After Cancer: My Story... Part 2

In early 2003, I went to see my doctor because I was again having symptoms of hypothyroidism and thought that perhaps my dosage needed to be increased.

Along with sending me for blood tests, the doctor also had me do an ultra sound of the thyroid gland to make sure that all was okay.

I walked into one of the ultra sound cubicles of the hospital and was told to lay down and relax. I was relaxed. Was not afraid at all. The technician began by placing a small white towel between my neck and the lovely blue hospital gown I was wearing. She then put gel on the thyroid area, and began the test. She said not to worry, that this test did not hurt.

A few minutes into the test, the technician said that she would be right back... that she needed to confer with a doctor. Ah Oh, was the first thing that ran through my mind, as a whole bunch of feelings started shooting up through my entire body, and lodged themselves into my brain. The thought of cancer was what hit me first. I tried to tell myself not to worry, but that command was futile.

The technician came into the cubicle with a doctor. The doctor sat down at the machine and began sliding the slippery ultra sound thingy along the same area that seemed to interest the technician just moments earlier.

several minutes of this, and I was told that I could leave.

I wiped off the gel and began my way to the other side of the curtain. The technician told me that the results would be sent to my family doctor within a few days.

Three days later, I received a telephone call from my doctor, and was told that I needed to come into his office. I was there the very next day.

My doctor told me that two nodules had been found on my thyroid gland.. One nodule on the left lobe and one on the right. He said not to worry too much, that this was a common thing and that it usually turned out to be nothing. He also told me that to make sure, he wanted to send me for an Uptake test.

An Uptake test involves going into the hospital in the morning, where the patient is given a radio active iodine pill, and is told to return to the same area in three hours. The patient is then put in front of a scanner. This machine measures hot and cold nodules. If they are hot.. that´s good, if they are cold... not so good, but nothing affirmative.

hot nodules mean that the thyroid took up the iodine in the pill.. that´s one of the functions of the thyroid gland.. to absorb iodine. This means that the nodule consists of thyroid tissue.

cold nodules tells the doctor that it is not thyroid tissue and more tests need to be done.

A few days after having my Uptake test, I again received a telephone call from my doctor, and was again told that I needed to come into his office.