Hi OP

This appeared on a Mumsnet thread a couple of days ago in response to someone asking a similar question - hope you find it useful. Good luck with your results.

Once the thyroid is removed it needs to fix for a day or two before it can be processed. Then it needs to be sectioned into blocks to make slides from. Then it needs to go through the lab and be made into slides that can then be examined by a pathologist. If a pathologist needs to do extra work (special stains or tests on the tissue to clarify a diagnosis) then this takes another couple of days. It then needs to be dictated, typed and authorised. Obviously things will be prioritised if necessary but as the vast majority of pathology specimens are sent to rule out/diagnose cancers then a longstanding mass/one less clinically suspicious won’t be escalated that way. Plus there’s not much you can do to speed up some steps (the machines take as long as they take). I appreciate it’s frustrating but it’s a real shame that the clinicians don’t explain what happens behind the scenes a bit more so patients know we’re not just going slow for fun.