# FNA Inconclusive



## inky58 (Jun 19, 2018)

about 2 months ago i was in to see the endocrinologist for testosterone testing.He gave me a checkup and found a small nodule on my thyroid and recommended an ultrasound.I was surprised but thought maybe that is why my voice had been changing and i was feeling a tickle in the back of my throat like i had flem i couldn't spit up.My TSH levels were all good.

2 weeks later it is done,another week i get results and he sends me a letter in the mail saying it was suspicious and wants to do a FNA. In case i didn't mention,this is through the Veterans Hospital...So 3 weeks go by and i get the FNA done,another week for results which i did get a call on yesterday.He mentioned something about follicular cells and the tests were inconclusive and suggested i speak with an eye,ear,nose and throat specialist for a surgery consultation so we can determine if it is a cancer.He didn't say undetectable,they took 4 or 5 samples and she handed them to a seperate lab guy in the room who looked at them when she yanked them out... I am not real happy at this point!

When i first went in 2 months ago,i would of never guessed i had a nodule,after he told me,i looked and felt but didn't really see anything.When i had the scan,i did feel it when she pressed it against my throat and i felt it actually close my throat when she pressed,i was told that it was 3.2 cm.When i went in for the FNA,it was definitely pronounced,i could feel it,i could see it.

Since having the biopsy last week,i have had headaches,there is a pain in my throat,not like a sore throat,the nodule looks to have grown 2-3 times in size since he first found it,like it is swollen and it is a little painful when i swallow or turn my head in a certain direction,my voice still cracks and is a little hoarser and i have had an intermittent fever of 101.I don't have a problem breathing or swallowing food but i have noticed when swallowing,food sometimes gets caught at the back of my throat,it's not alarming like i am going to choke,i just swallow twice or take a drink or hack it up.

Here is my concern and the endo did not want to even listen to me,telling me i am just reading to much internet...My wife passed away 4 years ago from anaplastic thyroid cancer,she was told for months that it was just an infection in lymph nodes,so they just kept giving her antibiotics,not that a diagnosis would have a changed the outcome.So we learned about how fast and how devastating and how extremely rare this type is.They gave her weeks to a month and she lived for 3 months.It was stage 4c,pretty much everywhere in her body when they finally found it.So no options for surgery and just radiation to maybe give her a little more time to get affairs in order.I was her care giver and hospice came in every other week or when necessary.It is so rare,i think like 2% but her ex husband had also died of the exact same cancer 6 moths prior!

Now i am not trying to say this is what i have But i do see how fast it has grown within a couple months,it's scary and with my experience,i know how fast this can come on.I would like to get answers faster than i am getting them but it's the VA...Now i have to wait 2 more months before i can even see the eye,ear,nose and throat doctor.

Now finally to the question,i am unemployed,i live in florida so no extended medicaid,i am only 59,So there is no possibility for any type of health insurance,they basically said i am to poor to get insurance.I would like to have another FNA through a local Doctor,the VA said they would not do another one.The VA will also not send me the reports from the FNA. Does anyone have any idea what kind of money i would have to pay for a FNA with results?I can afford some but not a lot.At this point i do not have much faith in the Veterans Assistance and they really do not do a good job of explaining everything or listening to my concerns,like my symptoms from the biopsy.I don't know whether to go to a walk in clinic for fever and tiredness because i think they might just say go back to va and tell them,that would take at least 2 weeks to get an appt...

I am just kind of lost and in limbo at this time,trying to figure out which direction to go with limited options.I just want to know if it is or if it isn't,if it is,is it the rarest type,which my endo keeps telling me is ridiculous for me to think like that because of how rare it is,especially for men and men my age,i already know that,they told my wife the same thing for months...


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Hello and welcome!

First and foremost, I'm terribly sorry about your wife's passing. That must have been extraordinarily difficult.

Second - I'm sure you know but reminders can help - anaplastic thyca is crazy rare. The chances that you are dealing with the same thing are very very small.

I don't know the costs of a FNA. You should be able to call your hospital and ask.

Have they run thyroid antibodies? Specifically Tg and TgAB.


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## inky58 (Jun 19, 2018)

Thanks. No they did not do Tg and TgAB tests,only tsh which was fine, the ultra and the fna. Yes i remind myself everyday of exactly how rare it is,especially for men and men my age but knowing 2 people who had this,it is sometimes hard to not notice similarities.The physician that did her work up had never even seen a case of ATC in his whole practice.She was sent to Ann Arbor Mi for the final talk

I did call a local ENT annd he said an office visit with consult would be $300 and the office is suppose to get back with me on the fna procedure costs


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

I would absolutely run Tg and TgAB. That can at least help with the cancer vs no cancer determination.

While most thyca (anaplastic and medullary are exceptions) are slow growing and rarely life threatening, your age are and your gender are big factors in determining how "serious" it is. Anyone over 40 and males tend to have less positive outcomes. So I *DO* think this is worth pursing.

I'm really angry on your behalf that the VA isn't providing you with good care.


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