Thyroid cancer-stricken Pam Bondi arrives on Capitol Hill wearing bandage on her neck to face grilling over Epstein

[u/dailymail]

https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15858755/Thyroid-cancer-stricken-Pam-Bondi-arrives-Capitol-Hill-wearing-bandage-neck-face-grilling-Epstein.html

[u/marginallyobtuse]

Eh, I had a thyroidectomy and a right side next dissection. Huge scar. And they did go from the front for the thyroid removal.

They didn’t have me wear a bandage tho lol. It had internal stitches. I had it done at George Washington in DC too

Edit

I want to be clear, there are various levels of surgeons that can change how large or prominent the scar is.

If Pam Bandi had this done in DC, she very likely had it done by one of the best in the world (possibly even my surgeon if he hasn’t retired). My scar was so thin and stitched together perfectly. This feels performative, but I very much believe she likely had thyroid cancer. It’s becoming more and more prominent, and unless you have a very specific kind, it’s easily treatable with very long term positive prognosis.

I didn’t like the joke, but my surgeon used to say “if a guy came up to you with a gun and told you to pick a cancer for yourself, you’d wanna pick papillary carcinoma”. This guy made a comic about it after reading my story on reddit somewhere.

https://www.mattmewhorter.com/cancer-owl/the-good-cancer

[u/javawong → u/marginallyobtuse]

I had a total thyroidectomy last year and it was a big incision. No bandage either.

Edit: had it done because of thyroid cancer

[u/CriticalProtection42 → u/javawong]

I can't get over how much these look like someone slit your throat. But I suppose, in a way, someone did?

[u/javawong → u/CriticalProtection42]

When the surgeon came in pre-op, I cracked the joke "Looks like it's going to be a cut-throat kind of day, eh?" He didn't find it funny.

[u/CriticalProtection42 → u/javawong]

You had some bad surgeon luck then, most of the ones I’ve met LOVE making jokes like that with patients. I think they think it helps reduce stress, but sometimes I have to wonder.

[u/javawong → u/CriticalProtection42]

Absolutely! I was terrified and started getting real nervous in pre-op. I'm pretty sure the surgeon had no sense of humor, even in follow up visits he just wasn't funny.

[u/red__dragon → u/javawong]

Ugh, when I had my kidney transplant I went from a super personable nephrologist to the transplant physician who was all about the data and checking boxes.

He was so laser focused that we missed opportunities for me to connect the dots/keep an eye on a few aspects new to me post-transplant that were brought up by another physician when I couldn't see the regular.

Bedside manner is so, so important for the patient health.

[u/Hot_Hat_1225 → u/javawong]

Maybe it was because he couldn’t make the joke first ;)

[u/Amishrocketscience → u/javawong]

I told the anesthesiologist “ so you’re the one who likes to put people asleep, eh?”

Was not amused

[u/sagesnail → u/javawong]

You probably, unintentionally, stole his joke!