet, any cells left in your body are craving iodine, so they will devour the radiation when it is introduced into your system. 

 My radioactive iodine was delivered in a stainless steel container, and when it was opened there was steam coming out of the top. The technician put the pill in a cup and told me to swallow it, but "don't touch it." I was told that I was to ask to have the Hazmat deployed if I were in an automobile accident. I was escorted from the hospital and not allowed to touch any doors. And then when I got home, I was told to quarantine myself for a week. Precautions then included disposable kitchenware, triple bagging trash, and triple flushing the toilet. 

 Anyway, I have obviously had a lot of trauma in that area of my body already, so I don't know if some of the scarring is related to some of the earlier surgeries, or if it is all just to this last experience.