{"id":55844,"date":"2025-08-09T17:19:17","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T17:19:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/55844\/"},"modified":"2025-08-09T17:19:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-09T17:19:17","slug":"my-doctor-told-me-i-was-just-getting-old-and-to-take-a-panadol-but-i-refused-to-be-brushed-off-it-saved-my-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/55844\/","title":{"rendered":"My doctor told me ‘I was just getting old and to take a Panadol’ but I refused to be brushed off. It saved my life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deborah Terkely never skipped a beat when it came to her health.<\/p>\n

A busy mum-of-two running a small family business, she still made time for regular blood tests, breast checks, thyroid scans – the lot.<\/p>\n

‘I always told my doctors to make sure they checked my thyroid, because my sisters have issues,’ Deborah told Daily Mail.<\/p>\n

‘My blood tests always came back perfect.’<\/p>\n

So when the then 39-year-old was suddenly struck down by her first ever excruciating migraine in 2022, she knew something wasn’t right.<\/p>\n

‘It was quite confusing at the time because it was a very strange feeling. It was very debilitating,’ she said.<\/p>\n

The Melbourne mum retreated to a dark bedroom, unable to move from the couch as the severe pain pulsed through her head and neck.<\/p>\n

‘I think it even took me a while to realise that it was a migraine, but it lasted for probably three days,’ she said.<\/p>\n

\"Deborah <\/p>\n

Deborah Terkely (pictured with her husband)\u00a0was 39 when she suffered an ‘unbearable’ migraine that changed her life forever<\/p>\n

‘It almost felt like I had a 20kg bowling ball stuck on my neck, and the weight and the pressure from that was creating so much pain that had to lie down.’<\/p>\n

When her regular painkillers weren’t doing anything, Deborah’s mind went to a dark place.<\/p>\n

Worried she might have a brain or spine tumour, Deborah booked in to see her long-time GP for some relief and to get to the bottom of the pain.<\/p>\n

But the response floored her.<\/p>\n

‘I explained to her what was happening, and she said to me, “Deb, you’re just getting old. Maybe just take some Panadol”,’ she said.<\/p>\n

‘I said no to her, I knew something wasn’t right. I felt let down.’<\/p>\n

Refusing to be brushed off, Deborah sought out a second opinion – and it may have saved her life.<\/p>\n

This time, the doctor immediately ordered an MRI.<\/p>\n

\"After <\/p>\n

After her long-time GP dismissed her saying she was ‘just getting old.’ Deborah sought a second opinion which revealed a three-centimetre mass on her thyroid<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A biopsy confirmed the worst. She had thyroid cancer which had spread to her lymph nodes and she needed surgery immediately. Pictured: Deborah Post-surgery<\/p>\n

‘I was explaining it, and he [the specialist] was writing the script for me for the MRI right there and then,’ she said.<\/p>\n

‘He said “we’re not going to muck around, even if it’s nothing, we’re just going to have a look”.’<\/p>\n

The good news? Her brain was clear. But the scan revealed something else – a three-centimetre mass sitting on her thyroid.<\/p>\n

Soon after, a biopsy confirmed it was thyroid cancer. It had already spread to her lymph nodes.<\/p>\n

Feeling shocked and still in disbelief, Deborah also felt a sense of relief to know that there was a reason behind all of her pain.<\/p>\n

‘But then it was also the fear of, “am I going to die?”,’ she said.<\/p>\n

\"Interestingly <\/p>\n

Interestingly her migraine had no relation to the cancer. Deborah had no symptoms – no lumps or pain – and her thyroid function tests were completely ‘normal’ beforehand<\/p>\n

Ironically, the mystery migraine disappeared just as the cancer was discovered.<\/p>\n

It had no relation to the cancer, according to her specialists. Deborah had no symptoms of thyroid cancer – no lumps or pain – and her thyroid function tests were completely ‘normal’ beforehand.<\/p>\n

Despite a family history of low thyroid function, Deborah’s levels had never raised any red flags.<\/p>\n

Looking back, she believes the crippling headache was triggered by a stressful family situation, but it was the unintentional warning sign that led to the cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n

She was booked in for surgery that following January, a wait that took a heavy emotional toll.<\/p>\n

The wait was excruciating, especially over the Christmas period.<\/p>\n

In a six-hour operation, surgeons removed Deborah’s entire thyroid and 70 per cent of her neck lymph nodes. Many were already cancerous.<\/p>\n

‘I was in hospital for three days with two tubes coming out of my neck to drain the fluid from the surgery,’ she said,<\/p>\n

\"Looking <\/p>\n

Looking back, she believes the crippling headache was triggered by a stressful family situation, but it was the unintentional warning sign that led to the cancer diagnosis<\/p>\n

‘I came home and needed the tape on for another two weeks. And then there was a lot of forced rest.’<\/p>\n

Post-surgery, she was left with a 13cm scar running from her ear down her neck. What followed was a mental battle she never anticipated.<\/p>\n

Deborah was also terrified of what her scar would look like when she took off her bandages.<\/p>\n

‘At the end of the day, my priority was to get the cancer out. I knew I was going to be left with the scar, and that’s just what it is,’ she said.<\/p>\n

But in a silver lining no one saw coming, Deborah’s road to recovery inspired a booming business idea.<\/p>\n

\"Post-surgery, <\/p>\n

Post-surgery, she was left with a 13cm scar running from her ear down her neck<\/p>\n

Years earlier, Deborah and her husband had launched their low-tox brand, L’ada Soaps and Scents, after learning soap-making from her mother-in-law.<\/p>\n

After the surgery, she began experimenting with a scar serum to help her own healing and within weeks, even her doctor was stunned by the results.<\/p>\n

‘It was just incredible. The way [and] the speed it healed was amazing, because when I took my tape off, my scar was extremely raised,’ she said.<\/p>\n

At her six-week check-up, the surgeon asked what she had been using. He said he’d never seen such fast results.<\/p>\n

Deborah shared her journey on social media to raise awareness, and followers quickly became obsessed with the fading scar and demanded the product.<\/p>\n

She hadn’t planned to sell it, but the demand spoke for itself.<\/p>\n

‘My customers started messaging me, saying, “Deb, when is this serum going to be available? I’d like to try it I’ve got scars too”,’ she recalled.<\/p>\n

‘It wasn’t until a number of people had come to me that I thought, well, we’re in the business of helping people.’<\/p>\n

\"Deborah\u2019s <\/p>\n

Deborah’s road to recovery inspired a booming business idea when she began experimenting with a scar serum to help her own healing<\/p>\n

\"Pictured: <\/p>\n

Pictured: Deborah’s L’ada\u00a0Skin & Scar Serum ($40)<\/p>\n

Two years on, her scar is barely noticeable, and she now wears it like a badge of honour.<\/p>\n

Deborah now has the all clear, but it never leaves her mind.<\/p>\n

‘Any unusual lumps I freak out but I just have to remind myself that I am okay and lymph nodes swell up and go down all the time,’ she said.<\/p>\n

‘I now also have six monthly ultrasounds, and that’s more peace of mind than anything.’<\/p>\n

Thyroid cancer is the seventh most common cancer affecting Aussie women, and the top cancer diagnosed in women aged 20 to 24, according to the Cancer Council.<\/p>\n

Cases have quadrupled since 1982, and nearly three times more women are diagnosed than men.<\/p>\n

Despite that, many cases still fly under the radar.<\/p>\n

The warning signs that people often ignore are subtle symptoms like a persistent cough, voice changes, a lump in the throat, or difficulty sleeping due to neck tightness.<\/p>\n

With more than one million Aussies living with undiagnosed thyroid disorders, Deborah says a simple ultrasound would pick it up, and a push for answers if something feels off.<\/p>\n

‘Trust your gut, get a second opinion, [and] find someone that will listen to you and give you the test that you need,’ Deborah said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Deborah Terkely never skipped a beat when it came to her health. A busy mum-of-two running a small…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55845,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[64,63,100,7179,137,647],"class_list":{"0":"post-55844","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-dailymail","11":"tag-femail","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-melbourne"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55844"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55844\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}