After seeing a Specialist about the masses on my thyroid that had been found on Ultrasound, he ordered a Fine Needle Aspiration or FNA. This is a biopsy.
I laid on a table and the doctor asked me to extend my neck. He then injected a local anesthetic. Under flouroscopy, he guided the needle into a nodule and aspirated cells from that nodule. He repeated it again into another nodule. It didn't hurt per se, it was uncomfortable. This took about 60 minutes total. He did not aspirate from all 4 masses.
The Endocrinologist set an appointment for the results to be discussed. He told me I had Hurthle Cells show in the biopsy, a rare type of thyroid cancer cells. Next, we talked about my choices. I could have a lobectomy, removal of one thyroid lobe. The other choice was a total thyroidectomy where the entire thyroid is removed. With the partial removal, there was a chance I'd have to have the remaining lobe removed in the future, if another nodule was to grow there. Because I had masses on both sides, it was recommended to have the total thyroidectomy. With that, I'd have to take thyroid replacement hormone for the rest of my life. I'd do anything to avoid another surgery and told him let's do the total thyroidectomy. The surgery was scheduled quickly.
I would stay one night in the hospital if everything went well. The usual pre-surgery checklist was followed and the morning came for surgery. Spent some time in pre-op and went into the surgical suite, then I was out. Apparently it went well and I woke up in my room. The next day was my 55th birthday which matters to the thyroid cancer situation as the cutoff is 55 and above, and 55 and below for staging and survival rates.
My surgeon came in and told me that I had 4 masses on my thyroid and that one was very large, over 4cm, like walnut size and he had some difficulty getting it out. He said that the pathology results would be sent to my Endocrinologist. During surgery, the parathyroid glands were taken out and then reimplanted after the thyroid was removed. They are small glands, 4 of them, that lie within the thyroid gland. Recovery took a couple weeks, the incision was healing well. It is interesting to note that my thyroidectomy was the last one my surgeon would perform. My endocrinologist said he stopped doing them due to the difficulty-- as all thyroid tissue possible needs to be removed, and the length of the surgery. A thyroid cancer patients favorable outcome through the years rests on the initial surgeon skillfully removing all thyroid tissue.
I went to see the Endocrinologist and he told me the pathology results showed that I had Follicular Thyroid Cancer, Stage 2, with invasion of the vascular system. It was well-differentiated which is what you want to see. These types are easier to treat. Follicular thyroid cancer makes up 10-15% of all thyroid cancers. There are roughly 4 types. Papillary is the most common and makes up 85% of thyroid cancers.
Next was the discussion about treatment with Radioactive Iodine (RAI) or I-131. This is to kill any thyroid tissue/cancerous tissue remaining. This is both chemotherapy and radiation together. A full body scan is then done which shows any metastisis to distant sites.
Next--Radioactive Iodine treatment and full body scan.
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