Thank you for all the advice! I was able to have one record faxed over but all the rest will be hard copies that I will bring with me. I hope that's fine, but at least they have one record to look over before my arrival.
Making a list of questions is a good idea. I definitely want to push for a biopsy of my left enlarged lymph node. At this point I'm wondering if it's possible that that US was wrong and it actually is a parotid tumor instead of a node since it's rock hard and not growing at all.
I also had the annoying thing where all this week I kept thinking that I should cancel my appointment because my issues really aren't that big, my parotid nodule is super tiny (6mm x 3mm x4mm) and likely isn't even big enough to biopsy, and my nodes are barely even visible in the right lighting. Whereas I hear so many reports on here of people with serious issues going there, and online when I search swollen lymph nodes people have pictures of golf-ball sized swelling while mine is so tiny. I always do this though - it's like the reverse form of hypochondria.
Still worried they're just going to tell me what I already know without doing more testing, but I guess I only have 8 more days to wait until I actually find out what the plan is. I wish I would have done a Telehealth visit first but the option wasn't given to me and even if I did, I wasn't really able to fax most of my medical history over anyways. Plus, I wanted him to be able to feel my lymph node and tumor just in case that gave the doctor more insight.
Along with all the other marvelous advice you’ve gotten from fellow members and mentors, my advice is to keep that appointment, if for no other reason than peace of mind.
The very fact that you were fearful enough to seek a second opinion and to reach out to Mayo Clinic in the first place, says your gut feels something isn’t right. You’re not denying anyone else the opportunity for an appointment by taking the one offered to you…it was, after all, offered to you! Remember that. You’re equally important, not a, what did you call it? A reverse form of a hypochondriac. Giggle. If there is something it’s much better to catch it early than to wait until things get out of hand.
By keeping that appointment you’re getting an opinion at one of the top clinics in the world. If there is a diagnosis, your doctor will form a treatment plan which can often be completed with your local provider.
So stop second guessing this appointment. Go, be Mayo-naised. ☺️