The things you didn't want to know...

[Blueberry]

Lots of you know that I'm a medical student. You may also know that I'm hypothyroid. There is a very, very good reason we don't do routine ultrasounds on patients without a good reason (we just do them on each other to learn how). The very, very good reason is that you may find things. Things that have a greater than 95% chance of being nothing. But once you find them, you have to investigate them because there's a 5% chance they might be very bad - and much more easily treated if found early.

So...I'm off to an endocrinologist since I now know I have a thyroid nodule. I also know (based on my lab values) that the only way to diagnose the darned thing will be needle biopsy. For something I didn't know (or really want to know) I had, that is almost certainly nothing.

Oh, the fun of being a medical student.

(Yes, I know the odds. I also know that I need to know - as most people do. No, I'm not overly concerned - mostly just not looking forward to an unpleasant procedure and the time/money that accompany that during what is already a stressful period).

[Pax]

Bummer bb, sorry you have to do that.

[emily_in_nc]

Gag...I hope everything turns out okay!

I completely understand. When I fractured my pelvis in a cycling accident back in '05, I got to read the CT scan findings in my medical records. There were several things in there completely unrelated to the pelvis that worried me! I took it to my PCP to check out, and she was reassuring, but still...you are right that there are things we just don't want to know.

Thinking of you....

[Crankin]

Yup, I had a CT scan about 10 years ago, that showed I had a nodule on my adrenal gland. The CT scan was for back/lung pain, which it did not help with, and after being freaked out for a good part of a vacation with DH and my dad in Hilton Head after getting this phone call, I rarely think of it.

[Sky King]

Just read this and it reminded me of my first ultra sound when I was expecting my first child and they said "wow" you have quite a bit of scar tissue on your kidney (a bad tumble in college where I landed on a metal pipe) that child just turned 30 and my kidney is still going strong.