test advice needed

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-15-2006
test advice needed
5
Wed, 11-15-2006 - 1:10pm

Hi! I went to the gyno for abdominal pain. She felt my thyroid and thought I had a nodule, so on top of everything else, now I have two nodules--one on each side. (determined by ultrasound) She sent me to an ENT who specializes in thyroid. (well, in this small town, he is known as the specialist) He doesn't believe in the nuclear test--said it's very 90s technology and that we can do much better. He has scheduled me for a ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration for this Friday. And would expect the results by middle of next week.

Meanwhile, I went to my regular internist who wants me to see a thyroid surgeon in a much-larger town, who will do a nuclear scan and a fine needle biopsy. (my guess is he is a surgeon, not just a pathologist at the rediologists office and probably does this type of specialty work more often since the town is much larger.) My doc has pulled all the blood-work for the test, and it will probably be scheduled week after next, because of Thanksgiving next week.

The nodules are 1.2 and 1.5 cm, so they're not large to begin with and I can appreciate the difficulty in finding them and getting an accurate reading.

Which do I do? I think I should do the quickest test because then I would know something sooner, but it could be inconclusive anyway. The nuclear scan really doesn't seem to be the final answer, according to the research I've done. They'll still have to do a biopsy anyway, right?

What do you think?

I appreciate your advice.

Paula

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-11-2003
Thu, 11-16-2006 - 1:39pm

Hello,

I am in a similar situation as yours. I have two nodules also one is little 2 mm and the other is 3 cm. My doctor did my bloodwork first TSH of .02, then sent me for the sono which picked up the nodules..... then I had the uptake scan you mentioned. The uptake scan did not pick up my nodules and my regular doctor could not explain why. I am going to see an endocrinologist the beginning of DEC, so I have to wait to see what he recommends and if can explain why they didn't come up. So I guess my point is your doctor may not be off with regards to his opinion about uptake scans. I will probably need the biopsy as well. I hope my information has helped you in someway! Good Luck!

Avatar for cl_calley7
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Sat, 11-18-2006 - 10:26pm

Hi Paula,


Did you decide to go ahead with the appointment yesterday?

 

Calley7

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-15-2006
Sun, 11-19-2006 - 8:52pm

Hi--

I did go through with the biopsy. I think it was a horrible mistake! Sigh. I don't think they were terribly competent and would love to have your opinion. First of all, they waited on the pathologist from the local hospital to watch and to have him check the samples so they could make sure they had adequate samples to check.

So, they started the procedure. The radiologist (he) is on one side, the ultrasound tech (she) is on the other side. She keeps asking him, is that the nodule? Is that you? He has deadened the area with novacaine and has a needle in my neck and turns and twists so that she can "see" him on the ultrasound. Then they found each other and the nodule and took a sample. Maybe. Then they all left the room and the pathologist looked at the sample under a microscope. Supposedly they found some cells that would be something to examine. ?!?! This happened 3 times on each side. I hurt so badly during the entire experience--it took over 2 hours and my whole body was tensed for the whole time. Several times, it seemed that the sample had coagulated before they could even get it out of the tube! So the pathologist ended up taking the tubes with him!!

The very first time, they actually said that they didn't think they had a good sample. I was fine with that. Try again. And again. Finally, after the last time, the radiologist came back in and said, do you want us to try again? At this point, I had tearing streaming down my face and looked at him and said, what would you do if I were your wife? Would you do this again? And he said, let's stop and see what the pathology report says. Maybe we have enough to test. And the torture finally ended.

It just seems to me that finding the nodules should have been easier, since they were so large, and that the radiologist should have been a little more confident. Honestly, they never acted like they thought they had found the nodule on the left side--NEVER. So, of course, I am not sure that they got any valid samples and that the tests will show anything. (The pathologist actually suggested a smaller size needle after the first time. They were using a 22 and he suggested using a 25. I really could tell the difference when they used the other one. He also said, well, we should show up with thyroid cells too if you're going through the thyroid. ???)

They also told me they had to go through my thyroid because the nodules (both of them!) were on the opposite side of the thyroid. Is that common??

So, I spent Friday night at home whimpering and holding my neck. And most of yesterday. I had read of people having this test and returning to work afterwards. Honestly, I couldn't have gone back to work if I had to! And today, my neck muscles are less sore, but there's a huge bruise on my lower neck where they had gone in. Is this common? Or did I have a really bad experience?

The comment the ENT made about "we can do better" is that he thought the nuclear medicine test showing hot, cold, or warm was outdated and that the biopsy was the way to go.

Thanks for your insight. I appreciate any information I can get about this.

Paula

Avatar for cl_calley7
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Mon, 11-20-2006 - 5:34pm

Hi Paula,


Your experience was not at all what I would expect from my doctor.

 

Calley7

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-26-2006
Wed, 12-27-2006 - 1:17am
I know that this post was from a while back, but I had to respond. My biopsy was a horrible experience also. I was trembeling because I could feel the needle going in (to numb the area) and I was shaking uncontrollably and the radiologist was yelling at me to calm down, like that is going to help! I could feel the needle making way through my whole neck (all the tissue and muscle). They took 3 samples from one side and four samples from the other side, if I didn't have my husband to drive me I wouldn't have made it home, I was so sore for 2 days after I was done with that. Like I posted in my first post (Total Thyroidectomy), I did better after surgery than after the biopsy! I too had tears running down my face because it was such a horrible experience for me. I am glad to see most of the posts are from women that had good experiences :)