Most people are told that if a thyroid goiter is "too large" or has "dived" into the chest, the only option is a total thyroidectomy—often involving a sternotomy (cracking the chest bone) to reach the tissue. In today’s episode, I sit down with Matthew Ashby, who faced exactly this crossroads. Matthew shares his powerful journey of navigating a massive multinodular goiter, the "silent" symptoms that began to impact his breathing, and how he successfully avoided major surgery by choosing Thyroid Artery Embolization (TAE). Join us as we explore how this advanced, non-surgical treatment may shrink goiters and preserve your thyroid gland, even in the most complex cases.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Matthew Ashby’s Thyroid Journey

02:49 - Discovering the Massive Multinodular Goiter

06:11 - "Silent" Symptoms: When Breathing Becomes Difficult

08:55 - The Surgical Recommendation: Facing a Sternotomy

11:41 - Researching Alternatives: Finding Dr. Juan Camacho

15:01 - How TAE Works: The Science of Embolization

17:45 - The Procedure & Recovery: Matthew’s First-Hand Account

20:40 - Results: How Life Changed After the Goiter Began to Shrink

23:47 - Why Every Patient Should Advocate for Their Thyroid

26:35 - Final Advice for Those Told Surgery is the "Only Way"

Contact Dr. Juan Camacho: [email protected]

Key resources:

-Dr. Juan Camacho on BackTable Podcast: 

https://youtu.be/qH-S_8_D4eY?si=A9imME1r7ELJvOAJ

-Clinical Registry (Protect Trial): 

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06868459?cond=thyroid&intr=embolization&rank=3

-Recent Publication: 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12301183/ 

This paper summarizes follow-up data from the first U.S. and international patients treated using the pressure-enabled technique.

PROTECT Registry PED-TAE Physicians: 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Xzj2PMN8BapM3JzYxbbj-84RT_zX44A852oboYCRP44/edit?usp=sharing

Alexander Lam — [email protected] (UCSF)

Catherine T. Vu — [email protected] (UC Davis Health)

Ricardo Paz-Fumagalli, MD — [email protected] (Mayo Clinic / Jacksonville) 

Alan Reeves — [email protected] (University of Kansas Medical Center)

Daniel Scher — [email protected] (George Washington University)

Shawn Sarin — [email protected] (George Washington University)

Stephen Reis, MD — [email protected] (Columbia University Irving Medical Center)

David Dwyer — [email protected] (Thomas Jefferson University)

Joseph Marion — [email protected] (Essentia Health)

Govindarajan (Raj) Narayanan — [email protected]; [email protected]  (Baptist Health / Miami Vascular Institute)

Charles Hua — [email protected] (University of Washington)

Vijay Ramalingam — [email protected] (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center)

John J. Schmitz, MD — [email protected] (Mayo Clinic / Rochester)

Waleed Brinjikji, MD — [email protected] (Mayo Clinic / Rochester)

Richard Marshall — [email protected] (Tulane University)

Disclaimer: None of the statements made in this or any other video by Jennifer Holkem or "Its me Jen again" should be considered medical advice.

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Resources:

👉Podcast: https://www.saveyourthyroidwithjen.com/

👉Patient site: https://www.saveyourthyroid.org/

👉Private FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/saveyourthyroidnonsurgical

👉Patient Navigation: https://www.saveyourthyroidwithjen.com/p/patient-navigation-services/

#ThyroidHealth #ThyroidTAE #GoiterTreatment #NonSurgical #PatientStory #DrJuanCamacho #SaveYourThyroid #MedicalAdvocacy #ThyroidNodules #HealthJourney

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