Current Events > Is it normal for my doctor to call me in to review ultrasound results?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Like, not even my own doctor. She's out of town next week. The doctor covering for her and looking after her paperwork and stuff asked me in specifically next week.

Never had an ultrasound before, had one done on my neck at her suggestion.
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For baby?

mustang90 posted...

For baby?

Doom_Art posted...

had one done on my neck

I'm a dood

Unless I'm part sea horse

And get pregnant in my neck apparently
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That's why you are being called in. A medical miracle
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Doom_Art posted...

mustang90 posted...

For baby?

Doom_Art posted...

had one done on my neck

I'm a dood

Unless I'm part sea horse

And get pregnant in my neck apparently

Ultra sounds can be used to look at other things also.
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When are you due?

megamanfreakXD posted...

Ultra sounds can be used to look at other things also.

Yeah I know, she said she felt some swelling on one side of my neck

Of course when the receptionist called to book my appointment for next week my first thought was "CANCER"
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Usually it means there was some concerning finding, though not always. Usually a completely normal scan just warrants a phone call
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U got a goiter ?
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To be fair ultrasounds are nonspecific for thyroid issues. They may want to do a fine needle aspiration or something.
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Doom_Art posted...

megamanfreakXD posted...

Ultra sounds can be used to look at other things also.

Yeah I know, she said she felt some swelling on one side of my neck

Of course when the receptionist called to book my appointment for next week my first thought was "CANCER"

So who put penis (pee pee) in your neck to make baby?

Funkydog posted...

That's why you are being called in. A medical miracle

lol.
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@Coffeebeanz posted...

Usually it means there was some concerning finding, though not always

Like, I had consistent neck pain for a month and a half, but within the last few weeks (oddly enough, since changing to a more firm pillow) I've been totally fine with maybe the occasional stiffness or twinge if I'm in a weird position long enough.

I had a post-viral cough, according to my doc. Since I was coughing, had chest pains, and fatigue for like two months, but that also cleared up recently and I've felt fine.

That's what bugs me about this. If there was something wrong I'd figure I'd feel sick or something. I can't even feel anything in my neck.

Coffeebeanz posted...

To be fair ultrasounds are nonspecific for thyroid issues. They may want to do a fine needle aspiration or something.

I did have an issue with the nodes in my neck where they were stiff (like I could feel them) for over a month, but even then they've gone back down to normal (I think) in the last couple weeks.
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Did they scan a lymph node or your thyroid?
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Coffeebeanz posted...

Did they scan a lymph node or your thyroid?

They kinda just covered the whole neck. Left and right. I think they did yes.
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So a few questions, if you don't mind.

Pain Questions:

1. Was the neck pain localized to one spot or was it sort of a diffuse pain
2. Did anything make the pain better or worse?
3. How would you describe it?

Did you notice any other symptoms? Heart racing? Hot flashes? Sweating? Weight loss for no reason?

Have you had other swollen lymph nodes? Tonsils?

Have you had Mono before?
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Sometimes a swollen, painful thyroid is due to thyroiditis. That's almost always viral and goes away.
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@Coffeebeanz posted...

So a few questions, if you don't mind.

Not at all

Coffeebeanz posted...

1. Was the neck pain localized to one spot or was it sort of a diffuse pain

The neck pain was pretty much entirely on my right side. Most often when it was at its worst I could feel it from the bottom of my neck up to my ear.

Oddly enough, when she felt around on my neck during my last appointment, she suggested to the ultrasound folks to look at my left side even though I've had no pain at all there. When I mentioned my surprise at that since I've had no problems on that side, the ultrasound person checked out my right side too just to be safe.

Coffeebeanz posted...

2. Did anything make the pain better or worse?

I often found stretching would offer temporary relief from pain, but it would always come back after a while.

Over the counter pain meds like Aleve usually did the trick.

As for making it worse? It was pretty much constant and level, but it'd get much worse when I would drive, or in situations where I would open my mouth wide to yawn or something.

Coffeebeanz posted...

3. How would you describe it?

At its worst it felt like a toothache but in my neck. That kinda raw nerve-y pain

As it got better it was more like a constant bruise sort of feeling.

Coffeebeanz posted...

Did you notice any other symptoms? Heart racing? Hot flashes? Sweating? Weight loss for no reason?

It's hard to tell since the neck pain overlapped with my (apparent) post-viral cough. Outside of the symptoms from that (coughing, sneezing, chest pains, fatigue) I had a couple odd things:

I did occasionally have hot flashes and night sweats. Usually a few times a week since November. Last time I recall having either was probably in mid January though.

I also had waves of nausea and gagging for a few weeks, but again; I haven't exhibited these symptoms for a while now. I adjusted my diet and cut out some shit eating habits (lounging/lying down while snacking, and lying down after a big meal) and it seemed to clear up.

I have had on again/off again ear pain consistently with the neck pain on the right side.

No real weight loss, but I did find at my worst about a month ago I had issues with my appetite.

Coffeebeanz posted...

Have you had other swollen lymph nodes? Tonsils?

No, just the ones in my neck have been swollen on both sides(at least that I felt). My tonsils have been fine as well.

Coffeebeanz posted...

Have you had Mono before?

I don't believe so, no.
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It sounds like you might have had thyroiditis, honestly. You tend to get transient symptoms of hyperthyroidism as well (the hot flashes, racing heart, muscle aches, etc)
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@Coffeebeanz posted...

It sounds like you might have had thyroiditis, honestly. You tend to get transient symptoms of hyperthyroidism as well (the hot flashes, racing heart, muscle aches, etc)

You know, it's funny. Since Oct I've had issues with dry/itchy skin on my legs and (to a lesser extent) on my arms. Apparently one of the symptoms of this is dry skin.

Well I'm definitely hoping that this is the case. It sounds relatively not-bad.

Certainly an improvement over my first thought, which was fucking cancer and me dying.
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Yep, think of hyperthyroidism as being like your metabolism going nuts and your sympathetic nervous system is kinda unchecked, so you get dry mouth, dry skin, fast heart rate, anxiety, sweating, decreased appetite, etc.
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Alright so someone else cancelled and I managed to squeeze in an appointment for 11 today

Hoo boy
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good luck man, hopefully it's nothing serious
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This is like watching House.
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they saw ur manhood through the ultrasound and now they want to be with u
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Update us bro! I've ran over already dead roadkill with better political opinions but sickness is bullshit and nobody should have to go through it
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So I have a slightly swollen lymph node on the left side, and what the doctor referred to as a "mass" on the right side of my lower neck, where the shoulder and neck meet. Said it was roughly the size of a jelly bean. He's not sure what it is tbh, and suggested it could be a lymph node that's a bit swollen, but he can't really get a feel for it since it's behind some bone.

He sent me for bloodwork (which I just got home from), recommended a CAT scan, and another ultrasound (this time of my torso). I'm also seeing my actual doctor on the 20th

However, he's encouraged by the fact that I've felt great the last few weeks, says my blood pressure is great, and assured me that it could be benign, they just want to get some more info on it.

Personally, the fact that it's so small and the fact that I'm pretty much symptom free hopefully means if it is something bad that means we caught it early.
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Also thanks for the positive vibes from folks ITT

@glitteringfairy posted...

Update us bro! I've ran over already dead roadkill with better political opinions but sickness is bullshit and nobody should have to go through it

Thanks a bunch lol

Honestly this sort of stuff is why I stay on CE
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glitteringfairy posted...

Update us bro! I've ran over already dead roadkill with better political opinions but sickness is bullshit and nobody should have to go through it

Would fresh roadkill have better opinions?
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shockthemonkey posted...

Sounds like it probably isnt anything too significant, good luck with your follow ups.

Mhm I'll know more in about a week, but this is very encouraging. Thanks a bunch

DrizztLink posted...

Would fresh roadkill have better opinions?

Fresh roadkill is probably a little less liberal than me tbh
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That's called a supraclavicular lymph node. Honestly there are so many causes of lymphadenopathy (swollen nodes) that I can't really say much one way or another. If it were on the left side, it'd be more concerning.
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Let us know what the CT says. Did they do any bloodwork?
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Coffeebeanz posted...

That's called a supraclavicular lymph node. Honestly there are so many causes of lymphadenopathy (swollen nodes) that I can't really say much one way or another. If it were on the left side, it'd be more concerning.

why would a left one be worse?
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@Coffeebeanz posted...

That's called a supraclavicular lymph node. Honestly there are so many causes of lymphadenopathy (swollen nodes) that I can't really say much one way or another. If it were on the left side, it'd be more concerning.

So you reckon that's the thing that showed up?

And what would make the left worse?

MrPeppers posted...

Let us know what the CT says. Did they do any bloodwork?

Will do when I get them in. They did do bloodwork and sent a couple vials off
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The left node is called Virchow's Node, and because of how the lymphatic system drains anatomically, it's connected to several sources of cancer.
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Coffeebeanz posted...

The left node is called Virchow's Node, and because of how the lymphatic system drains anatomically, it's connected to several sources of cancer.

Well I'm glad it's not on the left then lol
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Lol I can't tell if my nerves are just piling imaginary symptoms on or not
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Note to self: Don't look up cancer symptoms or people talking about chemotherapy experiences
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The CAT scan people still haven't called to make an appointment >_>
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Doom_Art posted...

Note to self: Don't look up cancer symptoms or people talking about chemotherapy experiences

all of us are doomed anyway regardless of the outcome.
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kingdrake2 posted...

Doom_Art posted...

Note to self: Don't look up cancer symptoms or people talking about chemotherapy experiences

all of us are doomed anyway regardless of the outcome.

Yes but dying in my late 20s and goimg through chemo idn't how I wanna go out
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The studio air is ridiculously dry and the air outside is both cold and incredibly dry so naturally now that my right side of my chest kinda hurts it's naturally connected to my lil lump

This topic is now a blog about my fucking hypochondriac self (poorly) dealing with all this
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Hey, if you really are bothered by this stuff it's understandable. Doctors do a piss poor job of considering how the patient feels and explaining themselves in ways that relieves the patient.
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Hooray the CAT scan people finally called

@Coffeebeanz posted...

Hey, if you really are bothered by this stuff it's understandable. Doctors do a piss poor job of considering how the patient feels and explaining themselves in ways that relieves the patient.

Mhm I understand you guys gotta play the poker face most of the time. Particularly with the doctor last Friday, you don't wanna worry me by beimg negative but you don't wanna give false hope by saying "eh it's probably nothing"

I just wish he could've been a bit more conclusive, but that's unrealistic.

Will definitely know more in a week at any rate
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