Anguillian Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Surgeon, Dr Ellis Lorenzo Webster, was the speaker on Health Ministries Day at the Mount Fortune Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday, January 18. He was on one of his regular visits, from Palm Beach County in Florida, to Anguilla to see patients at the Island Comprehensive Medical Centre at the Mason Complex at Stoney Ground.
Dr Webster was asked to speak about what he does as a specialist in ear, nose and throat diseases – and treatment options – but with emphasis on thyroid disease which has now become more prominent in Anguilla.
“We need to be able to diagnose these problems and then find out the causes and determine treatment options,” he said. “I think a lot of this has to do with diet and exposures and, certainly, as we become a more developed nation, and we are getting exposed to more things that the first world countries are exposed to, [we have to check ourselves]. We must be aware that these disease processes are on the rise and try to cut them off before they become endemic.”
He explained that the diseases include thyroid cancer and hypo-thyroid – a condition where there are low thyroid levels in the blood; or hyper-thyroidism where there are high levels of thyroid. “Each has its own problems and we have found thyroid nodules where there are lumps in the thyroid,” he further explained. “These could be non-cancerous but some are cancerous. We have been finding that thyroid cancer incidents have increased in several countries including Anguilla.”
Dr Webster said that the warning signs include fatigue, depression, weight-gain (if there are low levels of thyroid), weight-loss (if there are high levels), loss of hair, dry skin, palpitations of the heart, as well as general sickness and weakness. He advised that if there is a lump in the neck it is needs to be evaluated because it can indicate that there is a thyroid nodule, or a goitre, where the whole thyroid gland is enlarged and also needs to be evaluated.
Asked what types of treatment were available to patients, the Anguillian surgeon and physician replied: “It depends again on the diagnosis. If there are low levels of thyroid, we can treat that with medication. If there are high levels of thyroid we can treat that with medication or surgery. If there are nodules or lumps in the thyroid, we can do biopsies – or if we need to, we can remove the thyroid. If it is cancer, once it is removed there is a great chance that the person can be cured. Thyroid cancer tends to be slow-growing and…once you find them they are treatable. However, once you treat the thyroid cancer byremoving the thyroid, we do adjunctive therapy such radio-active iodine treatments to kill any microscopic disease and those patients will do well. In terms of the medically high or levels treated with medication or surgery are well-managed as long as the patients are compliant with their medications.
Questioned as to what advice he would give to persons fearing they have thyroid problems, Dr Webster stated: “I recommend that if patients are losing weight unexplained by dieting, if they are gaining weight and they find that their food intake is not excessive, or they exercise but are still gaining weight, then they need to see a doctor and get evaluated. They should feel their neck at least one a month to make sure there are no lumps or bumps. If they notice any change in the size of the neck, by feeling or looking in a mirror, and there is a swelling – have the doctor evaluate it, do the necessary test such as an Ultra-sound or Cats-can or an MRI, and once they are diagnosed, get treated.
Meanwhile, he took the opportunity to warn young people, in particular, about listening to loud music in vehicles or though headphones as such a practice could affect their hearing.
Dr Webster was asked to comment generally on his work. He replied as follows: “I work in Palm Beach County in Florida. I have two offices there and I come to Anguilla about once a month where I have an office and see patients with ear, nose and throat problems including thyroid issues. I have done several thyroidectomies at the Princess Alexandra Hospital and at Hughes Medical Centre; as well as other types of cancers of the head and neck. I will back about mid-February.”
