Possible reaction to FNA?

[DaniWheel]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on here - I feel grateful and slightly relived this forum even exists! Excuse they long message, I’m struggling to find any help or info for my symptoms so have been rather indepth!

I was sent for a rushed scan on my thyroid last Friday 7th December. There were 4 people in the room and at first I wasn’t sure who the main person would be, the was a lot of talking amongst themselves but not involving me during the whole appointment. Once he’d completed the scan they all had a quiet discussion at the end of my bed, again not including me. At this point I got agitated and demanded answers. I wasn’t expecting for a bipsoey to be performed nessesery at all let alone there and then or for the radiologist to tell me I have incalculable nodules all over my thyroid. There was one large suspicious one he wanted to take a biopsy for in the edge of the left side.

A lady that was in the room (wasn’t introduced) sprayed a numbing areosoal freezing spray on my neck, in the middle of the thyroid not the site of the lump? And the FNA was performed. He staying inside the nodule for around 20sec taking as many cells in the site as possible. After this I went back to work.

That day I noticed that the skin located around the centre of the thyroid was very dark red and angry, this continued the next day and began to itch insainley Saturday afternoon. A perfect circle of inflamed and irritated skin has formed in that area along with more swelling in the goiter than normal, the insides of my throat feel swollen too.

I was away in Brussels last weekend and decided to visit a pharmacist on Monday as I had been unable to sleep due to the irritation and worry regarding results! I explained the procedure I’d had done and she gave me a steroid cream.

The skin irritation has got much better since then but the inside of my throat feels worse, not sore but swollen and I feel pressure on my windpipe I think, it’s not interfering with breathing but just feels so uncomfortable. When I lean my head back the neck is stiff and windpipe, Adam’s apple area (if a girl had one) is slightly sore. I’ve stopped using the cream. Again can’t sleep from this and worry, I’m only getting around 4 hours a night if I am lucky.

I called the consultants secretary Tuesday to explain these systems and she said no one has ever called and presented all this, she’d ask my consultant Wednesday when she saw him and call me. She didn’t call back and now I’m not sure what to do? I felt as though she may think I was over worrying but my throat did not feel like this before the FNA?

Any ideas or advise would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance x

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum and I am very sorry you have been left out of the loop with regard to what the professionals thought you may have and not realise the unnecessary mental suffering this causes to patients. They should explain clearly before they operate and afterwards too. The may not be able to give an accurate diagnosis if the nodule has to be examined but surely could ease your worries.

Those members who've had the same op as yourself will respond and may be able to resolve your worry somewhat.

The attitude of some professionals seems to be very callous but I suppose they carry out these procedures often and forget there is a worried human being expecting to be told what the results are and if they have a problem.

[MaisieGray]

It is possible that you had a reaction to the spray, which I believe is ethyl chloride. Some side effects include redness, itchiness, swelling etc.