And we wait...

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

-Jeremiah 29:11

This morning I had some appointments at MD Anderson to get my thyroid checked out. During course 4 when I got a fever a CT randomly showed a nodule on my thyroid. Not wanting to interfere with my leukemia treatment, the endocrinologist wanted to see me after I was done with chemo and had recovered. I had an ultrasound first thing this morning and when the radiologist looked at the pictures, he ordered a biopsy (I was told this is probably what they would do a long time ago). I braced myself for what was to come... sticking a needle in my neck. It wasn't the worst thing I have gone through in the past 8 months, but it sure wasn't comfortable. The doctor did warn me that sometimes they are not able to get enough cells so a second fine needle aspiration is required. Louis commented that if it is even a possibility, with my luck I probably would have to do it again. Right then the nurse walked in and said, yep... we have to do another one. The second aspiration was a lot more painful than the first which has made my neck pretty sore, but again, still better than a LP! We waited about half an hour to get the preliminary results back from the doctor who performed the procedure. He came in to tell me that the pathologist saw some atypical cells and did not feel comfortable with giving a diagnosis until some other pathologists see my slides. We then waited to see the endocrinologist hoping he would have some more answers. Once we got to see him, he knew only as much as the previous doctor had told us. He went through the possible scenarios with me and told me that he will call me as soon as the results are in, which should be by Friday. Worst case scenario, the nodule is malignant, I will have to have surgery to remove my thyroid. Best case scenario, the nodule is benign, I will go back in 6-9 months for another ultrasound just to monitor it. It may also be possible for the results to be inconclusive in which case the doctor suggests surgery to remove the right side of my thyroid where the nodule is. I obviously do not want to have surgery and would covet your prayers that the results would be benign, but I also know that God has a plan through ALL of this even if it includes more cancer treatment. I would also appreciate your prayers for patience and peace as I wait to get the results back... these next two days will more than likely feel like a lifetime of waiting.

This picture was taken after my first biopsy... I wasn't so happy after the second. They use a syringe to pull out the cells and it was much more rough than I expected... Louis described it like a kid pumping a Super Soaker!