Caroline--I am sorry they treated you so bad. I have had 2 needle biopsies in the thyroid without any bruising, some minor bleeding etc . I have never had pills before either. The radiologists at Trinity Hospital in Minot used a thicker needle the second time due to he wanted more samples- Felt nothing. I do hope you get good results like I did
Marie from ND

Caroline, of course we can be "sisters". I had a successful kidney transplant in January 2012. But I kept having these several-times- a- day "hot flashes", worse than anything I had with menopause seven years ago. My urologist felt my throat and said he felt a one-centimeter nodule. I had no pain or other problems. I then went to a specialist, an endocrinologist. She also felt a nodule and sent me for a sonogram of my neck. It showed seven nodules, five big and two small, the small ones under 2 centimeters. A few days later (last Tuesday) she did the biopsy. I was quite fearful, took a Zanax before, which relaxed me. The assistant had me lie back in a chair and tipped me back, like at the dentist. She cleaned my neck. Then the doctor came in with her needle and a jar for the tissue samples. She nick-named the nodules "The Twins" and "The Triplets" as there were three on the left side and two on the right. The thyroid is in the center front of your neck, just below your adam's apple. She had the assistant spray my neck with something to numb the skin, but I felt every jab. She would stick the needle in , then stir it around and push deeper to get enough tissue. I stopped counting at ten jabs. They told me not to talk or swallow when the needle was in. That was hard.It hurt a lot and I felt a tear roll out of one eye. Finally it was over. She put a couple bandaids on my neck and I was allowed to go home. I took Aleve tablets and kept a bag of frozen peas on my neck for most of Tuesday evening. The next morning I had no pain whatsoever. The tissue samples were sent to a lab that does extensive testing, including Genetic and "Genomic" testing, whatever that is. But the downside is it takes two and a half weeks for the results, so I'm still worrying and waiting. Best case scenario, everything will be benign. Worst case, I will have to have my thyroid removed, but at least I'll be under anesthesia for that. I've been assured one can live a long life without a thyroid, and thyroid cancer is the most curable kind to get. So it could be worse... Good luck, Caroline. Let us know when you get the results. I'll be posting when I know more.

This post was edited by jannie on Mon, Sep 2, 13 at 17:38

Good thoughts for a positive outcome for both of you. (((Caroline and Jannie)))

I wish I could have gotten my hands on just one Zanax tab, or anything relaxing. My MIL's doctor gives her bottles of 100mgs Zoloft like they're candy; I can't get one, one-time tablet of anything. If I could drink I would have had a couple large shots of Glenlivet before going in; that would do the job!

As I was reading your post, I was wondering how on Earth the first doctor could definitively say "one, one-centimeter nodule." Did he have anything to say after they found seven?

I had to be at the downtown hospital at 7 a.m. (They had done blood work and x-rays the day before at the base clinic.) They filled out forms and (improperly) inserted the IV since I kept insisting I would need something to relax me. I don't know why they couldn't just give me a pill of some sort. Then I changed into the ever-fashionable hospital gown.

I was on a gurney/bed and they did the procedure in an operating room. They kept telling me I didn't need any medication - but I did. They had the ultrasound machine set up, but I couldn't see it. They did finally give me a little "something" through the IV tube and in a few minutes the ceiling tiles were dancing so I felt better.

I could hear them talking, but I kept my eyes shut. The Dr. was looking at the ultrasound screen to guide the needles. I could feel pressure from the transducer (?) on my neck but nothing hurt.

They took me back to the clinic where there were rows and rows of cubicles separated by thin curtains. It looked like the British NHS at its best. There were men on either side of me and two young children right across the aisle. The poor babies were crying so hard...and of course that upset me worrying about them.

Everyone's clothes were in vinyl suit-bags on a long coat rack.

I took a nap and then they offered me tea, toast, juice, coffee, and water. After I ate and drank that, they removed the IV, I got dressed and wobbled out. Wes was there to drive me home.

They told me to not shower or wash my hair for 24-hours and to keep the tight bandage on for 24 hours.

My 28 year old daughter has been having her thyroid nodule cysts aspirated every few months since she was 12. It's no picnic but she's managed just fine all these years. The main problem for her is that the circumference of the needle has become larger over the years because of scar tissue and the thickness of the gelatinous goop they aspirate out. I am just thankful they run lab tests on it each time to rule out cancer.

Jodi-

Jodi, why are they checking every few months? When i had my nodules checked and they were found to be cancer free, I was told to have a sonogram in a year.
Would they be too dangerous to remove?

Ellendi, my daughter's cysts refill to the point of causing her swallowing issues making aspiration the only way to release the pressure short of surgery which the doctors have talked her out of three times.

When the nodules/cysts fill you can easily see them on her long, beautiful neck. Because she's a dancer and performs on stage and such, and because she has no scar history, the doctors were not crazy about cutting into the thyroid to completely remove it.

Even though there is essentially more nodules than thyroid, her levels are normal but if they remove her thyroid altogether, they risk unsightly scars and medication the rest of her life.

Jodi-

I take medicine everyday as soon as I wake up.Had my thyroid totally removed in 2 different surgeries,one on base,and the other 20 years later by a civilian dr.They both did an awesome job and I have no scars at all and no one even knows I have had it done,unless I tell them..

I worked with a gal who had hers removed after I did and her dr left her with a big nasty looking scar.I don't know if it was because she was overweight or just a bad dr.

Kathi