Another day, another biopsy… And even leaving a little bit pleasantly surprised.

My surgeon wanted me to go back in for another ultrasound, to do a full mapping of my head and neck lymph nodes. She also wrote me an order to get a lymph node biopsy, should they see anything suspicious. My appointment time was for 8:15, but I was to arrive at 8:00 to check in and fill out paperwork. This was in Fairfax, so it meant leaving my house before 7... during the summer!! After checking in, I sat down to start filling out paperwork, but they called me back within minutes, I had barely signed 1 form (just 5 more to go... why does every doctor want to know the date of my last period, that has nothing to do with my thyroid?!) The technician showed me where to change to put the gown on and then led me back to the exam room. She mapped my lymph nodes in about 10 minutes and then left to show the images to the radiologist. About 4 minutes later she stuck her head in and said, "the doctor will be in in just a few minutes."  I thought, "Oh, no!" I have to have a biopsy!!"  I started to feel sad, I started to pray as I sat alone in the room. I felt, instantly, that everything was going to be okay. The doctor came in and introduced herself and said, "I haven't decided yet, I want to take a look for myself, first."  She then did an ultrasound, telling the tech that she agreed that this one and that one warranted an ultrasound. The tech left for a minute.  While she was gone, the radiologist told me that I had several lymph nodes that looked the same, but that they didn't look how they should. "Cancer doesn't behave that way, it isn't usually uniform, so it's probably nothing, but we want to make sure." Then another doctor came in, introduced himself, and the 2 of them did the biopsy, right then.  I told them that I had a bit of a vasovagal response during my first biopsy.  The 2nd doctor asked where I had the first one done and then said, "well, you won't have any kind of experience like that... our goal is to make you wish you had come here the first time!"  It was a completely different experience.  Nothing to numb the area, but that's okay, because the needle with the numbing stuff at the other place was bigger than the biopsy needle, so it hurt more.  I thought they were just numbing me up and the doctor said, "Okay, that side's done.  Let's do the other side."  I turned my head just in time to see him smear the sample on a slide... not mark it in a tube to send off to a lab somewhere.  A minute later and the other side was done and the doctor said, "I'm going to go look at these under the microscope, right now."  He was the actual pathologist!! I knew they were in the building, I didn't know they came in and did the actual biopsy!  The technician came in and made sure I was all cleaned up and then left again.  Then the pathologist came back about 5 minutes later, checked to make sure I wasn't bleeding (or oozing - yuck!), and told me that everything looked benign, but he would look more thoroughly this afternoon, when he typed up the report.  He directed me where to go to change out of the gown, where I was then met by the technician, who smiled and told me that after I changed, I didn't need to check out, I could just leave and showed me the way to the exit.  I was out of that office by 9:10, biopsy and all!!  It was truly an incredible feat.  I was super surprised.  I texted my husband and right as I hit send, I got a text from my mom.  I called her and sat in the parking lot and talked to her for next 40 minutes!  I just kept telling her how pleasantly surprised I was at how quick the appointment was!!   Okay, so, it's 12 hours later and my neck is sore - just feels bruised, but not nearly as painful as the first biopsy was!  I'm calling it a win for the lymph node biopsy people!!  I think they are worth the drive to Fairfax...