The THYROID Thread

[squeegee]

Thank you all for keeping me in your thoughts. The Biopsy itself went okay, he feels like he got adequate samples. Now the waiting game begins.

He did comment, though, that the consistency of what he was trying to aspirate was unusual. He said it almost appeared to be coagulated blood inside the lymph node, and it wouldn't be sucked up. I took a picture of the cystic area at work. Anyone ever heard of anything like this? Dark areas usually indicate fluid, so that's why I call the circle a "cystic" area.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

squeegee - you are blessed to be able to actually sono and see yourself so to speak. I did get to see the microscope pictures of my cancer. It was interesting, scary and weird all at the same time. I was thinking I am fighting you (this cancer, lol)

Your lymph node does sound a little strange and different. Did he shake your neck to get the sample?
My experience was that when the surgeon couldnt get the fna sample on me, or at least what he considered a good sample then he resorted on the 3rd time to doing a core biopsy. I remember the thing looked like a caulk gun and he said to stay real still. But I cant remember if that was for the 12.5 cm tumor or the 4 cm one or both? I dont know if that would be an option for what you have in the future.

Also my fluid filled stuff was after my stomach surgery, a seroma which is fluid filled, but that was in my stomach. Would that happen in a neck lymph node too? Is the questionable lymph node on your post surgery neck side?

I hope the waiting game wont be too hard on you. But your have work and your sweet dd to keep your mind occupied and I hope you didnt experience that horrible weather. Saw on facebook someone I know had 8 windows blown out in SA on their house.

macraven - hope you have a wonderful trip

Christine - hope you are recovering and getting back to feeling like you. Did you get to do any reading while recuperating? I just won about 4 books, so I better get busy for sure.

Well I worked on the trip planning yest. I got as far as making adrs for Cape May and Yachtsman so far. Dh said he would call tonight to make some resort plans. So far if the rooms will still be available and we had to change the dates and move it up a little. I think 3 nights at the Swan and then hopefully at YC or BC. We will pay for 2 nights at the Swan and then 1 night free with dh ff miles which is a night that is sold out and hopefully get an ap rate at the other place. If not back t the budget drawing board.

 

[Christine]

squeegee--keeping good thoughts for you for the biopsy results. I had a similar issue with a breast biopsy once. A had a radiologist freak out on me and doom me to cancer because of what was on the ultrasound. Turns out, I had developed a hematoma from the biopsy a year prior and the hematoma (of which they were calling a "mass") was filled with mixed stuff and she freaked out. My doctor, because of the freakout, had to do surgery. Basically it was a hematoma that was resolving itself and it was old blood that was breaking down. Not quite a solid, not quite a liquid. All very stressful.

LMP--thanks for asking about me. I went back to work this week. Thought I was gonna die on Monday but each day gets a little better. I still spend a lot of time coughing, mostly in the mornings, and I feel like my sinuses are inflamed (no headaches though). So whatever it is just lingers. A lady I know said she had the same thing: had a fever for 11 days, coughed for weeks. She said I have about 3 weeks of coughing left! I did get a lot of reading done during my illness and now I've slowed back down to my usual pace. I have run out of things to read so am picking up older stuff from a few years ago. Right now it's Wild by Cheryl Strayed about her lone hike out on a trail that runs from Mexico to Canada.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Well we finally got the trip booked. I did the research and I had dh call and book it since he is the starwoods member and I had him use his ap to get the ap rate at the other hotel.

So we are staying May 17-18 at the Sean and then May 19-22 at the Yacht Club in a garden view room

Now to book the flights and the rest of the dining. I only booked Yachtsman and Cape May. I am now thinking of trying Skippers Canteen because dh always says lets try something different. I am still doing food research, hmm maybe Trattoria al forno or the Boathouse?? We shall see.

And now ds2 says he might go to Disney with his gf even before dh and I go, gheesh` I know he wants to stay at the Dolphin. He said we spoiled him. He has stayed in Caribbean Beach on his class trip before.

No tests or drs. appt. until June, but I just got another bill from the hematologist. There is a trend at some of these places I go to to not eve have a billing dept. They only ask for payment if its your lst visit. I think places are trying to save money and cut down on staff. This has happened to me in at least 3 places. I havent heard again from the lab about that big bill and test the hematologist ordered, so we shall see.

 

[Christine]

lmp--Oh, how I envy your trip!! My thoughts of a trip are completely over. As I suspected, DS *finally* got a job in the town he goes to college at. He will be working at Chick-Fil-A. He's thrilled. He won't start until the very last week of April, so it was good that we don't have an early May trip planned. He's a bit worried that the job starts the week before finals but he'll have to get through it. He's totally out of money so he was happy to get the job. He will end up staying at school all year so he can work the job. I guess we will see him on his days off. The college is only 2 hours away so it's not that hard to get home.

I think I'm finally 90% recovered from my flu! I'm in my second week back to work. I've tried to start exercising again and that didn't go too well. I've lost a lot of stamina. My coughing is down to a minimum though.

Doctors appointments. Do they ever end? I had my opthamologist visit (dry eye doctor) last night. Gosh, I *hate* when the dilate your eyes. I don't think I'm going to do that anymore. The stuff they used really irritated by eyes this time and I'm paying for it today. I was supposed to have this visit in February, but I got snowed out, so I had to go yesterday. Oh, and it was the SUNNIEST day of the year. Felt like a vampire when I left, even with the sunglasses on.

Next week it's the annual GYN and then subsequent mammogram appointment. Hope all goes well there. THEN, I'm going to schedule my neck ultrasound. I'm waiting until as late as I can to do that as I am concerned I could have residual swollen glands in my neck from being sick. I know they can take awhile to go down, but I don't need that stress.

Otherwise, all is well, but I am sick of "doctoring." I want to be 25 again and never go.

 

[macraven]

Christine
Sending you hugs
Hope your month of doctoring ends soon and well.


LMP
Wonderful news you are now booked!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Christine - hope your appts. and testing go well. Congrats to your ds on the job. They just opened a chick fil a around here. Found out alot of people our ds know work there. I like the market salad and maybe another salad, cant remember.

And in more non thyroid related news....I guess my ds2 got the disney bug from listening to dh and I book our trip. He has just informed me that he and his girlfriend are going t Disney May 7-15. They got a great deal at the Swan too. They said they got the cheap room view because they will be in the parks so much and will go to Universal one day too. She has only been to the MK for 4 hours as a child.

I am not to thrilled about all of this but he is an adult. He also wont be here for mothers day and he is usually does the grilling.

Also just found out dh and I have to go to a business dinner the night before we leave and our flight leaves at 7 am if we book that one, so we basically will have about 4 hours sleep if that if I know dh. We will be dragging around the flower show for sure.

 

[Christine]

I do try to stay out of Chick Fil A, but I like the Market Salad too. That's what I get when I'm being good. It's going to be very hard to resist the summer peach shakes this year!!!

I'm so jealous of your trips (I know I keep saying that). I guess I've been away from the World for too long. I need to sneak in your suitcase!!! Your trip sounds so wonderful. Good for your son, but I know it will be a bummer him not being there for mother's day. It's tough when they start branching out in their own lives but I do try to handle it with the grace that my own mother afforded me (and she's never given me any grief for leaving her on Mother's Day which I used to do often).

At least when you go on your trip, you will have the adrenaline working for you so hopefully the lack of sleep won't be noticed. I never sleep much the night before because I'm so excited.

 

[macraven]

when we lived in the chicago area, we always loved going to a chik fil a place.

now that we moved to GA, Chik Fil A is the last place we will eat at....

since trying other places, and everything down here has the chicken joints of bojangles, jax, etc, we find that Chik Fil A is too sweet.
think it is the batter they use and it's a lot of a sugar taste.

mother's day is just another day in my household.
there have been some years i get one card from one of my boys
not an issue so this is not a complaint.
i'm always in their hearts and they don't have to send me cards on that one day a year to let me know they are thinking of me.

same with all the other holidays.
we are just not a card exchanging family or holiday type of people.

but i know it is a very big deal for some families.

guess it is the way you are raised that tends to make you celebrate some of the designated days each year.

i'm so behind on this thread and wondered what happened to squeegee tests.
hope it was okay for her.

for all that have talked about health and other issues, they have been included in my prayers.
i think a lot of the posters here and wish i was more up on keeping up here.

i'm struggling with my thyroid and salivary health and have not found a doctor in GA i can start using.
the lists of doctors are long but not all fit my needs.
need to start with an internists and then get the ENT and the Endo docs lined up.

just kind of blah when it comes to making a decision.
my internist back in illinois has been kind enough to do refills on my scripts
i have been taking expired meds from 2012 the past two months but now i can pick up a new synthroid today.

christine sounds like you are on top of your health needs and covering it all soon.
mlp, to you. your son loves you dearly and i know it will be sad for you that tradition has been broken this year for mom day.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

macraven - I hope you can find an endo who you like. Maybe your new internist can give you a recommendation or two to pick from. That is good you got the med from your old dr. I would wonder if meds that are 2 years old are still effective. I dont have a stash of synthroid but we were talking about this once on the thread, like should we have some in case there is a crisis etc. Now I can get a three month refill at once so that might help a little.

Well I have got some kind of little sinus thing again. I know dh was sick so I might have gotten something from him.. Its mostly mucus and post nasal drip. I make sure I use alot of vicks at night and halls during the day if needed. I am not bad enough to go to a dr. I know something is going on because I still have the sinus headache that has never really gone totally away since the 2 antibiotics and I have some issues with vertigo. Only when I turn my head to the left which is the dissection side and its usually when I am turning or getting up in bed. Annoying to say the least.

I am not all that upset about d2 being away for mothers day. Its more of the religious/moral aspect of it. He has not even told my dh about it because he knows dh will not be happy either that is why he told me first, lol. If he didnt live under our roof I would probably not care so much.

I dont know if the other ds will be here anyway for mothers day or at least not most of it as I am sure ds3 has to work at the hospital and sometimes ds1 has to do a basketball tournament, so we shall see. I think last year I even ended up cooking the meal myself! Dh and I are looking forward to an empty nest, but it sure is taking a long time getting here, lol.

 

[Christine]

Well I have got some kind of little sinus thing again. I know dh was sick so I might have gotten something from him.. Its mostly mucus and post nasal drip. I make sure I use alot of vicks at night and halls during the day if needed. I am not bad enough to go to a dr. I know something is going on because I still have the sinus headache that has never really gone totally away since the 2 antibiotics and I have some issues with vertigo. Only when I turn my head to the left which is the dissection side and its usually when I am turning or getting up in bed. Annoying to say the least.

Have you ever tried something like Flonase or Rhinocort? They all used to be prescription but are now OTC and they are very effective for swollen sinuses and post nasal drip. They take about a week to start working but they do very well on this stuff.

 

[macraven]

Agree with Christine on the Flonase
Son that had the deviated septum surgery has been on it for months now and it is very effective

 

[luvmarypoppins]

squeegee - thinking of you and hope you got good results

Christine - hope all your visits and tests turned out well too

singing mom - hope your dd is doing well in the disney program

Well now I have a bad muscle sprain in my r shoulder/back area. Why doe these things happen to me right before a trip visions of last years blood clot dancing in my head), lol?

Just finished making all the adrs. I am sure some will change. We are going to Trattoria al Forno the lst night because that is all that we could find at a decent time. Then we are doing lunch at Tusker House (that could change) and Be Our Guest lunch because I couldnt get dinner. The rest are all dinners and so far its Yachtsman, Coral Reef, Chefs de France and Cape May. I also want to try and walk up to Skippers Canteen in MK. Also planning n the breakfast buffets at the Garden Grove and Captains Grille.

Ds 2 is taking my suitcase. I bet I will have to get out the febreeze when he brings it back. I am telling him to put all his dirty clothes in a plastic bag too. They have only made 1 adr - Biergarten and I made them one for Be Our Guest lunch and Ohana dinner when I saw it weeks ago. I would like to hear how they do with making adrs the night or day before or just walking up. I am not that laid back for sure.

The weather here is rainy and dreary so I will be glad to see the Florida sun and heat for sure.

Check in when you can.

 

[macraven]

The adrs you made sound great!
I try to book my add asap
I stick more with lunch table service as I over eat at dinner time and too tied to stay very long in the parks

Let's hope your back/muscle clears up before your flight

When do you leave!

I'm booked for sept this year for my Orlando trip
First add I made was beirgarten
I try to do this one each visit
And I always overeat there

Someday I will make two different add for that place
One will be for the food the second visit will be for only eating salads and the desserts....

I have not been successful in finding new doctors here in GA

Made doc appt with my old ones in Chicago
Flying out for four days and have 3 doc spots lined up early June

My endo mailed me the lab requisitions for blood draws to have done here at Quest
They will fax her the results so when I see her, she will be up to date on medicine review

It would be cheaper to get new docs here I know
I need an internist for emergency situations

Hope all is going fine for all here

 

[Christine]

Happy Friday everyone! Hope everyone is well.

macraven--so what's the problem with doctors in Georgia. Is there a shortage? This is something my folks worry about constantly when planning to retire. They want to be somewhere where medical services/specialties are plentiful.

Just made my appointment for my neck ultrasound. Had my last one 4 years ago and a "regular" radiology place. This year I'm going with my friend to the Washington Hospital Center (they have a big thyroid cancer center) so I will probably get a more thorough/expert ultrasound, which kind of scares me. Anyway, my best friend also had thyroid cancer, though hers was "incidental" but she has to have annual ultrasounds for awhile. I sent her up there two years ago so she does everything through them. So we will carpool there and have our checks done at the same time! How many best friends can say they have done that.

Everyone's ADRs are making me hungry. I'm not sure where I'd go if I went back. We always love Citrico's, so probably there. Haven't been to Cape May in a long time but I always enjoyed their buffet. The Yacht Club had a good breakfast one also a few years ago.

Weather here is AWFUL. Rain, rain, rain but we are supposed to get some sunshine on Sunday.

Everyone have a wonderful Mother's Day!

 

[baler31]

I don't usually post on the thread but have hyperthyroidism and look over it frequently. Came across this report on thyroid cancer and thought some might like to read it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/thyroid-cancer-treatment-doctors-science-2016-5?r=UK&IR=T

 

[macraven]

baler31

so glad you stopped in to share the article

 

[macraven]

Christine,
there is a shortage in my area and my choices are to go to nashville which is over 2 hours away or to atlanta which is one hour or more depending on traffic.

my husband found a new internist about 35 minutes from our house but his practice is at a hospital that has no specialities.
i might have to use that internist and will assume he will prescribe my synthroid to me in the future.
but in the meantime, my endo had requested lab draws every 6 weeks with a script adjustment possibly for the next 6 months.

so i go back to her in chicago and do a visit twice a year until i can secure an endo in my area, or near area.

my endo sent me the lab requisition that i will take to quest next week.
they will fax the results to her and by the time i see her june 1st, she will know where we are starting again.

from the phone conversation, she can have me do the labs down here every six weeks and sent new scripts to walgreens.
not the ideal to work with her but it is better than nothing until i can get into a endo practice that is taking new patients.

 

[baler31]

Christine,
there is a shortage in my area and my choices are to go to nashville which is over 2 hours away or to atlanta which is one hour or more depending on traffic.

my husband found a new internist about 35 minutes from our house but his practice is at a hospital that has no specialities.
i might have to use that internist and will assume he will prescribe my synthroid to me in the future.
but in the meantime, my endo had requested lab draws every 6 weeks with a script adjustment possibly for the next 6 months.

so i go back to her in chicago and do a visit twice a year until i can secure an endo in my area, or near area.

my endo sent me the lab requisition that i will take to quest next week.
they will fax the results to her and by the time i see her june 1st, she will know where we are starting again.

from the phone conversation, she can have me do the labs down here every six weeks and sent new scripts to walgreens.
not the ideal to work with her but it is better than nothing until i can get into a endo practice that is taking new patients.

My SIL is at Emory. If it would be helpful I could get a few names for you to research. No worries if this does not work for you. Thanks for the welcome, it is a nice friendly thread.

 

[Christine]

I don't usually post on the thread but have hyperthyroidism and look over it frequently. Came across this report on thyroid cancer and thought some might like to read it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/thyroid-cancer-treatment-doctors-science-2016-5?r=UK&IR=T

Hi baler31!

Yes that article has been blowing up the thyroid news lately, hasn't it? It does concern me though because I worry that someone will downplay their thyroid cancer. Many of us with thyroid cancer know others who've had a tough go of it with "the good cancer." It's good to see all this new research and happy to see them drifting away from the radical treatments (which I unfortunately had even though my cancer was small), but I am concerned in going to far in the other direction.