About 5 years ago my OB-GYN started me on synthroid because my TSH levels were off. Then about 3 years ago my General Doc found a nodule. He did the ultrasound thing on it and it was slightly over 1 cm so they did a needle biopsy. It came back with finding consistant with a goiter...no big deal right? Just need to check it once a year to make sure there are no changes.
Last year it had not grown any when they did the ultrasound (or whatever they call that machine). THIS year though it was now slightly over 2 cm! He wanted to do another needle biopsy but I opted to go to the endo as I am scared at this point.
The endo was very nice and looked at my history and said normally my chance of cancer would be 1 in 20, but MINE was 1 in 10 because of the exposure I had at Camp LeJeune in utero and the first year of my life (good to know our government takes such wonderful care of their military personnel, right?...thanks USMC
). Anyway I digress, she said I could have it out or wait 6 months and check it again. After hearing my statistics, I was ready to have surgery then and there. But she said I really needed to do the biospy so they would know whether to take all or just half out. Since she was backed up at her office she sent me directly to the place where they read the results to have it done there. Even with 7 sticks it came back that there was not enough to make a determination. Took 2.5 agonizing weeks to get that result! So she decided to repeat it herself. Her RN calls me last Friday to say that there is no sign of cancer and the cells are normal size (?
whatever that means)
Well, now I've had time to read up on the internet and discover I should have been having my T4 and T3 checks too; no one has done this on me yet. So now I'm wondering if the nodule is just because I am not being properly treated for my hypo...I still have symptoms so this make since, right? I have VERY dry skin, still yawn because I feel like I need the oxygen, and continue to gain weight at an alarming rate (over 75 pounds total now), and my menstral cycle is still off as well.
So I tell the RN what I have read and inquire about these levels. She says they always do them at their office but a review of my chart indicates I am correct, no one has done them on me...Ob and general doc apparently did not know better and since I came here only for a biopsy, they had not done it either.
...and here are THOSE results:
final pathologic diagnosis:
"rare follicular cells and abundant blood, insufficient for further evaluation"
Microscopic description:
"a few rare follicular epithelial cells are present. The cells contain round to oval nuclei. Abundant fragments of blood are also noted."
Last week I go see the thorasic (sp?) surgeon. He says they will make an incision as if they were taking the whole thyroid out. He will remove the right side and will preserve all the para thyroid (apparently there are two on each side). He told me that they will do an emergency frozen section to determine if there is cancer...if not they will sew me back up. If so, they will remove the other half as well. He said the surgery is done at the hospital and I will stay the night to assure there are no problem. I inquired how many surgeries he does on thyroid a week and he said about one (for the last 20 years).
Soooo, according to what I see, the 2nd biopsy this year still can not say if cancer is present (there are not enough cells to determine)...I had not one but 2 specialists to do these biopsies and both, despite over 6 sticks a piece, were able to get enough cells. Whereas the nodule was not vascular before, this time each time she stuck the needle in, it filled with blood. So the way I see it, they will not be able to get a good biopsy later this year either, right? If this were ANYWHERE else on my body I would have it cut out without a second thought. But the idea of someone cutting on my THROAT so close to my artery is terrifying to me.
What do you all think? What would YOU do if it were you?
Please help me decide thyroid surgery or not? 
