Hi ,
A few months ago, during a routine physical, my physician found a lump on my thyroid. You know when they put their hand on your throat and ask you to swallow? That's so they can feel for any masses. And I had one.
The doctor explained that thyroid nodules are common, more so with women than men, and half of Americans can expect to have one by the age of 60. And because most nodules don't have symptoms, we may not know we have one at all. Only when they
get large enough to press on certain structures in the neck, can they produce symptoms like hoarseness, problems swallowing, or shortness of breath.
The next step was for me to have an ultrasound, which I was able to schedule for the next week, to verify
the presence, size, and makeup of the nodule. The findings were a 2.3cm solid nodule on the right lobe of my thyroid, which indicated a biopsy would be necessary to rule out cancer. The chances were still very low (my doctor said 9%) so I wasn't overly freaked out, plus even if it were cancer, it's usually very treatable.
Problem was, the otolaryngologist (head and neck surgeon) I was referred to had a 6-week wait. So I contacted other recommended doctors and got on every waitlist I could. Six weeks just seemed too long to wonder if I had cancer or not!
Hugs to all,
