FNA and Nervous

[caitlinelyse]

I have my first FNA this upcoming week, and I've been really quite nervous. I don't know exactly what to expect- Is there anything you can compare the sensation to? I'm only 20 so I haven't had much fuss at the doctor's since now.

Also- I was going to have the FNA done when I was in the UK, but when they laid me out on the table, did a quick ultrasound, the doctor said he wasn't going to perform the procedure since there were too many large, surrounding blood vessels. Was this the case for anyone else?

[fran999]

It has beena week since I had an FNA on about 7 nodules he gave me zanax it was uncomfortable to say the least but it hurt wose after each needle was removed there was acheing my throat or neck hurt like the dickins my troat and neck are still smarting but less and less each day.  but I have been so tired and yesterday slept like I had narcalepsy woke up this morning with swollen eyes I look like a lion.  I am a hyper person who never naps and sleeps 7-8 hours every nite wakes up like a snap and functions well. now since the FNA I am lethargic and I have a cough and I my voice gets horse.  My results came bak benign goitisous nodules is what I have.  All of my Thyroid levels r normal before the FNA.   Anybody else have this happen after FNA?  

[caitlinelyse]

Oh my goodness, that sounds terrible! That's one horror story I haven't read anywhere else, so it must have been rare. Maybe you're more susceptible to bleeding, but that just sounds like something else went wrong too. The numbing spray I've heard of, but despite the slight pain of the novacaine injections, I think I prefer that way. I experienced very little pressure, just like someone rubbing their finger on my neck- and not exerting too much pressure like you describe. I know before going I wanted to make sure I went to a good doctor like all the success stories described, and luckily that's what I got. I'm from CA too, and I think it just varies with the doctor/hospital.

[CaliGirl35]

So happy for you that everything went well. I had my first FNA on Wed. Aug. 4th, unfortunately, it didn't go so well. First of all, they didn't numb me, only with some super cold spray before they put the needle in (not sure if that's normal) I felt a lot of pressure, internal poking, couldn't really breath & something went wrong because when I sat up, I was very light headed & could feel my neck tightening up with severe pain in the back up my neck. Long story short, my neck was filling up with blood, they said I had a severe hematoma & admitted me to ICU. This was NOT was I was expecting at all as I read up on it & it's suppose to be a simple procedure! The endo doc had the ENT surgeon come see me as they thought they were going to have to do an emergency surgery. Thankfully will all the ice packs & many prayers, most of the swelling subsided as of last night & they discharged me. From what I read, this is extremely rare (like 1 out 25,000). Not sure if the doc fowled up or what the heck happened but I can honestly say, I'm not having one of those again. I was already having trouble swallowing & soar throat for about a month before they even did it. ENT doc says more than likely cancer or not, I will need to have thyroid removed. Has anyone else ever had a situation like this??? Or was I just extremely unlucky? BTW...I'm in California so perhaps they do things different here, but I am tempted to go where you guys are going!

[ChitChatNine]

WOW Doing the Happy Dance here for you!!!

Awesome news .. mine were atypical and turned out benign after removal.

C~

[caitlinelyse]

Everything is benign :) Just gotta keep an eye on it now. Thanks again.

[ChitChatNine]

Hi,

Welcome to our community.  The waiting is probably the hardest part .. even worse than anticipation of the FNA.

Please let us know how you .. esp. when you get your results and we hope they are okay.

My FNA wasn't bad at all .. for those who have had amniocentesis, I compare it to that w/o novacaine or a root canal needle ...

C~

[caitlinelyse]

Thanks everyone. It's helped hearing less and less horror stories!

I went in to have it done yesterday. I was very scared, but the doctor was VERY good. He injected me three times with novacaine, which hurt more than anything else- kind of like a tetanus shot. He did a quick ultrasound, drew on my neck a bit and talked me through the entire thing. I couldn't feel the needle at all. A huge relief. It just felt someone pressing and rubbing their finger on my neck. I had three samples taken from each side, though a little more centrally located than I had previously thought, but all went fine after the anesthetic had finished.

Today I removed thebandaids, and there are two little, dark dots. No swelling, bleeding, or bruising. Just a bit sore to swallow or sneeze. Overall I would say it was a success. Now to wait for the results!

Thanks again, everyone.

[ShelleyN720]

Hello
I had an UG FNA in May in the radiology scetion of the hospital. My neck was numbed with lydocaine before the doctor began, They lay your head back, although it is supported. You hardly feel the needle go in. But then the doctor has to gently move it to gather cells. You then feel a bit of pressure - not too bad. I had 5 repeats on one 1.4cm nodule. By the 5th I did start to feel a little nauseous, not from pain though - I think I was holding my breath. I had no bleeding, no swelling, just a small bruise that was gone in 2 days. The pathology came back benign - but I will have it done agian in about 4 mos. Be strong! You can do this!

[blsdnsvd]

I had 3 biopsies and the first one was h3//, not because i didn't know what to expect but because it was done by heavy hands!!! I actually couldn't continue to work after that..., however the other two were easy going and the 2nd one I had an local anesthetic to numb the area. The 3rd was done in like "2" seconds and I was suprised...but the surgeon who did it was a pro and knew exactly what he was doing.

If you have several nodules, they will aim for the biggest ones. The needle goes in and it is drawn in and out several times in order to draw out a good sample. That will be repeated for the other nodules as well. To me, it felt like a "jugging" (if that is a word) sensation as the needle being pulled in and out...I felt it more with the biggest nodule.
The biopsy takes not more than 10-15 mins as they are guided by sonogram.  It is very common for the area to swell and be sore for awhile after the biopsy.  

[Fuel1212]

Hi there,

I had an FNA a while ago on a small nodule in my lower left lobe.

I don't know about the surrounding blood vessels, but the sensation is slightly odd. It isn't too painful, all I can say is it is weird. It feels like you kind of swallowed something sharp. They numb up the area, so don't worry to much about the pain.

I am assuming they did ultrasound on your thyroid and found some suspicious nodules. What does the report say?