Getting a Second Opinion on Pathology

God has directed me to get a second opinion on the original pathology from my original thyroidectomy surgery. The original pathology said I have papillary carcinoma, the most common kind of thyroid cancer, and the path report doesn’t mention any variant of papillary or any aggressive features. But I’ve always wondered, so I’m pursuing getting a second opinion.

Since I had my surgery, the facility where I had the operation, Irvine Regional Hospital, has closed, and I’ve heard the building is being taken over by Hoag. All medical records from Irvine Regional Hospital (including my itty bitty thyroid cancer cells on slides) were shipped to a warehouse somewhere. I just found out that the original slides from my original surgery are missing, but thankfully, new slides can be made up using the “blocks”—paraffin wax-sealed tissue samples obtained during my thyroidectomy. The gal at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, who is the contact person for people wanting to obtain pathology slides from Irvine Regional Hospital, says my new slides are scheduled to arrive today, Friday, April 24, 2009. I plan to drive there and pick them up.

It’ll be weird to have slides with my thyroid cancer in them riding in the car with me.

I’ve learned so much about medicine during this process. I’ve learned so much about how to get what you need from the people who can help you. I’ve learned how to tone down my approach (I used to always be so harsh!), and I’m getting much better results from people who can help me get what I need. It’s so good to be getting better at life. Thank you, Jesus!