My consultant didn't really say much just that he would like a Fine Needle Aspiration done to collect cells to send and be tested for cancer.

I noticed a lump and went to GP. Had blood work to check thyroid all clear. Sent for ultra sound and found 3 nodules report to GP mentioned 1 suspicios so was ref to a consultant. 1st app as mentioned above. Waited had FNA and another app 3 weeks later where he confirmed cancer. Don't panic this is my story and will differ to yours.

So in a matter of 8 weeks from GP app to surgery had total thyroidectomy. I'm 4 wks post opp having a few surgery issues (have vocal chord damage which impacts breathing and talking).

I was told all my nodules where cancerous, had attached itself to my trachea and spread to lymph nodes. Now I'm waiting for radio iodine treatment and poss radiotherapy.

What you have to remember is that you are in safe hands and you will receive treatment for you problems. Maybe mention PTSD to your nurse/consultant when there. Thyroid cancer is relatively rare and I was just unlucky. Mine had been there for a long time unnoticed.

Keep busy try not to dwell on things. Talk (if you can) with friends and family. My friends are my rock and my go to.

Unortunatly there are periods of waiting and it can get you down. My review is another 4 weeks away so I'm diving my head into reading to keep busy. 

Take care and sending positive thought

Hello and thanks for posting

I am sorry to hear you are awaiting to see a specialist in relation to these thyroid nodules and cysts and appreciate what an anxious time this must be for you, even more so if you have ptsd.

Easy as it is for me to say but try not dwell on this too much until you have spoken to the doctor. Thyroid nodules and cysts are common and most of the time aren't cancer and even in a case where thyroid cancer is found it is usually very successfully treated.

The specialist is likely going to want to examine you and ask you some questions about symptoms and family history at the appointment. They may want to arrange a biopsy or other tests to give them more information and I am sure they will discuss there thoughts and the plan for what may need to happen next in terms of surgery.

I am sure it will be okay for you to take someone along to the appointment to support you and to also take in any information given to you at the time.

I hope you know more very soon and that everything will be okay.

Do get back if you need to and if you prefer to call the nurses then our number is 0808 800 4040 and we're here Monday- Friday 9-5.

Best wishes

Naomi

Is the swelling at the bottom of neck  and is it hard to touch or soft as I think I have similar I had while but started growing I'm going next week x

Hi there hope it all goes well for you, I have a swelling on the front of my neck and it goes up to the side of my neck to my ear

Hi thank you for replying to my message, I hope it is all going well for you and it all does go well for you. What was the experience like to have the biopsy? And having the operation? 

Thank you for your reply storkie81 I'm.sorry to read about the experience you had ... is the swelling hard to touch and has it appeared quickly  mine has   well grown a lot lately xx

Just thought I'd add my experience. As others have said, thyroid nodules are very common and the vast majority are completely harmless.

I didn't even know I had a nodule on my thyroid until I went to the doctor for something completely unrelated and he said that there was a nodule on my thyroid that should be investigated.

Again, like DeeDee46 said, everybody's experiences are different and obviously, those of us here tend to be here, because we did have cancer, so we are not a representative sample.

I had an ultrasound that didn't give any answers one way or the other, so I had a biopsy. To me, the biopsy basically felt much like when you *** your finger on a needle when sewing. It was a little uncomfortable, but nothing major. I went straight back to work after it and actually had a student ask me if I "got stung by a bee" when he saw the plaster on my neck.

I had an appointment a week later to get the result and that is when the ENT specialist told me "we found malignancies; ah, it's not the worst situation in the world." He said that it wasn't going to do anything in the near future but that it was better to do the operation as soon as possible, for psychological reasons.

So I had my thyroid and all the lymph nodes at one side of my neck removed on the 6th of January 2020. The nodule was 10.5cm and of that, the cancerous part was 6.7cm. Because of this, the operation was a long one, but the worst part of it was the anaesthetic. I was sick for a couple of days after it because of that. And that was apparently because I get carsick or rather because of whatever causes my carsickness; I was told beforehand to expect that because apparently if you suffer from travel sickness, anaesthetics will affect you as well.

I was pretty much OK after a couple of days, other than my neck being a bit stiff (felt a bit like your mouth does after you have a filling done, but this wasn't due to the anaesthetic because it still happens to a very slight degree on occasion) and my voice getting weak if I talked for too long. And my calcium levels were a bit off.

I was back at work within a month and that was basically that. Yeah, I had radioiodine treatment a few months later to reduce the risk of reccurrance, but so far, there are no signs of reccurrance, so fingers crossed on that one.

Thank you.

The fine needle aspiration was fine hardly felt a thing and was over and done with relatively quickly. A very fine needle is used guided by ultra sound to collect some cells. No worse than an injection.

The op itself was fine, like I say my issues stem from complications. I had total thyroidectomy so neck was sore, had a sore throat and a bit of pain swallowing but that's what pain relief is for. Had to have a drainage tube in for a few days that was the most annoying part having to navigate the loo whilst carrying that around lol. 

Take someone with you if poss to appointments a 2nd pair of ears to catch any convo or info you miss. Also keeps you calm. Let proffesionsls know about your PTSD and anxiety they may approach a different way.

Please (I know easier said than done) don't worry as this is out of your control and you just have to roll with whatever plans are put in place.

Take care and take it easy

Hi it has got bigger over time and it is hard to touch