10.18.2011

A total pain in the neck!

This is long, you can skip to the pictures or read it, good luck with either, it's a long'n!

Okay, so, about a month ago I found a lump. Wes freaked out, understandably with all of Tasha's stuff, but I still was dragging my feet not wanting to get it checked out.  I scheduled a Dr. appointment though & went. The doctor wanted an ultrasound done.  Again, I didn't think it was necessary, I was sure the lump would go away. I told Dr. Robinson how I wasn't too concerned about the lump, but my lymph nodes have been swollen for about a year.  Yeah, a long time, I know. The doctor didn't really seemed too concerned & said, while they're doing the ultrasound, I'll put in an order to do a U/S of the lymph nodes in your neck, too.  Okay. So, they ordered the ultrasound for that week. But I called & rescheduled for about 3 weeks out to see if the lump would go away.  The lump didn't go away. I went to the doctor office on Wednesday of last week & they ultrasounded the lump, didn't see anything suspicious, & then she went to ultrasound my lymph nodes. I told her I didn't really think it was necessary & I didn't want the cost of both ultrasounds. She said she would look at the lymph nodes & only take pictures of something suspicious. They didn't look suspicious, she went around my  neck showing me the insides of it, pretty cool! Then she found a nodule/tumor on my thyroid. She was concerned about it.  She said she needed to take pictures of it.  Cool. So, she does.  I get a call from the Dr. Friday.  Biopsy scheduled for Monday to figure out what that thyroid nodule is.  PARTY! So, don't worry, I googled what this procedure was. It's a fine needle aspiration of the thyroid nodule. Um...no way is anyone getting near my neck! I get so claustrophobic it's not even funny.  & I won't even start on how I dislike my neck being touched. Unless it's neck rubs on the back of my neck :)

Pretty much I got myself all into a worried mess. Seriously. As in my digestive system was all out of whack. It felt nice.  So Monday I left for lunch & then went to pick up Wes from school & we headed up to American Fork for the 'procedure.' I was nervous beyond words. Not about the outcome. hah! How weird is that? I wasn't concerned about what the labs will come back to tell us, I was just freaked out from needles going into my throat!  Well, we get there. Everyone's nice.  They take me back. I wear the ever-so-fashionable hospital gown that I am all too familiar with.  I lay down on the table, but table is different from the other ones I've been on in the past year. No pillow. "So the neck is more extended."  The Dr. was reviewing another complicated case so it took him a while to get in there. The ultrasound tech did a preliminary ultrasound to see the tumor thing.  We had to wait for a while for the doctor, I had turned from initially freezing to sweaty palms galore! bahaha 

Basically, the doctor came in, marked where they were going to stab me. Which happened to be the center of my trachea! I said,"Uh, that's my throat!!"  hahah then he rubbed iodine all over, put one of those surgical papers next to the soon to be hole. & I closed my eyes for the rest. I had the doctor & U/S tech in my face the whole time & Wes just at my fingertip reach. As the doctor went for the needle I grabbed Wes' hand & clenched the eyeballs shut! It hurt when they did the numbing shot. Youch! But the rest just felt weird. Except when the sample needle went past where the numbing stuff had done it's job. Basically he took 3 biopsy samples & with each needle he pumped it into the nodule 50 times. Basicaly I was stabbed 151 times yesterday! hahah That makes me sound way more hardcore.  Afterwards I felt kind of light headed but was SO happy to be done, done, done! 

I had a peaceful feeling about the outcome, the whole time. Wes & Jordan gave me a blessing on Sunday & Wes was the one having a meltdown, so our home-teacher gave him a blessing after church.  Both were comforting.  & Wes' blessing said that I wasn't going to be taken from him.  That's when I realized why he was so worried.  I'm sure blessed to have the priesthood in my home where Weston can give me blessings from the Lord when I need them.  & where he can also receive them!
My subtle icepack that I had to wear on the neck after

 K, please excuse my crude & blurry phone photos!
The orange arrow is pointing to where the needle went in....aka right in the center of my throat, hardly noticeable!
Then the area to the left is the bruised area. Which it bruised a lot on the inside so the skin is a light bluish color.  I sneezed this morning & of course it was nothing like sneezing even 2 months after my spine surgery 8 years ago, but boy it didn't feel good!
btw, I should mention, tumors on the thyroid are RARELY cancerous! They're usually benign adenomas, goiters, or something of the sort!  So, don't you worry, either!
 xoxoisittheweekend,yet?

5 comments:

  1. Hope everything is okay! And I love blessings too! Keep us updated!

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  2. oh my goodness girl! I'll be keeping you in my prayers. You are so positive, I would have been thinking of the worst from day 1. You're awesome! =)

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  3. Holy moly how annoying for you! Ultrasounds and lumps are just no fun at all. And let's be honest, that gel stuff they squirt on you is icky. You are SUCH a trooper with them stabbing your neck!! I hope all turns out well, I'll be praying for ya :)

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  4. Oh, my goodness, Rachel! I didn't know anything about this. So glad I have your blog to read. I am thinking that this is going to be nothing but you may have to have it removed. Back sometime in the 80's I had a nodule on my thyroid, too, and the doctor performed surgery to remove it but it was benign. Maybe something more than being 5 ft 7 in is inherited from me! Sorry, if that is so! I've never had to take any thyroid meds and nothing else came of it and I'm praying that will be the same for you, too!

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  5. Nice madam's aple:)

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