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Thread: Neck Ultrasound - Scared

  1. #1
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    Jan 2018
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    Neck Ultrasound - Scared

    Hi everyone,
    today I had a neck ultrasound done. My doctor gave me the option to have one after I brought up a couple swollen nodes that had been causing me a lot of anxiety. The ultrasound technician took a lot of pictures - didn’t really comment on much of them, and from what I saw the spots she took pics of were under 2cm. However, when finding one spot, she asked if I “was feeling a lump here.” I wasn’t really sure, so I said I couldn’t tell. She labeled it as my left thyroid — and I’m pretty sure it was about 2cm in length.

    I’m highly freaked out now. I’ve had an ultrasound on my thyroid before and I do remember having a nodule, but I don’t remember the size or anything. The way she asked had me really thrown off, and she didn’t say much after other than I’ll have results tomorrow morning. My nerves are shot.

    I only had the left side of my neck scanned, so I’m not sure if there’s anything similar on the right. I’m so worried this will get turned into something else. Any words of comfort would be greatly appreciated

  2. #2

    Re: Neck Ultrasound - Scared

    Hey
    I just stumbled up on this post and saw your previous posts.
    I have to say you sound so much like i did!
    From the age of 17, I was in a pretty serious car accident. I hurt my neck/chest.
    A few nights later I was running around my neck which was still sore to whiplash. Guess what I found? a lymph node. A pretty decent one too! It could have been there the whole time upto that point, but I fell into the same ugly rabit hole that you are going through.

    I'm 30 now and I carried this fear with me up until 2 years ago.
    11 years of my life worrying about those bloody nodes!

    During that time an old friend of mine actually got diagnosed with the thing i dreaded. And let me tell you - there is no need to dig around because those things swell up like golf balls. Even then! It's more likely to be infection. If not? Guess what? One of the easiest cancers to treat. That was said to him by his oncologist. The person in question is now cancer free.

    Please. Listen to someone who's been in that horrible cycle for years.
    Don't go down that road! I am almost certain this will come back fine. If it does then you need to accept it and carry on living.

    Let me know how you get on.

  3. #3
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    Jan 2018
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    Re: Neck Ultrasound - Scared

    Thank you so much for your response!!! I ended up taking a little nap after my ultrasound, and now waking up reading this, I feel a lot better. Lymph nodes / thyroid issues have always freaked me out — as a kid, I had one swell up to about the size of a grape! They thought they were going to have to biopsy it and everything, so I know that’s where the fear started, haha. The silence during the test had me really freaked out assuming the worst (she’s being quiet because it looks bad, etc) but, rationally, I’m sure she was just really focused and likely not even the one to determine if something is concerning or not. I should get a call back in the morning, and I’m hoping I can just put all of this anxiety behind me!

    Thank you so much again for responding — I’ll give an update when I hear anything!

  4. #4

    Re: Neck Ultrasound - Scared

    They often don't say a lot. Don't let that worry you.
    I completely get your fears. Health anxiety is bloody awful.
    You're going to be okay. x

  5. #5
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    Re: Neck Ultrasound - Scared

    Quote Originally Posted by aloy- View Post
    Hi everyone,
    today I had a neck ultrasound done. My doctor gave me the option to have one after I brought up a couple swollen nodes that had been causing me a lot of anxiety. The ultrasound technician took a lot of pictures - didn’t really comment on much of them, and from what I saw the spots she took pics of were under 2cm. However, when finding one spot, she asked if I “was feeling a lump here.” I wasn’t really sure, so I said I couldn’t tell. She labeled it as my left thyroid — and I’m pretty sure it was about 2cm in length.
    Aunty Nora has been here, many times. Straining my neck so I can see what the technicians are doing and coming to my own conclusions of IMMINENT DEATH!!

    I had an ultrasound done on my abdomen about 4 years ago - which was fun because I have the bladder capacity of a flea nowadays. Anyway, the technician was clicking away, measuring and asking me questions. Anyway, I FREAKED out because they started measuring my kidneys (routine, it turns out) and they were not the same size!! ERMAGERD!!

    So I thought I had kidney failure...

    I didn't have kidney failure.

    Or anything else..

    The way she asked had me really thrown off
    Yeah, it's like they know you have only weeks to live, right?

    Sometimes I think they do it to break the monotony because I've had 'the tone' many times but have never been diagnosed with anything more 'sinister' than a fibroid. Oh, and apparently I have a narrow womb thingy.

    I only had the left side of my neck scanned, so I’m not sure if there’s anything similar on the right. I’m so worried this will get turned into something else. Any words of comfort would be greatly appreciated
    Tomorrow you will most likely be given the all clear and it will take weeks for your body to settle back down from these stress hormones - unless you're a HA jumper - which means you hop from one symptom to another?

    You're ok. Do nice stuff while you are waiting. Practice self-care. X
    __________________
    A thought is harmless unless we believe it.

  6. #6
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    Re: Neck Ultrasound - Scared

    Thank you both so much for taking the time to respond!! I was so drained from the high stress levels that came with waiting for a result, I ended up sleeping until I either got a phone call, or the results came in. They don’t say a lot, but the results are:
    small lymph nodes and left thyroid nodule. Follow-up as clinically indicated.
    The thyroid nodule is “avascular hypoechoic” so I guess if/when I get a call, they’ll just tell me to get a scan in a few months? I did have an ultrasound a few years ago and they found a thyroid nodule, so I’m assuming it’s the same one!

    tiny edit: checked my last results from 2017, I guess at the time I had two nodules! So I’m assuming one went away and the other one’s just more stubborn sticking around
    Last edited by aloy-; 08-10-20 at 20:03.

  7. #7
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    Re: Neck Ultrasound - Scared

    Quote Originally Posted by aloy- View Post
    Thank you both so much for taking the time to respond!! I was so drained from the high stress levels that came with waiting for a result, I ended up sleeping until I either got a phone call, or the results came in. They don’t say a lot, but the results are:
    small lymph nodes and left thyroid nodule. Follow-up as clinically indicated.
    The thyroid nodule is “avascular hypoechoic” so I guess if/when I get a call, they’ll just tell me to get a scan in a few months? I did have an ultrasound a few years ago and they found a thyroid nodule, so I’m assuming it’s the same one!
    I'd be assured from this that there is nothing sinister going on because three years have passed and one nodule has disappeared altogether.
    __________________
    A thought is harmless unless we believe it.

  8. #8
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    Jan 2018
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    Re: Neck Ultrasound - Scared

    Well, I was feeling better....
    woke up today with a call from an ENT office, apparently my doctor had called them for a referral without even contacting me first. I’m so scared now, I don’t understand!! They just said it’s for my “thyroid nodules” and I guess the first appointment (on Monday) is just a consultation. I feel so worried all over again.

    EDIT: ended up getting a call back from my dr’s assistant (I think) & she said that, with my swollen lymph nodes and thyroid nodule, they did the referral. I asked if it was a “just to be safe” kind of thing and she said yes, they just want to make sure nothing has changed? My old ultrasound results mention nothing about the size of the previous nodules I had so I have no idea if there was any change, and I’ve had my swollen lymph nodes since 2007 so I don’t think it’s related. I also had bloodwork done in Feb checking my thyroid and everything was ok. I feel a little less panicked, but still really afraid about the potential of a biopsy or anything bad showing up.
    Last edited by aloy-; 10-10-20 at 00:44.

  9. #9
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    Re: Neck Ultrasound - Scared

    I tried to avoid worrying about this too much again, but I have to admit my OCD has been acting up again... I’ve been considering going to the doctor again to get my bloodwork done, not really because anything newly concerning came up, but because the wait for the next ultrasound makes me really antsy. I think this would help me some, but at the same time, I’m trying not to rush to the dr’s any time I feel this way. It’s been a year since I last had the bloodwork and all was ok then, along with the ENT visit just calling for a follow up next year — I hate that the anxiety comes and goes like this.

  10. #10

    Re: Neck Ultrasound - Scared

    Any update?? I am in the same boat. I found that my Tsh was a bit elevated but in the normal range. My gp ordered an u/s and I have a nodule 7.5 mm on my left globe. I went to an ent and she ordered full thyroid blood test which I got on Friday and the results were normal. Even the Tsh decreased within 25 days since the previous test. But I am worried about the nodule especially because I felt pain during the ultrasound. The ent told me to have another ultrasound in 3-4 months

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