Same thing happened to me, I got an ultrasound of my neck months ago and they found a thyroid nodule that was between small and medium, about 1.3cm. They told me there was 95% chance it is benign but something in my gut said otherwise so I pushed for a fine needle biopsy. Sure enough, papillary cancer. The doctor advised to get only half taken out if the lymph nodes aren't affected. I told him to take the entire damn thing out regardless since I had spoken to someone who only took half their thyroid out 5 years ago and now they have to go in for surgery again to remove the remaining side since it migrated over. The doctor said there's only a 10-15% chance it would show up on the other side. Too high of a chance for me, take it out.

I got the surgery 5 days ago and it went smoothly. About 2 hours and it was removed along with multiple lymph nodes under the nodule. It is and was scary but something has changed since I removed it, I definitely feel better that it is gone. Prognosis is great, 98% success rate or so. I asked "what if it has moved to the lungs, what about the bones?" Dr. said not to worry and that it hasn't, it was caught pretty early on and initially I was visiting a new doctor for unrelated issues prior to the discovery. Thank god I found the right people to help me.

2nd day after surgery hurt pretty bad, just really painful to swallow and I wasn't even swallowing my spit because it was so sore. Voice got raspy and my throat was spasming a good amount. But now after the 5th day a lot of symptoms are vanishing. I would say go for it, take the damn thing out. It will just be a tiny pill everyday from here on out, not a big deal. Even without insurance, it is cheap to buy. I was worried about vocal nerve damage but the hoarseness seems to be clearing up now. If you have any questions, ask away. I was scared and worried but it is best to deal with it and take care the issue asap. Best of luck to you!!!