We had a few new people last night. That's a good 'Yay!' but also a bad 'Yay!' because that means that more people in San Diego are being diagnosed with thyroid cancer and getting thyroidectomies. Two of the three ladies recently had their TTs done, the other had hers done a couple of years ago. Also, the two new members from last month's meeting (the one I missed since I was on vacation) were also in attendance. One of those ladies also had HCC. It is just so amazing to me how we all have one form or another of thyroid cancer, but for everything that we experience in common, there are just as many that some of us experience that is very uncommon.
It was another long meeting - 2 hours! Our meetings are only supposed to be an hour long, but we always manage to go over by at least 30mins each meeting. I think I was considered to be the main facilitator this time, which I don't mind, but I have a hard time keeping the meeting moving so everyone has a chance to speak. How do you effectively cut someone off when they've been talking for over 10 minutes, and they don't seem to be winding things down?!? So, I am trying to figure out a better way to run the meetings when we have new members. I think a good idea is to have one of the facilitators tell their ThyCa story first, then have the new members tell theirs. That way, they are able to introduce themselves to the group, tell their story, and then ask about any questions or concerns they may have. In addition to the sign-in sheet, we should also have a sheet where members/guests can write down any questions or concerns they may have. Hopefully we can cover everyone's questions before the end of the meeting.
Now the big question is how should I deal with members who go way off topic? There was one person that was all over the place - she started talking about her other health issues, then what happened before she had ThyCa, where she used to work, what else she is attributing her current symptoms to.....I was lost just trying to follow what she was saying. I kept on thinking to myself, "what is a nice thing to say to her so she'll stick to her ThyCa issues, or how do I effectively let her know that we need to move on to the next person without sounding bitchy?"
So, I have a few things to work on before the next meeting. Hopefully I can put something together and share it with the other facilitators, see what they think. Anyway, despite the meeting feeling like it was getting out of hand, it was still nice to be able to meet with others on the ThyCa journey with me.
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