So...I last posted in July with lung nodule worries. I have had them come and go the last couple of years due to repeated infections, but for the past 6 months the pulmonologist has been watching one that has increased in size..up to 12 mm now.
Also, the ENT has been watching my multinodular goiter for a year. Recently had an ultra sound to check on that. The report spoke of a '2.2 cm complex nodule' in addition to other cysts and nodules. Complex nodules 'can' be cancerous.
I had a PET Scan a couple of weeks ago. With a PET scan, the idea is that the radioactive tracer they inject has glucose added to it. Cancer cells feed off sugar and therefore any areas in question would 'light up' and assigned an SUV (standard uptake value).
Well..the lung nodule lit up just a tiny amount...1.2 SUV, which the doc says is almost normal, so he is comfortable with just watching that area and repeating scans in 6 months.
However, the thyroid lit up...particularly the side with this large complex nodule. It was given something like a 9.5 SUV. :-(
So..now..I'm scheduled for a thyroid biopsy at the end of the month. And...not only am I very concerned about the biopsy results, but I am worried about the needle biopsy because I have bad side effects to local anesthesia (even without epinephrine).
I just get so tired of being unlike every body else out there. The ENT that will do the biopsy is new and young..has only met me once. He just says "oh..you shouldn't have any problems with the Lidocaine." But..I DO!! I'm not afraid of pain, so I am considering having it done without being numbed. Has anyone else opted for no anesthesia for this? If so, how'd it go?
I know there can be hot nodules and cold nodules in the thyroid...so it's very confusing. At one point I Google it and read that hot nodules are less likely to be cancerous than cold nodules. But then the next thing I read, says the opposite. I have had trouble swallowing for years on that side, blood count is dropping again, both the red and white counts. Have lung infections every month to month and a half. I wake during the night at times feeling like I can't catch my breath....like someone is squeezing my throat up into my carotid artery.
My brain won't shut off with worry..yet I know that does no good. But if the lungs lit up some...and I have all these other symptoms..I'm so afraid that it might be thyroid cancer that has metastisized to the lungs or throat.
Has anyone else had any similar experience??
I just started Plaquenil last week too. Rheumatoid factor was 245. Normal values are 0-20. I was diagnosed with Sjogrens 30 years ago,but the docs never thought I would benefit from Plaquenil. Sure don't like reading about all those potential side effects. :-(
Thanks for reading and for your input.
Julie
Hi Julie
You are contending with a lot right now - and no - I don't have experience of it. I do have experience of waiting for possible cancer tests - but not on thyroid. Result - no cancer - but I know how anxious the wait for a result can make one.
I think that waiting for tests and results is always a really stressful time. once the results are in - we get on and deal with them.
Obviously I hope you do not have cancer. If, however, you do - I believe that thyroid cancer has some of the most successful treatments.
I've been on Plaquenil since 2004 now. I've had no side effects and have felt benefit from it.
Keep us posted on your tests and results.
Take care - Scottie :)
Julie,
I had multiple thyroid biopsies before the removal of my thyroid.
They were very quick and painless to me, I am very sensitive to many drugs but I had no problems with the numbing. I wouldn't do the biopsy without the numbness. I had to be still so they could biopsy nodules on my thyroid & I would have found that very difficult with pain. My doctor at the time was my age but did his own biopsies. It was quick & I left with a small bandaid on my neck.
My doctor also explained that most cancerous nodules have a difference in appearance to non cancerous nodules. Mine turned out to be noncancerous but they grew so large I found it difficult to swallow. I had my thyroid removed because of the growing nodules that were uncomfortable & had to be biopsied every 3 months because of their size.
I do not have any knowledge on lung nodules, I'm sorry.
I have been on Plaquenil since March & have been able to get most of my life back thanks tp this drug.
Be informed but not scared. You are safer & healthier than you feel right now.
Good luck , Carie
Julie, You sound so scared and I know that you are suffering as much from the fear of the unknown as anything else.
I have had a few issues with the lidocaine and am wondering what kind of issues you have. I do fine with it injected into a small area for biopsies, etc., but spray it in my throat and nose to put a tube down and it gives me the tremors and my heart feels funny. I have learned to just go without when the ENT scopes me.
I can't imagine having a biopsy of the thyroid without any local anesthesia. You would be hard pressed to be able to sit still or not jump and cause damage.
I guess if it was me I would just talk with the anesthesiologist and make him aware of you problems. Also, ask him if he is prepared to deal with any of the issues that might come up. Chances are pretty good that he is---as is the OR where you are having this done. Just expressing yourself and getting some input from him will help you deal with this much better.
Many times our reactions are worse because of our stress level. Maybe you need to have a sedative prior to the biopsy. Maybe it would help to ask for one. You are dealing with a lot right now and you do need to get this biopsy done.
After you have had this done you will probably want to deal with the node or nodes in your lungs. The PET scan is pretty good at picking out areas that need attention. MY hubby had a PET scan and needed a lung biopsy. It was not nearly as scary as one would think and he had a very complicated case.
The thing is that waiting around is not very easy to do. I bet that if you would deal with these issues and get them over with you would feel better. Any time we have a node or a lump we sit and worry. The thing is that it could be positive and we would have to make a decision as to treatment, etc., or it could be negative. Either way, we know.
Without doing anything we worry ourselves sick and take a chance on waiting too long. Just know that we are thinking of you and will be saying some prayers for you. Please let us know how you are getting along.
I just started Plaquenil 2 months ago and so far so good. Irish ;D
Hi, Julie,
I have two thyroid nodules in my one thyroid lobe, that get an ultrasound every year or two, just to check. I did have one biopsy, that was negative. I'm allergic to novocaine, and I probably had a similar medicine called carbocaine -- with which the anesthetist/anesthesiologist would be familiar.
You fluttering and funny feeling on lidocaine, is what I experienced with novocaine.
So far I've been negative. I hope you come sailing through the procedure, and are able to manage the anxiety of waiting for results.
On Plaquenil, I've just been diagnosed (though I 've probably had Sjögrens for the same thirty years or so), and will probably hold off in favor of participating in a couple of research studies. I'll be checking with you on your experience with it.
Take care,
Soycoffee
It sure helps to read all of your answers. Thank you to everyone that has replied and for sharing your experiences.
Engy, it helps me to be a little calmer reading that your nodules kept getting larger and were still benign. The docs always worry when any nodule increases in size. What a relief that had to be for you!! :-) I'm praying that the reason my thyroid showed so much uptake on the PET scan is due to inflammation.
Even if the biopsy comes back negative, I may opt to get this thing out anyway, because it is uncomfortable with it pressing and causing me to gasp for air during the night, and it makes swallowing and eating really difficult.
Irish, it sounds like your reaction to local anesthesias is somewhat similar to mine. I can relate when you say your heart 'feels funny' and you get tremors. The last time I had Lidocane I truly thought I was on my way out with my vision getting blurry, tachycardia, a sick lump feeling in my stomach, uncontrollable jerking movements, and feeling like I was going to pass out. This is why it took me 3 LONG years to have all of my teeth removed. The oral surgeon switched to giving me Citanest but still could only give enough to extract 1-3 teeth at a time without it causing me major side effects.
I have a week to go before the biopsy. Trying to research and learn as much as I can..and doing a lot of praying. I get to fly to Colorado to see my daughter for Thanksgiving. I am really looking forward to that. It will help me get my mind off this stuff for a few days.
It's also good to read you are all on Plaquenil and have no adverse side effects. I've been on it for 12 days now and am doing OK.
Thanks again for your support and have a wonderful holiday with your friends and families!
Julie
Well...I had the thyroid biopsy yesterday. Did it without any type of anesthesia or sedative. I knew I could be a lot calmer doing it that way rather than dealing with the worry/anxiety of what the medication side effects would do to me. The procedure really wasn't bad. Once the first needle was in, I knew then what to expect for the rest.
I asked him if it looked like the nodules and goiter were pressing on my trachea which might be the cause of my swallowing and breathing difficulties. He said he didn't think so, BUT that my esophagus in that area was rather "squished looking" rather than being the normal round appearance. He really had no explanation for that.....
So now...I'll be pacing like a leopard in a cage for the next few days while I wait for the biopsy report. Prayers and good thoughts would be appreciated.
Hi Julie
Thanks for the update. You clearly made the right decision to have the biopsy without pain relief or sedation. Sometimes the worry about side effects is worse than dealing with momentary pain!
Is 'squished looking' a new technical term we haven't heard of?!
Thinking of you - Chickpea
I would think with something like that you would need to be numb.
I had a needle biopsy of my left breast but I think I had a topical then, it was so long ago.
I guess a needle aspiration is out? That is where they use a needle with air to suck up cells to check under a microscope. I had a couple of those in my neck lymph node and they were not that bad at all and I did not have any anettesia - dr's said it would affect the cell tests results.
I totally understand about you being worried. I had 6 yrs to try to get a diagnosis of Sjogrens with the drs trying to drive me nuts. Talk with the dr, anestiesthiologist , nurse, etc about it. They should be willing to talk to you and let you know what to expect, etc.
Good Luck!
Julie, you are so brave! I'm glad it worked out.
I know you're emotional but stress always makes things worse so try to think positive.
Positive thoughts & prayers for you.
Remember, you are safer than you feel. I say this many times to myself when I worry & it helps some.
Many Blessings, Carie
I hope your biopsy result comes back benign. I'm glad you were able to have it without any anesthesia - that way you avoid all those problems related to the anesthesia.
Hi Julie,
Wow, when it rains it sure does pour for you! And though I can't speak of lung nodules, I sure can about a multi-nodule goiter (had one of those puppies). I know that you mentioned that your trachea looked "squished", and you're having swallowing problems and such, do you feel like a knot pressing against your throat? When I finally got to see an endo, he was not happy that I "waited" so long before I finally saw him (couldn't get the GP to refer me for almost a year even though she knew I had this goiter situation - had a scan done six months prior and it showed the goiter and all and the GP still ignored it as my TSH was "normal").
Anyway, the endo sent me to see a specialist that did a lot of FN biopsies; didn't think much of it as it was so hard to go to work with the severe brain fog, the hair falling out, the eyes so bad that I quit driving for a while, etc... The endo's office called me about a week and a half later and said that the results were a bit unusual as the test was negative for cancer but positive for Hashimoto's - go figure.
Now I didn't have any numbing agent either, and it was like a bee stung my neck (had some minor swelling), but that was about the worst of the test.
I had been put on thyroid replacement the first day I saw the endo, and the goiter slowly shrank a lot, but the thyroid never quite got back to "normal". I still get nodules on both sides, and have one that has been there since the beginning as its an extremely slow grower (I get thyroid scans every year or two just to keep an eye on it).
Good luck and I'll keep my fingers crossed that it comes out negative too.
Take care of yourself -
Patze
I'm glad you got through the biopsy ok.
I had my Thyroid removed in September due to a multi nodule goiter that had suspicious cells. I had some choking symptoms and embarassingly I snored like a trouper.
After the surgery, my family was amazed that I don't snore any more. I guess my swollen Thyroid was affecting my breathing.
Luckily, my Pathology came back as pre cancerous, so I dodged a bullet there for sure.
Take care
Aussie Mum
The doc's office called this morning to confirm my follow up appt for this Monday to get the biopsy results. I told the receptionist that I NEED to hear the results today. The anxiety has been building this week, and to go through the weekend not knowing (and with my husband out of town) was not going to be easy.
Got a message at the end of their work day today. "The biopsy was benign...we will see you Monday to discuss further."
Thank you, Lord!! I have been so worried that the thyroid was cancerous and that the lung nodules were a result of metastisizing.
I can't quit bawling from emotions, relief, and thankfulness!! :-)
Awwww Julie, I'm so glad that the result is benign! Whew, that must be such a relief!
And don't forget to keep us updated, okay?
Patze
Quote from: Julie on December 02, 2011, 03:53:21 PM
The doc's office called this morning to confirm my follow up appt for this Monday to get the biopsy results. I told the receptionist that I NEED to hear the results today. The anxiety has been building this week, and to go through the weekend not knowing (and with my husband out of town) was not going to be easy.
Got a message at the end of their work day today. "The biopsy was benign...we will see you Monday to discuss further."
Thank you, Lord!! I have been so worried that the thyroid was cancerous and that the lung nodules were a result of metastisizing.
I can't quit bawling from emotions, relief, and thankfulness!! :-)
That's wonderful! So glad for you.
Soycoffee
Oh, that is really great news, Julie. Just go ahead and bawl cause that stress of waiting is really horrible. Crying cleanses the soul, for sure. Irish ;D
Julie,
I apologize I'm just catching up with the thread, but wanted to say I am so happy for you and the good news you received! That's fantastic. :D
Like Irish said, go ahead and bawl if you want because that release of tension and all the stress is good for us.
I hope you get more great news on Monday!
Take care,
Melinda
What wonderful news!!!!
Woot! and you have tears?! Double woot!
I love reading good news!! :)
What a relief for you! That's great news, Julie. I hope you are having a relaxing weekend.
Good luck with the appointment tomorrow.
Thinking of you - Chickpea
Thanks all! It was a great ending to a pretty stressful week. Have to leave for my follow up in about an hour. Hope I come home still feeling chipper!!! :-)
And no, I don't have any tears...just the usual red eyes and runny nose that quickly turns to stuffy when I cry. lol