Neck pain helped local business owner find cancer early

David never expected neck pain to change his life.

David left his hometown of Murfreesboro, Tenn. at 18 to serve in the U.S. Navy. After retiring, he returned home, where he now owns and operates two local businesses. Life was busy and full until persistent neck pain led him to seek answers.

In October 2024, David visited his primary care provider after struggling to turn his neck from side to side. An MRI revealed something unexpected –a 2.17 cm nodule on the right side of his thyroid.

“I still don’t even know what caused the neck pain,” David said. “But I’m thankful it led to finding something that could’ve gone unnoticed for years.”

David’s wife, Liz, immediately knew where to turn. A former surgical technologist at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford, she had firsthand experience working alongside Dr. Robert Rampp, a general and endocrine surgeon.

“Liz looked at my paperwork and said, ‘You’re not going to anyone else,’” David said.

Within days, Dr. Rampp personally reviewed David’s results and brought him in for an ultrasound. Given the size of the nodule, surgery was recommended to remove it and determine whether it was cancerous.

David underwent surgery at Ascension Saint Thomas Rutherford in January 2025. Dr. Rampp removed the right side of his thyroid and discovered that David had Hashimoto’s disease in the left side of the thyroid. This disease is a common thyroid condition that can cause fatigue and require long term medication.

Because the procedure is minimally invasive, recovery was immediate, and David was able to return home the same day. "I expected to be laid up, groggy, barely able to move. Instead, I was getting my own food, my own drinks. It almost felt like nothing had happened,” he said.

Within a week, David was easing back into work, first handling phones and computer tasks, then returning to physical labor. Two weeks later, at his follow up appointment confirmed that the nodule was papillary thyroid cancer.

“Hearing the word ‘cancer’ is scary no matter what kind it is,” David said. “But Dr. Rampp told us it was completely removed and that papillary thyroid cancer does not typically spread. That was a huge relief.”

David now takes daily thyroid medication and meets regularly with an endocrinologist for follow up ultrasounds. He says he feels better than he did before surgery and adjusting to his medication routine.

“I had been tired for a long time and did not even realize how much it was affecting me,” he explained. “Now that my medication is where it needs to be, I feel like myself again.”

Beyond the clinical care, it was the personal attention that stood out most to David and his family. “Dr. Rampp kept my wife updated throughout surgery. He even checked in months later just to see how I was doing,” David said. “As a business owner, that means a lot. He sees thousands of patients, and he still takes the time to care on a personal level.”

Looking back, David is grateful his journey led him to the right care at the right time.

“This could’ve been there for years without me knowing,” he said. “I’m thankful it was caught, thankful for the care I received, and thankful for the peace of mind I have now.”

Explore care for endocrine and thyroid conditions at Ascension Saint Thomas.