Arizona LHP diagnosed with thyroid cancer

The left-hander in question is Doug Davis. Incredibly, he's still going to be making his next spring start before surgery on April 10. Nothing but the best of luck.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7965218?MSNHPHMA

 

Damn, that sucks. In my dealings with him he was nothing but a great guy.

 

Since it's been a while since my last human physiology class and I'm in the middle of working on something, what does a thyroid control? I know its in the neck and if you don't have enough salt/iodine in your diet, you get a giant goiter and an appearance on Seinfeld.

 

Well, that's pretty fucking lame.

 

Release the hounds.

 

I'll be slightly nicer than Chef.

The thyroid controls your metabolism and how much energy you have.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroid

 

Much appreciated, ma'am.

 

The wiki cite has a lot of good info. I'll concentrate on the main symptoms here:

Hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone): tachycardia/palpitations/arrhythmia, tremors, weight loss, heat intolerance, fatigue.
Graves' Disease, which Gail Devers, Bobby Engram and I share, is one of the major causes of hyperthyroidism. (It's an autoimmune disorder, along the lines of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis or lupus. Iodine in the diet, or lack thereof, is irrelevant.)

Hypothyroidism (too little): weight gain, cold intolerance, low blood pressure, fatigue. Everything slows down.

Both can also include psychological symptoms -- mood swings, anxiety, irritability, and the like. Leave either one untreated for too long, and you risk serious damage, even death. By the time I was diagnosed, simply taking a hot shower was enough to send my heart rate into the stratosphere, 180 bpm or higher. Not fun.

From what I've read, though, most thyroid cancers are slow-growing and can be caught before they metastasize. Best wishes to Mr. Davis.

 

Were we supposed to be tantalized into thinking this was Randy Johnson. Why not just write Doug Davis in the title?

 

In my experience with relatives and others who have or have had cancer, if the cancer is outside the thoracic cavity (with the exception of the brain), chances of survival are pretty high.

 

I guess he doesn't have Wikipedia bookmarked.

 

I wish Doug Davis nothing but the best and I hope he becomes a fellow survivor.