Thyroid Nodule

[SHRED]

Discovered I have one during an unrelated ct scan last Saturday. About 2cm in size.
I think it is what is bothering me when I swallow solid food.

I am going in for a needle biopsy next Thursday and was wondering how that procedure feels?

A bit worried but even the worst case (cancer) is very curable although I would lose my thyroid gland.


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[LaurenG]

1. I have a friend who has had 2 biopsies, both benign btw. She said the worst part of

it was the pressure from the needle otherwise not a big deal at all.

I wish you good results on yours. :hi:

[SHRED]

3. I can be a big baby at times

The thought of a needle in my throat kinda creeps me out.

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[Lars39]

16. I took a Valium last time I had it done.

Helped everyone involved. :D

[glowing]

2. Best wishes to you; I pray its not cancer.

[SHRED]

4. thanks...over 90% of the time it isn't

[glowing]

9. That's a favorable statistic. Good luck!!!

[Raven]

5. A friend of mine went through this last year. It was cancer and

they removed the nodule and gave her a radiation treatment. She did not lose her thyroid gland. She is doing fine now. Good luck, keep us informed. Oh, and get a second opinion.

[SHRED]

6. I was told they remove the entire gland and...

...give an iodine/radiation pill that attaches to any leftover thyroid and destroys it.

There are most likely variations.
I will get a second opinion.

thanks for the advice.

[nebenaube]

7. they do that to help regulate the replacement therapy...

I hope someday soon that there is a stem cell treatment they can use to restore thyroid function. The endocrine system is a hard thing to balance consistently. That reminds me... time for a dose.

[SHRED]

8. Synthroid doesn't work for my wife

She has had much better success with ERFA from Canada although many doctors here (in the USA) stubbornly reject the notion and prefer Synthroid exclusively.

http://www.erfa-sa.com/thyroid_en.htm


http://thyroid.erfa.net/



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[gateley]

10. I had the biopsy done and they numb the area first

(not bad at all, pretty much what you'd expect from a shot - didn't hurt) then they go in several times w/the needle to extract as many different areas of the nodule as possible.

You can feel the needle going in, but it doesn't hurt at all. And believe me, you're counting each and every time so you know exactly how many more times they'll be going in. :7

All in all, it was really a piece of cake, honestly not worth stressing about at all. No worse than a trip to the dentist, and NO PAIN.

Mine was cancer and the thyroid was removed - again, not THAT big a deal. Thyroyd cancer is one of the most slowly growing so they're often able to get it all. The surgery was easy (of course, I was asleep!) and I didn't have ANY pain after that. They kept me on morphine in the hospital, but I honestly didn't think I needed it - was NEVER in pain. Sent me home w/pain meds and, again, no pain - but I took them as a precaution against GETTING any.

If I had to do it all again tomorrow I wouldn't blink an eye - that's how easy it was.

So please don't worry! Let us know what they find (if anything!). :hug:

[SHRED]

11. you are sweet

Thanks for the "pep talk".

:hug:


Hope the best for your recovery.


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[gateley]

13. I'm totally fine and have been since the surgery (probably about

10 years ago now).

Interestingly, I've had cancer twice -- the thyroid and melanoma -- and they are both the kinds that if you get them in time, they're GONE! So I've never had to have any cancer treatment, per se, just quick surgeries and that's it. All I do is take thyroid medication.

As I keep saying - piece of cake!

[gateley]

12. PS -- about.com has a great forum on thyroid disease - here's the link:

http://thyroid.about.com/

[SHRED]

14. thanks!

[KatyaR]

15. The worst part of the biopsy is knowing what they're doing.

I had nodules on both sides years ago, one was very large and made it very difficult to swallow or sleep at night--I had to sleep with my neck extended, which was horribly uncomfortable. The biopsy wasn't that painful, but they do go into several different spots to make sure they're getting a good indicator of what's there. If you're freaking out too much, have them give you a valium beforehand, it should help.

The biopsies were inconclusive, so I had to have surgery. They removed all of it except a small portion, which I believe is favored when possible instead of removing the whole thing. Lab results on the tissue were negative, no cancer, but I was prepared for it if it had been. It truly is one of the easiest cancers to recover from. So I've been on synthetic thryoid since then, and I'm fine.

Knowledge is your ally, my friend. Read up as much as possible before you go, it helps you combat the fear. And good luck to you--let us know what you find out.

:hug: