Bump in the road

Last year, during a routine check up, my doctor noticed that my glands were swollen on the left side of my neck. She had me schedule an appointment for 6 weeks later so she could follow up if they were still swollen and then refer me to a specialist. On the day of that appointment, they weren't swollen anymore, so I canceled my appointment.

One day in January, I got a headache. It didn't go away. Some days were worse than others, but for weeks on end my head hurt from the second I woke up in the morning to the second I fell asleep. Quite often it felt as if my head was literally going to explode. I have gained a whole new appreciation for people with chronic pain. I called my doctor to get the name of the specialist she was originally going to refer me to.

I saw an E.N.T. (Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist) a couple weeks later and told him that my ears and sinus felt a large amount of pressure, in addition to the headaches.  He looked in my ears; no infection. He held a little machine up to my ears to test the pressure and told me something was "off".  Ear drums, normally,  wiggle/shift with changing pressure however mine didn't move which was essentially creating a mini pressure chamber inside my head; thus the headache and feeling of my head about to explode. He put me on an anti-biotic for two weeks to see if an infection in my sinus was causing a blockage, causing a build up of fluid behind my ear drums and not allowing them to move correctly.

The headaches got better. Most days gone completely, however I could still feel the pressure in my sinuses and ears and once again my glands were swollen. I had a C.A.T. scan done to make sure there weren't any abnormal tissue/growth in my sinuses. It came back fine. A week later I had an ultrasound and blood work done to test my swollen glands and thyroid (which could be causing the swelling). I heard back today. I have a nodule/mass over a centimeter in size in my thyroid which shouldn't be there. Now I am scheduled to have a biopsy done. I'm scared.

I have this horrible picture in my head of the doctor coming at me with a HUGE needle and plunging it into my neck for this biopsy. I know that's not the case but the visual is certainly there.  I can hear music in the background too, you know the one... in scary movies as the killer sneaks up behind their unsuspecting victim. I did some research and the procedure is fairly simple. Most likely it is nothing to worry about.

Anyway, just having lost someone to cancer this last year makes my mind go crazy with thoughts and emotions when I myself am now being tested for cancer. The chance of it actually being cancerous is low. My doctor said, even if it is cancer, it would be very treatable. Good to know, but still scary. The biopsy is scheduled for later this month.