Biopsy

[Fsellers]

I am scheduled for a Thyroid Biopsy January 28 and REALLY SCARED!  My question is on a score of 1-10 what is the pain like and from what I've read you can't swallow for 10 minutes!  I have tried not to swallow for 10 minutes and my mouth feels up with saliva.  I don't mean to sound so timid, but I'm 60 years old, healthy (I thought) and have never been in the hospital.

Thanks for your help!

[thyroidian]

Dont worry yourself, biopsys take 5 mins, I had a couple done in june2009. they are simple procedures, you lie on a couch, they do a ultrasound and guide it to the nodule, and take a biopsy, it didnt effect me in any way, my tip is to just lie very still and shut your eyes, i didnt know that mine was finished,until the radiographer said thats it, and i said are we done, couldnt believe it ,as my knees were knocking a bit.
If i could have it done for you i would, i wish you well, and hope all goes well for you.
Dont worry yourself too much,take great care.
Nicola

[rhoda23]

The biopsy really isn't a big deal.  They numb the area and poke a couple needles in.  You can't feel anything and it only takes a minute or so.  Also, a biopsy result can be confusing because in my case it did NOT show any sign of cancer, but after surgery i DID have a very small papillary carcinoma that never showed up on biopsy.  Hopefully you deal with the surgery better than I did because I have not been the same person since, mentally or physically.  Now that I am on Synthroid maybe things will get back to normal.

[Sue9823]

I felt just like you before my biopsy last month. A FNA biopsy takes 30 seconds to do and is no different from having blood drawn for a regular blood test. There is no freezing necessary and I had no problem with swallowing.  It hurts a bit afterward, but a lot less than having a sore throat - more of a scratchy feeling. I was surprised - I think the word biopsy scares us off.