Why I Had to Leave Japan 

The naked part had me burst out laughing! Thanks for sharing your story and educating us more on thyroid issues, it’s such a common thing (especially with women our age as I learned from you) ❤️ so happy that everything turned out as good as possible and big thanks to your sis! Love you and rest well 🥰

Dude if just hearing about this had me stressed out I can’t imagine how it was going through it, still so glad you’re okay!

So this kinda saved my life. I've never thought about my thyroid let alone it having cancer. Well turns out I do have Papillary Thyroid Cancer and I never would have thought to check my neck for lumps if I didn't see this. Luckily my doctors moved fast and I'm getting surgery next week!

I don't know why you popped up here but I'm glad you did! I am a 75 year old grandmother in South Africa 🇿🇦 and I thought I'd share my thyroid experience with you briefly. I was getting a breast lump checked out when I was 42, and the surgeon surprised me by asking how long I'd had the swelling in my neck! Like you, I'd never noticed it, but my voice was a bit croaky. Long story short, lump removed, vertical scar, tumor benign, been on thyroid medication ever since! You're a brave girl, and I enjoyed this video. Namaste 🙏🏼 from South Africa 🇿🇦 💜

I can't imagine how terrifying it would be to hear "There's a 95% chance you have cancer. Also we have no openings for three months." I'm so glad you found excellent care and got through all this!

I feel like this video is a sign. I've been putting off going to the doctors even though I'm having the same symptoms as you and this encouraged me to call and schedule an exam so even if you never see this comment you have helped someone out here by posting this video Sharla and thank you and I'm so happy everything from the surgery to being cancer free worked out for you ☺

My mum had thyroid cancer. And the doctor scared her shitless when she said that she had low chances of dealing with it. She fought through, and though she takes pills and stuff for almost ten years now, it's all been relatively well since then. You have the right spirit in you, Sharla :) Get well, and I'm glad that the tumor was not cancerous.

I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when I was 33. I was in college studying to do ultrasound and another student found it when practicing on me. I was asymptomatic so it was a total fluke that they found it. I’m sorry you had to go through that. It took me ages to get my voice back after my surgery so it’s totally understandable that you needed a break from vloggging.

Oh, my god Sharla… I am so glad you’re okay. I remember messaging you a few weeks back and you were saying how you were traveling for “not good reasons” and I didn’t want to press further, but holy crap… you’re a damn champion and I am amazed at how articulate you were throughout this video. Hope you can at least enjoy spending that wonderful quality time with your family- we’re all patiently waiting for you in Japan 💛

Sharla, my wife had her thyroid removed almost 2 years ago for the same reason, although her tumor was cancerous (she was completely fine afterwards). She takes a special medication to make up for the lack of a thyroid and although she gets tired from to time, she has a regular, active life. Even if you need to take hormone supplements, you'll be fine. Take good care of yourself and enjoy the time with your family!

I owe you for this video. I remember watching it when it came out, and flash forward to very early 2023 and I noticed a bump on my neck. It’s still very small and the doctor was surprised I caught it when I did, so it should be an easy surgery. I might not have thought to get this looked at so fast if not for you. ❤

Im so glad things worked out… couldn’t imagine the stress. What a great video for others that may be going through the same thing.

I burst into tears when you said it wasn’t cancer. I had breast cancer at 26 and I can sympathize with the fear and uncertainty you must have gone through. So happy you’re ok, stay healthy and well Sharla ❤️❤️

I can't even imagine the anxiety that you have had to experience throughout this entire experience, and throwing intercontinental travel during a pandemic into the mix with... bloody hell, that must have been so stressful! We're so glad that this story here had a positive ending for you! Enjoy your time in Canada and stay safe. 🙏

It’s good that you found out in a way that wasn’t life-threatening! Sometimes it takes something out of the ordinary to draw our attention to something that’s been there for awhile, and I’m glad it was that way with you.

My wife and I just went through a really scary couple of months. Not long after our wedding in April we found out that she had cervical cancer. Thankfully they caught it very early and we've had the best possible outcome from that. My wife had a hysterectomy in September and the cancer was completely removed, no spread to the lymph nodes or anything. But oh boy that was a scary few months for both of us. I'll never forget when we both found out the surgery was a success and she was cancer free, I burst into tears and hugged her so tight. I'm so glad you're situation turned out to be benign and you can go back to Sendai and get on with your life!

IMPORTANT POINT: I had three general anasthetic surgeries in my mid-20s and I learned (sometimes painfully) that when you think you're 100% recovered, you're not. Add at least another month and get back into things really, really slowly.

the part about the surgeon coming in with you just in the socks has me CRYING 🤣🤣🤣

I'm so glad you are recovering well and it wasn't cancerous. I hope that you're fully back to exploring Japan and showing us vlogs from Sendai soon. Thank you for sharing this and all your volgs.

Wishing for a speedy recovery Sharla. Glad to hear the tumor was non-cancerous. 早く良くなっていままでどうりに日本の旅を続けられると願ってます

As a native Floridian and someone who's mother also had a tumor on her thyroid, I'm so glad that you had a good experience here, and I'm so happy for you that things ended as well as they possibly could!

After the birth of my third child, I had gone to see my gynecologist and he said, " How long have you had this lump in your neck?" And I was like, " What lump?" I had no idea I had a lump in my neck either, it isn't usually a place on your body that you spend a lot of time looking at. If it weren't for him, who knows how long it would have been before I would have known. None of my doctors had ever noticed it. I was fortunate that mine wasn't cancerous, but it was scary all the same. I'm glad you were able to get the help you needed.

I’m so glad you’re okay. Thank you for sharing your story. You are so incredibly brave for talking about this!

Your left thyroid just said "fine, I'll do it myself" and did it like a champion. You're such a strong and wonderful women, thanks for sharing your story. I just hope you can be happy and relax now.

At the part where you said "95% chance it's cancer" my heart just sank. I'm so happy to hear that you're going to be ok Sharla.

Best of Luck in your recovery

OMG Sharla, I can't even imagine how stressed and anxious you were throughout all of this! I'm so glad that you're on the mend now! Sending love and hugs xxx

I have followed you for years now, and you have been through so much… and you always maintain your vibrancy. Thank you, for being you and keep your courage.

In defense of you not noticing the tumor: it's not like it just appeared overnight. When something changes gradually, it can be hard to notice. Especially over the amount of time needed for something to grow to the size of a mandarin orange. Not to mention this thing grew through good old fashioned cell division, which isn't known for expedited growing.

Oh Sharla. I have hypothyroidism and honestly this is such a big fear for me. I've been avoiding going to the doctor since it is so scary... But I am scheduling an appointment with my doctor ASAP. Thank you so much for sharing this. Wish me luck! 🤞

Thank you so much for sharing this personal experience. I am so glad you acted quickly in this situation, are healthy, and are on the mend. So glad your family was there to support you during this scary time in your life. I absolutely love all of your videos and appreciate your fun lighthearted sense of humor. My continued positive vibes and prayers are being sent your way from one vlogger to another.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and vulnerability. I was told this past April via ultrasound that I had a cancerous thyroid nodule- which was confirmed by three doctors. I am going through a compressed nursing degree and it was so hard to focus. I had to sit on that news for two months and yesterday I finally got my biopsy results back- shockingly it came back benign!!! I need to be monitored as well and may need half of my thyroid removed down the line. This video truly helped me get through that struggle- seeing someone else go through it with such composure and helped me to realize I’m not alone. I wish you the very best moving forward!

I had thyroid cancer and had my entire thyroid removed, and getting the medication correct is the worst! My scar is in the exact same place as yours and people don’t even notice since it’s healed for a few years now. It’s so awesome you don’t have to take the synthroid. It’s definitely a process that sticks with you your whole life, cancer or not. Are they having you do regular doctor visits? It was a lot at the beginning and now every year with blood tests every so often when my hormones are feeling “off”. Thanks for sharing your story. I enjoy all your vlogs wherever you are in the world. 💕

Usually a silent subscriber here: I'm absolutely thankful you shared your story with us, Sharla. And I'm so glad to hear that your recovery is going well and that you were able to overcome this extreme adventure; I don't even want to imagine what it is like going through so much uncertainty. Wishing you all the best for your further recovery - you got this. ♥

I'm very happy that you found a great doctor and are okay! No surprise that the center is in Florida. Every millionaire in the U.S. and Canada retires here, so we have all the best doctors and hospitals. And, yeah, Florida is made fun of a lot, but there are a LOT of reasons that endless millions of people move here. Feel free to come back anytime!

I’m so happy to hear you’re on the mend, thank you so much for having the heart and guts to share your story, I know for a fact it’s helped people already. Stay safe everyone ❤️

HOPE YOU'RE DOING BETTER!!! Good grief that's stressful!

That is so scary! You’re so strong. It’s hard to talk about these personal things. Just know your viewers love you and support you no matter what!

This is the first time I'm coming across your channel. What a harrowing experience. You are quite remarkable for finding that specialty hospital taking charge of your health 💪 My family hides health stuff from each other so it's difficult navigating this sort of stuff because I don't know what it should look like. Listening to your story gave me a better idea of what navigating that should look like. So glad that your tests came back clear. Wishing you nothing but good health in the New Year.

I’m so glad that you choose to spoke out about this and post a video on it around the time that I’m writing this I have a surgery scheduled for a cyst that I have on my ovary. It may not be the same thing but, it definitely comforts me to see what my future in-tales because I essentially had the same experience with the “maybe it cancerous?” and an ultrasound and the endocrinologist. So, thank you so much for posting and I hope you’re doing much better wish me luck :D

Glad to hear you’re fine. I can’t imagine how it feels when a Dr. abroad tell you that “it’s 95% cancer and he doesn’t have time to help you”

So happy you are doing well now... We always miss you when you are gone. Always take care of yourself and be healthy.

Wow. You're so strong, Sharla. Thank you for sharing, I'm sure you're helping out a lot of people. ❤ All the best x

I really admire you for your strength and level_headedness in such a stressful situation.Stay happy, stay well.

Please continue to take care Sharla 🥺🥺💘

So sorry you had to go through this and so glad you're on the mend. ❤️

I think you can be called SHARIZARD now, you keep evolving girl :) Thanks for sharing your experiences, you are a great communicator. I wish you the best!

Thank you for talking about this. I have been going through a similar situation, also while living abroad. When you spoke about having to learn the vocabulary to talk about your thyroid in a foreign language, I really related to that. I'm sorry you've gone through this but thankful that it turned out to be benign. It's comforting to know that I'm not alone in this. The awareness you're spreading is valuable. Have a speedy recovery!

This must have been so stressful and heavy for you to deal with, i'm so so glad you are okay in the end! Hope you enjoy the rest your time home with your family at the very least!

Holy shit, what a scary ordeal :( I’m so, so glad you were able to get the procedure/treatment you needed in a timely manner and that the growth was non-cancerous. Hope you’re feeling better day by day-enjoy your time in Canada with your family ♥️🇨🇦

I’m truly grateful that you’ve shared all this with us, be well Sharla, I’m here from the future, you’re back in Japan! You are kind, you are generous with your life and thank you 🙏🏻

Thanks for being so open and honest about your experience! I had doctor's visits and surgery while I was living in Japan and unfortunately like you most of the doctors and surgeons I worked with were severely lacking in bedside manner. The nurses were angels!! But yeah the doctors were facts only, no compassion. I'm glad you were able to find a team that put you at ease and put the care in healthcare!!

Hey sharla I also had a marble sized tumour that was cancerous on my thyroid. I had the right side of my thyroid removed. But I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when I was 12 so I have always taken medication for it. But then when I was 29 they removed the whole right side of my thyroid. I still have to take medication and get my blood tested every 6 months but I’m okay! I know you’ll be okay too. Everything will be okay don’t stress it’s okay. If you have any questions I can help you if you want. I’m also Canadian and had my surgery here in Canada. I’m on Twitter and instagram too.

"Do you want to see my scar?" Um... YES. (That's a badass scar and I love how you absolutely don't care about having it.) Overall that sounds like one hell of an experience to go through, and it's such great news that it's not cancer and that you're gonna be alright. Really glad you updated us, and I hope the trip back to Japan is as uneventful as possible!

Thanks for sharing Sharla. What a scary situation to find yourself in. I’m so so glad to hear all went smoothly with the op and wishing you a speedy recovery ❤️

Wow you've survived thru so much! Thank goodness it was not cancer and not in your lymph nodes! It is such a shocking thing to go thru a diagnosis like that and a reminder that we're mortal. Thank you for sharing this information and thanks for offering to share info with others who may be going thru this. Wishing you rapid healing and a return to your regular life asap! Blessings to you!

So so proud of you babe for being such a strong girl & sharing this. Love you to the moon and back and wishing you speedy recovery! 💕💕

SHARLA!! You told this entire story so calmly… and even with little bit of humor! I can only imagine how scary it was until you had answers. We’re all so happy you’re healthy and that you were able to see a specialist. Sick scar!!!! Thank you for sharing, and please take care 💖💖

You're one of the many vloggers that I follow about life in Japan. I am very glad to hear that you are doing well. Thank you for sharing this with us and I look forward to seeing your return to Japan. Take care of yourself.

thanks sharla for sharing your personal experience as I’m sure others are unsure how to handle this same thing. Your story about the gown and yellow socks did break the ice. glad all is well and you’re back on the road to recovery. we look forward to you being active on you tube … you’ve been sorely missed.

The hospital wait times are crazy in Korea, too. My aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer and they told her to wait 4 months for surgery! Luckily, my uncle had his old "connections", and got her within 2 weeks. So glad you were able to find a doc in the US quickly and had no issues.

When you said that it was cancer free, I genuinely shed a few tears. I can’t imagine the stress you have been under for these past few months and hope you’re able to relax a bit now with your family 💖 And as a fellow Canadian, I’d love to see some content from Canada, but only if you feel up to making it 😊 please don’t strain yourself, especially after all the stress you’ve been dealing with lately

So happy you had the best outcome possible. May your recovery continue to be smooth and have a safe trip back to Japan!

First of all, you're incredible. I'm not sure how you handled all of that in Japan w/o losing your mind. I know you have a ton of friends and support in Japan, so hopefully that helped a bit. So glad everything went well in FL and your sis was able to be with you during your stay. Sorry you had such a scary situation pop up but now you're on the mend and back home. Thank you for being so open and transparent with your life experiences. I'm sure this video and all of your content helps people every day.

when you showed your sister I started having tears in my eyes. I don't know. I have no words Sharla. I follow you since such a long time now. I had to stop working litteraly when I saw this video. I'm so glad you're doing well now. wow.

Wow Sharla! I'm so shocked and don't really know what to say. What a wild few months you've had. I'm so happy to hear you're doing better now and that you're healing up nicely. And I'm SO glad the results of the tumor were benign. I hope your recovery goes well and I can't wait to see your future videos when you're feeling better. ❤ - Ashley

I hope you are having a smooth recovery and while I did watch this video a little while back, I want to say thank you sharing your experience. Crazy coincidence that I am now going through this same thing now and your video actually helped me understand a little of what to expect and I think really helped me not be as stressed out. Take care!

i’m a subscriber and an occasional viewer. so glad you’re okay now! crying a bit of happy tears as the story sounds terrifying and you’re such champ talking about it. thank you for sharing

I just cannot understand how a doctor can say there’s a 95% chance of cancer, and oh by the way, you have to wait three months before we can say for sure…. That’s bad medicine right there. Having said that I’m so glad the tumor was benign, and that the surgery went well 👍 Have a great recovery, and do not worry about having to go on thyroid hormone replacement if you have to - I see patients like that all the time and they’re all doing fine. Stay happy, healthy, positive and strong, Sharla ❤️

Before you had mentioned that your sister was able to go with you to Florida, I had thought you were doing this entire thing solo, and had worried how you would manage everything post-surgery. I'm really glad she was able to be there with you to help as a second set of eyes and ears while at the surgeon's office as well as provide emotional support. It really helps to have that support. Also, I'm glad that your results were good. It's all scary when the word "cancer" is spoken by a doctor, so I can only imagine the level of anxiety that sprung into action coupled with the wait period before the surgery date. Hey, if anything, the rainbow knew all along it was going to work, and just was trying to give you a prism thumbs up.

Much love from Romania & happy to see you managed to move fast and deal with this deadly problem .... Never lose faith in the future and no matter what happens.

You are one of the most awesomely optimistic people in the world. Bless you for that and I’m sorry you had to go through all of this. Just listening to you talk about all of this makes me wish I had even one person in my life who had your spirit, happiness and overall positive outlook no matter what. You are incredible. Thank you for being you.

In BC we have The Thyroid Clinic at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver is the first clinic dedicated to the diagnosis and management of thyroid cancers and thyroid hormone disorders in BC. So glad you didn’t have cancer. 💕

Last year, I went to my doctor and she noticed a lump in my breast. (Husband noticed something wrong.) Three weeks of OMFG later (family history of cancer), I got a voicemail that it was benign. My husband came home to me crying on the couch. I'm just so happy that you are doing well!

I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer back in march of this year and had my thyroid removed in april. Glad to hear that you got it out...cancer or not!! i rely on medication every day now but i havent had a single issue balancing my meds. I had a small calcium issue in the beginning and am all good now. i had 2 parathyroids and 3 lymph nodes removed as well. all good but i do have some enlarged lymph nodes again, one right next to my jugular. My next appointment for that is february, so i am all too familiar with the waiting game. That is one of the hardest things!! so glad that you are cancer free and that tumor is out!! This video was in my suggestions and i subbed!! I cant wait to watch your thyroid journey! Sending you all the good, healing vibes!! thanks for bringing awareness to this! I would have been absolutely LOST if i had not had videos and facebook groups to help pump me full of info lol

I can't believe you went through this! Thank God you're doing better. I would have been so terrified. I'm glad you were able to get it treated. 💜

You did everything right, taking initiative yourself instead of waiting for appointments or doctors to care, and asking your family for help. Life is tough and often times things don't go as we would expect, especially in healthcare things. I'm glad you're okay now

“Only 40 minutes walk, it wasn’t too bad” in Florida?? Anyway, you’re sooo strong for sharing your story! Glad you’re okay! 💕

Praise God you didn’t have cancer after all you went through! I’m glad you came to my country and found such a wonderful surgeon! Hope you continue to heal while enjoying time with your family. I hope someone is taking good care of your cat back in Japan. ❤️

What a trooper you are, Shar. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.🌙💜☮️

For the year 2022, those who can, let's go do a thorough check up. Guys let's make out health a priority so we can be diagnosed early if there is something. Stay safe 🙏 ❤

Don't be scared of the possibility of having to take hormones. In the beginning, it's tricky to get it to the desired level and it does mess with your overall health quite a lot. But after a while, once everything is figured out, you don't feel any different. At least that's how it is for most people and that's how it's been for me and my family. It only tends to get tricky again once you're pregnant or going though menopause (again, for most people). You're so strong for going through this with your head held high! ♥️ I hope your scar heals well so you don't have to feel uncomfortable. ♥️

With a sister with graves disease thank you Sharla for highlighting thyroid issues, thank you for sharing your story and wishing you a peaceful winter xx

speedy recovery sharla, you’ve been always a strong one ♡

Thank you for coming out and talking about it. I’ve been struggling and so scared my self. I am having surgery this coming Tuesday to remove a tumor in my parotid gland (saliva). Doc won’t know for sure if it’s cancerous until they send it to be checked. You’ve given me some courage! I hope everything goes well for you. Prayers 🙏🏻

It must be really hard for a foreigner to have health problems in a foreign country. Im so glad that you are well now. Im a Japanese viewer of your videos and have been learning English with fun thanks to you. Please, take good care of yourself 🙏🍵😭

So good to hear it wasn’t cancer and that you’re recovering well, really. Have a good rest of your recovery, and thank you for sharing.

I haven’t had the time to check on my favorite youtubers in a while, this is certainly not tje kind of video I expected to see first.😰 I can’t imagine what you must’ve gone through! I admire your bravery talking about what happened to you and sharing this on here. Just happy you’re doing better now.

WOW that was SO MUCH. I can't even imagine the emotion toll that must have taken. Glad you made it through all that! Hope everything is smooth sailing from here.

As soon as you said the word cancer, I just started crying. I'm so happy that the surgery went well and that you're healing now! Those 3 months you endured must have been so stressful 😔 you're so strong Sharla. I'm really happy you're okay now ❤️

I totally wouldn’t have noticed that either! Thank you so much for sharing this crazy experience and I’m so happy you were able to get treatment :)

I'm so sorry you had to go through this Sharla. I'm glad you were able to get treatment.

Have a good recovery

This is must have been so stressful. I'm really, really glad you're okay, and that you had your sister there to support you through surgery. Hope you feel 100% really soon 💛💛

Oh my gosh Sharla! I had no idea you had medical emergency. While I am so grateful that the tumor was non-cancerous and the surgery was successful, I can only imagine the mental and emotional toll it took during the past weeks. Please do not feel that you need to upload anything soon. Take your time because your health is our number 1 prioritity right now. If you need more time with your family and friends in Canada, please do so. Sending you prayers, Sunshine! Stay healthy and safe! : )

Thanks so much for sharing this. I went through a somewhat similar thyroid scare but ended up with just an ablation rather than surgery. You are such an inspiration. You faced this whole ordeal with courage, spirit, and humor. Hope you have stayed well and happy. All the best wishes for you in your life in Japan.

I just got diagnosed with thyroid cancer myself, and hearing you talk through your experience has really put my anxiety at ease. I’m really grateful that you decided to share this with all of us. I am getting the same surgery in December, so I’m happy to hear that your process went well.

I really have a feeling internet is spying on us... It's been literally two weeks since I've learned I have a tumor in my thyroid. Already had a biopsy, the doctor said surgery is inevitable etc. And I'm just amazed at how I got this video recommendation completely out of nowhere. I'm glad you're okay and that the surgery went well! I can only hope my case will be the same.

I really respect you for telling people what you went through. I thank God you are ok now.

I'm so glad that it was a non-cancerous tumor! Regarding the medication for thyroid diseases: don't worry too much about it. As a person with Hashimotos I would recommend, if it ever comes to that, to always request the paperwork of your blood work. Labs tend to be a little too generous when it comes to what's okay for thyroid levels. There are calculators online that can help you figure out if you're good or not. You usually need besides the TSH-level, the fT3 and fT4 levels. And those two always need to be put in relation to each other. There are also lots of support groups online. But that's nothing you need to worry about now. I wish you a speedy recovery!