Combatting the pre-biopsy blues...

Tomorrow, I go in for another thyroid biopsy to ensure if a newly present nodule is cancerous or not. If you have never heard of a thyroid nodule, you can read all about them HERE.

The biopsy is essentially this:

Once the patient is ready, a needle is inserted into the nodule. Most doctors do not use a local anesthetic.The patient holds his/her breath while the needle is rocked gently to obtain as much tissue as possible. The needle is then withdrawn and pressure is applied over the thyroid area to minimize bleeding. This procedure is usually repeated six to eight times to ensure that an adequate amount of tissue has been collected. After the procedure, pressure is applied over the neck area for 10 to 15 minutes to assure that the bleeding has stopped. The pressure also helps to reduce any swelling that may occur.

Anyone that knows me will tell you that I am not at all a fan of needles, so the idea of being a human pincushion for 45 minutes is not a particularly comforting one. Also, last time I had a thyroid biopsy, it HURT, not "stung", not "smarted", no, it straight up HURT. I was crying, I was scaring the crap out of the poor med student assigned to hold my hand and he was crying...oh, such fun.

So, in nervous anticipation of tomorrow, I've been a pretty major wreck the past few nights. Zack took tomorrow afternoon off so he can be there with me tomorrow (because he is perfect and wonderful :), and tonight we're going to get some take-out from my favorite Vietnamese place and curl up on the couch and watch television for a relaxing, low-key night...and hopefully I will manage to get SOME sleep. :/

I had a pretty successful interview this afternoon, and although they couldn't offer me the position until they completed all their interviews, they said that I'd be a great fit. I find out tomorrow...wish me luck!

I finished Christmas shopping for Zack today, so all that's left is picking up a few things for the extended family and the tickets for mum and dad. I feel a little bad for not getting them much they can actually open on Christmas morning, but they're really excited about the Gaelic Storm tickets, and I think they'll really enjoy themselves. :)

Well, I'm going to curl up with Sasha-poof and relax.

I hope you're all staying warm!