The THYROID Thread

so many surgeries are done different now.
my leg surgery has to have been at least 18 years ago.

now i am working up the ladder for other parts of the body .......lol
i swear, anything past the neck for surgery will be the highest spot performed on me for life........
 
I recently had a checkup and the dr felt a nodule in my neck where my thyroid is so he ordered an ultrasound. Turns out I have two nodules on one side (one close to my esophagus) and then one on the other. I have to get blood work done but in the past my thyroid levels have been fine. I think they have only pulled TSH level in the past. Have any of y'all had the nodules and what happened if so? Thanks!
Amanda
 
jesusluvsu2005 said:
I recently had a checkup and the dr felt a nodule in my neck where my thyroid is so he ordered an ultrasound. Turns out I have two nodules on one side (one close to my esophagus) and then one on the other. I have to get blood work done but in the past my thyroid levels have been fine. I think they have only pulled TSH level in the past. Have any of y'all had the nodules and what happened if so? Thanks!
Amanda
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Thyroid nodules are extremely common, and generally benign. Don't google yourself into worrying. :)

If they're less than 1cm, very likely you'll just have ultrasounds and bloodwork done every now and again to watch them. If they're large, or have other problematic characteristics on the ultrasound, they may do a fine needle biopsy. It sounds worse than it is.

Do make sure you follow up with your doctor.
 
Amanda - it is good they' re following you closely. I wouldnt be too concerned either. Its good that your blood tests are normal and they are doing ultrasounds. Keep following up with your dr.

Well back from the internist. Well actually I found out why I couldnt find the dr. listed on the website. It was a resident supervised by the attending physician of the resident program.WTH!!! No one told me this was the dr. I would be getting. I was a little pissed about that. I would love to see what actual dr. they are using to bill my ins. company. But I did like the dr. anyway. She was really sweet. Have to go get blood and urine test at the lab next week and see them the end of the month again. Oh and add to that she wants me to see the urologist, so I will be doing that the end of the month. They say its not right to have this side effect and it may indicate some underlying issue. umm I didnt want to argue with her but it did say that is one of the side effects and I notice when I didnt take the pill twice, once I was in the er and I think last night I forgot, then I dont have this issue. So I will talk to the vascular surgeon on thurs. She seemed to not think seeing the vascular surgeon was Not a priority, um, dont know about that wither. Its a vascular problem and he is a vascular specialist, sigh. This is what I have to deal with there.

I left there very anxious and upset that its just more drs. and more testing. So thurs. we will see and hear things from the surgeons point of view. Always something.

squeegee - how is your taste issues?

macraven - how is the recovery going?

Christine - how is your mil? Has you ds made any decisions. Ds2 who was in the engineering program had such a rough time too. Alot was him but he changed his ways. His high school didnt prepare him well either and he is the kind of person never to ask for help. He had to repeat one class over 3 times with special permission, but he graduated and stuck it out and now has a good enough job. His program was not one specialty. He calls it the dumbed down program. Its a little of all the stuff of engineering electrical, mechanical, civil etc, just not one concentration. Wishing your ds all the best. I am sure its rough on him as well as you too. We are dealing with ds27 still looking for a job. Its been 8 months already, gheesh!
 


luvmarypoppins said:
Christine - how is your mil? Has you ds made any decisions. Ds2 who was in the engineering program had such a rough time too. Alot was him but he changed his ways. His high school didnt prepare him well either and he is the kind of person never to ask for help. He had to repeat one class over 3 times with special permission, but he graduated and stuck it out and now has a good enough job. His program was not one specialty. He calls it the dumbed down program. Its a little of all the stuff of engineering electrical, mechanical, civil etc, just not one concentration. Wishing your ds all the best. I am sure its rough on him as well as you too. We are dealing with ds27 still looking for a job. Its been 8 months already, gheesh!
Click to expand...

My MIL is hanging in there. Doesn't seem to be doing too well mentally, but physically she's as fit as fiddle! I think my FIL is looking into getting some home assistance, just so he can get a break. We shall see how that goes.

My son is in the middle of his first computer class. So far, so good. He's pretty sure he's going to definitely switch out of engineering. He's had it, I guess. He may try for the Computer Information Systems major. The school he currently attends is ranked either #2 or #6 in the nation for the major (depends which "best of" list you are reading) so I think if he can make it, he will have some good job opportunities in this area.

He is currently in a "general engineering" degree program which is all his college offers. The engineering program is new at his college (7 years old) so they haven't specialized yet, but it is pretty much mechanical engineering. I don't think he'd mind repeating courses but his GPA is getting to a point that if he gets one more bad grade, he won't be in good standing. Not a thing you want to happen. I think much of that happened because he took barely any general education courses which would have balanced out the tough engineering courses. Oh well, we'll see how it goes. It's all so unsettling to me.

Hope everyone is doing well.
 
Taste issues are about the same. If I remember correctly, it lasted about a month last time, so I'm expecting about the same this time. I'm just anxiously awaiting the day when food tastes good again, and I can treat myself to something special. :)

Keep pushing to see that vascular specialist. Once you've had a DVT, you're more likely to have them again, and it's something that should be followed closely. Damage to the veins over the long term can really make for a lot of misery if it's not followed properly - and not many general docs/internists know how to follow them properly, from what I've seen. And you definitely want your ultrasounds done by a technician who does these OFTEN. Most ultrasound techs are fine for an initial diagnosis of a DVT, but most of them don't routinely do complete evaluations of the venous system, including reflux studies and evaluation of perforator veins (the connection between deep and superficial system), like a specialist would. Look for an RVT (registered vascular technician) or someone who's been working with a vascular specialist for many years.
 
Hi, everyone!

I normally post to the theme parks board, but I was scrolling through the home page and noticed this thread. I'm subbing in as I've got an appointment next Wednesday with my doctor to have tests run. I'm convinced I have hypothyroidism - I've been doing a lot of research on it and so many of the symptoms hit close to home. So happy to stumble across this thread tonight!
 


and we all here are delighted to join us.

do google the labs that are suggested the doctor should have in order to get thorough results.

if he omits doing one of the labs, ask him why.

reason i say this is the first internist i used, failed to include the TSH test.
took me another doctor before it was in my charts for required testing so i could have a correct and accurate diagnosis
 
macraven said:
and we all here are delighted to join us.

do google the labs that are suggested the doctor should have in order to get thorough results.

if he omits doing one of the labs, ask him why.

reason i say this is the first internist i used, failed to include the TSH test.
took me another doctor before it was in my charts for required testing so i could have a correct and accurate diagnosis
Click to expand...


I read that I need to have them do the TSH, the Free T3, and the Free T4... Is there anything else I need to make sure he does? I'm just seeing my general practitioner for now - someone told me he might not do anything other than send me to an endocrinologist... I hope not! I just want to get a handle on things sooner rather than later if something is off. But from my reading, even if they do the tests, the range is so wide that your results can come back as "normal" even if there's something wrong, and the doctor won't prescribe you anything because your tests were fine... Has anyone experienced that firsthand?
 
JacknSally said:
I read that I need to have them do the TSH, the Free T3, and the Free T4... Is there anything else I need to make sure he does? I'm just seeing my general practitioner for now - someone told me he might not do anything other than send me to an endocrinologist... I hope not! I just want to get a handle on things sooner rather than later if something is off. But from my reading, even if they do the tests, the range is so wide that your results can come back as "normal" even if there's something wrong, and the doctor won't prescribe you anything because your tests were fine... Has anyone experienced that firsthand?
Click to expand...

For many years, I was on the low end of normal, and doctors pooh-pooh'd the idea of treating it, though my hair thinned drastically, and my weight was steadily increasing, along with a host of other little hypothyroid symptoms, including cold intolerance, depression, and fatigue. I was only about 17 when these symptoms started, and they seemed to think it was all psychosomatic or that I was exaggerating about the bald spots, I guess. Some attributed it to stress, as I had just started college, left home, first job, etc...

Only about 10 years later did I find a doctor who immediately suggested a low dose of synthroid, which stopped the hair loss and weight gain (though did not reverse it - losing the weight took a LOT of attention to diet and exercise, and my hair has never grown back thickly). My quality of life improved substantially after a few months of treatment.

My understanding is that more and more doctors are aware of the fact that the ranges are too broad, and more doctors are becoming open to treating "low normal" symptomatic patients. You know your body better than they can, as an individual. You should find a doctor willing to work *with* you to feel better, not one who dismisses you out of hand.
 
squeegee said:
For many years, I was on the low end of normal, and doctors pooh-pooh'd the idea of treating it, though my hair thinned drastically, and my weight was steadily increasing, along with a host of other little hypothyroid symptoms, including cold intolerance, depression, and fatigue. I was only about 17 when these symptoms started, and they seemed to think it was all psychosomatic or that I was exaggerating about the bald spots, I guess. Some attributed it to stress, as I had just started college, left home, first job, etc...

Only about 10 years later did I find a doctor who immediately suggested a low dose of synthroid, which stopped the hair loss and weight gain (though did not reverse it - losing the weight took a LOT of attention to diet and exercise, and my hair has never grown back thickly). My quality of life improved substantially after a few months of treatment.

My understanding is that more and more doctors are aware of the fact that the ranges are too broad, and more doctors are becoming open to treating "low normal" symptomatic patients. You know your body better than they can, as an individual. You should find a doctor willing to work *with* you to feel better, not one who dismisses you out of hand.
Click to expand...


Thank you for this! The more I read about the symptoms that, individually may not mean much, together indicate low thyroid, the more I realize that I've had this for a while. The hair loss was the kicker. For a few years now, I've lost quite a bit of hair when I wash it - not coming out in clumps, but a noticeable amount, and definitely enough to make me wonder what was going on. I always had really, really thick hair and I was really proud of it, so this concerned me. I've dyed my hair several colors over the years and thought maybe that had something to do with it, so I backed off. I tried switching shampoos and conditioners, no sulfates, deep conditioning, only washing my hair once a week, coconut oil, eggs, and a billion other "Pinterest tricks". But a couple of weeks ago, I decided I wanted to see what my hair growth was over the course of a month, as I'm trying to grow it out. I had my fiancee take a picture of my hair from the back so I could track it, and that's when I noticed that the hair on the back of my head, just where my natural part ends, has thinned QUITE a bit. I told my fiance and he thought I was being silly - who starts balding at 26? So I started researching what might cause it, and found several lists of thyroid symptoms... Kid you not, I printed out a list of 300 symptoms of low thyroid, and I deal with 82 of them every day. But they're all so "minor" and "ordinary" that I just always thought they were normal and just part of my life (most of them, like the massive anxiety and weight gain/difficulty losing weight, I just attributed to stress). I certainly didn't think they were all connected.
 
JacknSally said:
Thank you for this! The more I read about the symptoms that, individually may not mean much, together indicate low thyroid, the more I realize that I've had this for a while. The hair loss was the kicker. For a few years now, I've lost quite a bit of hair when I wash it - not coming out in clumps, but a noticeable amount, and definitely enough to make me wonder what was going on. I always had really, really thick hair and I was really proud of it, so this concerned me. I've dyed my hair several colors over the years and thought maybe that had something to do with it, so I backed off. I tried switching shampoos and conditioners, no sulfates, deep conditioning, only washing my hair once a week, coconut oil, eggs, and a billion other "Pinterest tricks". But a couple of weeks ago, I decided I wanted to see what my hair growth was over the course of a month, as I'm trying to grow it out. I had my fiancee take a picture of my hair from the back so I could track it, and that's when I noticed that the hair on the back of my head, just where my natural part ends, has thinned QUITE a bit. I told my fiance and he thought I was being silly - who starts balding at 26? So I started researching what might cause it, and found several lists of thyroid symptoms... Kid you not, I printed out a list of 300 symptoms of low thyroid, and I deal with 82 of them every day. But they're all so "minor" and "ordinary" that I just always thought they were normal and just part of my life (most of them, like the massive anxiety and weight gain/difficulty losing weight, I just attributed to stress). I certainly didn't think they were all connected.
Click to expand...

I've come to think of the thyroid as a "mini brain," or the "regulator" of darn near everything.

In 2012, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and ended up having a total-thyroidectomy. I went from taking that low dose of thyroid hormone to needing a large dose, higher than a "healthy" person would need, to suppress any further growth of cancer. So, there are symptoms from the high dose now. LOL. It's just amazing how much of the body's functions are influenced by the thyroid.
 
JackNSally--I wish you the best in your search for answers to your symptoms. Hopefully the GP you are seeing will do the right things. I noticed that you didn't seem thrilled about a possible referral to an endocrinologist. Let me say that, while the wait might be long and some of them don't have the best bedside manner, they are the ones that are "in the know" about the ranges in thyroid lab results and when to prescribe medications with sub-clinical hypothyroidism. They will know the most about the different brands and how you might react to each one as well as the "right" tests to run and, if you do have hypothyroidism, whether or not it is run-of-the-mill hypothyroidism or if it's autoimmune. All important stuff, that a regular GP isn't in tuned too.

That said, for many years, I was treated by an Internal Medicine doctor who had a "special interest" in thyroid cancer because he, himself, had thyroid cancer. And he did an excellent job in managing my care. However, when he retired I moved my care over to an endocrinologist. You might have better luck with an internal medicine specialist who focuses on the internal organs versus a GP who most often sees sore throats, ear infections, viral illnesses, etc.
 
Christine said:
JackNSally--I wish you the best in your search for answers to your symptoms. Hopefully the GP you are seeing will do the right things. I noticed that you didn't seem thrilled about a possible referral to an endocrinologist. Let me say that, while the wait might be long and some of them don't have the best bedside manner, they are the ones that are "in the know" about the ranges in thyroid lab results and when to prescribe medications with sub-clinical hypothyroidism. They will know the most about the different brands and how you might react to each one as well as the "right" tests to run and, if you do have hypothyroidism, whether or not it is run-of-the-mill hypothyroidism or if it's autoimmune. All important stuff, that a regular GP isn't in tuned too.

That said, for many years, I was treated by an Internal Medicine doctor who had a "special interest" in thyroid cancer because he, himself, had thyroid cancer. And he did an excellent job in managing my care. However, when he retired I moved my care over to an endocrinologist. You might have better luck with an internal medicine specialist who focuses on the internal organs versus a GP who most often sees sore throats, ear infections, viral illnesses, etc.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your well wishes! And trust me, I have no real aversion to seeing an endocrinologist, or anyone else who might take me seriously and be willing to help me if the GP isn't. It's more a logistic frustration - I've been to see the GP once already in the past few weeks but due to an insurance snafu they wouldn't see me, then the next time they could get me in was 3 weeks away (next week), so that's the 2nd day I've had to try to leave work early for the same appointment, so to see another doctor it's a 3rd day of trying to leave early, it's another co-pay, etc. Minor issues, all-in-all. I also just want to know what's going on and get started on treating whatever it is ASAP. But I'm happy to do what needs to be done to find out what's going on (or not going on). If there are any questions anyone can think of for me to make sure I ask my GP, they are welcome! I'm going into this fairly blind, with just my list of symptoms by my side. I'm the kind of person who only goes to a doctor if there are visible broken bones or excessive blood, so I figured I'd start with my family GP and go from there.
 
it's always frustrating until you find a doctor that will listen to you and help you find a way to work with medicine that will help you the best.

i used my internist for years.
when it got to the point back in late 2013, i finally switched to an endocrinologist.
best decision i ever made.
the endo doctor took more of my symptons and issues as a lead to help me even more.
it was through this doctor that i found out my vitamin D levels was a contributing factor to my other auto immune diseases.


i have never felt as good today since i added different medications to my thyroid related issues.

endo docs are hard to get appointments with in my area.
i'm talking about getting a good endo, not just one that has you do a few labs and then start you on meds....

it took me 5 months to get an appointment with my current endo.

now i know why.
this doc is the best...

the best wishes to you JacknSally in finding the medical person that will listen to you and work with you until you know what you are facing medically with your thyroid disorder.
 
Here is a little update on my new medicine...Natpara. I got the medicine in the mail the other day and my nurse came over to the house to show me how to use it the first time. I have been taking it for 3 days now and I don't really see any difference. I had to get bloodwork done within the first 7 days. I had that done this afternoon and I will wait for my results from my endo. I leave for vacation on Monday evening, so I wanted to know before leaving town. The one thing I have to remember is that I need to take the shot at the same time every day.

I thought it was going to be harder to give myself an injection, but it is really easy. I don't know why I was so afraid at first.
 
JackNSally -welcome and I hope you can get some answers from your testing

IGrumpy - have a wonderful vacation and I hope the med helps you. I dont know if I would be coordinated enough to give myself a shot. I did change my stomach bandage when the hole got smaller. But it was still hard bending to try and do it correctly.

mommasita - how are you feeling???

squeegee - are you feeling anymore like your normal self yet?? I really didnt have too much of taste issues for all that long, just at the beginning or for another week.

macraven - how are your feeling post op??

Well I went to the vascular surgeon. Saw the np. At first we got to see the lpn who took my vitals and we were talking about how dh and I both had surgeons there and we had her too. She was funny talking about old times. Pretty weird we have to do that in a medical sense.
The surgeons np said she was going over my doppler study with the surgeon. Told me I need to drink alot of water, get a compression stocking. and this could take up to 3-6 months to resolve. Told me I need a dr. to manage the meds not the resident and told her my issues with the side effects. She said goodbye etc. I said, what the dr. is not even going to see me??? She said, well I guess I could get him if you really want to speak to him. OMG!!! Here we go again. I am sure they are billing my ins. co. top dollar and I wasnt even going to see the surgeon??? He saw me a few minutes. Said what are you doing here??? You dont need a surgeon. WTH??? He said, oh I see the er referred you, yes. He said they will do a followup visit and doppler in 3 months. At last the doppler will be right there in the office so that is good and then I just see the dr. when its done.
He also said there are 5% of people who have this blood/urine issue and he feels I am one of those people. He doesnt think I have bladder cancer like the other dr. said, PTL!!! And now of course all the symptoms are gone.
So I got the labs done today and now will call tomm. and probably see some dr. they give me again, but its ok. I need the med over the week end as it was only a 3 week supply with no refills. Always something.
The compression stocking is really helping. I have the one that only goes up to the knee OMG I cant imagine having the thigh one. Ds3 put it on me today. I could never do this myself. Just too hard. I think I did manage to get it off myself last night, but getting it on is another whole story. They only had 1 pair on my size and it was $50. Wowsa. At least I only have to wear it on one leg.
My dh is off to Beijing and Shanghai today. Its gonna be a long 9 days., Oh well, last week it was 2 weeks.
 
I wasn't getting updates so I seem to have missed a lot!! Hope all are feeling better!!
LMP - sorry you had to cancel your trip, but the last thing you need in WDW is a blood clot!! Hope it heals soon!

We leave for our ABD Central Europe adventure next week! I am all packed, DD & DH need to get started!
 
luvmarypoppins said:
JackNSally -welcome and I hope you can get some answers from your testing

IGrumpy - have a wonderful vacation and I hope the med helps you. I dont know if I would be coordinated enough to give myself a shot. I did change my stomach bandage when the hole got smaller. But it was still hard bending to try and do it correctly.

mommasita - how are you feeling???

squeegee - are you feeling anymore like your normal self yet?? I really didnt have too much of taste issues for all that long, just at the beginning or for another week.

macraven - how are your feeling post op??

Well I went to the vascular surgeon. Saw the np. At first we got to see the lpn who took my vitals and we were talking about how dh and I both had surgeons there and we had her too. She was funny talking about old times. Pretty weird we have to do that in a medical sense.
The surgeons np said she was going over my doppler study with the surgeon. Told me I need to drink alot of water, get a compression stocking. and this could take up to 3-6 months to resolve. Told me I need a dr. to manage the meds not the resident and told her my issues with the side effects. She said goodbye etc. I said, what the dr. is not even going to see me??? She said, well I guess I could get him if you really want to speak to him. OMG!!! Here we go again. I am sure they are billing my ins. co. top dollar and I wasnt even going to see the surgeon??? He saw me a few minutes. Said what are you doing here??? You dont need a surgeon. WTH??? He said, oh I see the er referred you, yes. He said they will do a followup visit and doppler in 3 months. At last the doppler will be right there in the office so that is good and then I just see the dr. when its done.
He also said there are 5% of people who have this blood/urine issue and he feels I am one of those people. He doesnt think I have bladder cancer like the other dr. said, PTL!!! And now of course all the symptoms are gone.
So I got the labs done today and now will call tomm. and probably see some dr. they give me again, but its ok. I need the med over the week end as it was only a 3 week supply with no refills. Always something.
The compression stocking is really helping. I have the one that only goes up to the knee OMG I cant imagine having the thigh one. Ds3 put it on me today. I could never do this myself. Just too hard. I think I did manage to get it off myself last night, but getting it on is another whole story. They only had 1 pair on my size and it was $50. Wowsa. At least I only have to wear it on one leg.
My dh is off to Beijing and Shanghai today. Its gonna be a long 9 days., Oh well, last week it was 2 weeks.
Click to expand...

I'm feeling a lot closer to human since I can take my meds. Have been back at work for two days now, and am tired and sore but otherwise doing okay. They're going easy on me. :)

Am glad you at least got to speak with the surgeon - it's very odd that they would think it's okay for your first visit to be just the NP or even a PA. In our clinic, we do have a very highly competent, experienced PA, but the first visit is almost with the Dr, and then they alternate.

The price for the prescription compression hose is about the same as ours, not totally out of line with the norm, but still pricey, yep. I bought one pair myself, since I'm on my feet all day and want to prevent vein problems, but have since gone to non-prescription strength ones for alternating days. They are very difficult to get on and off, yep, but the results are worth the effort. Vein problems, unattended, can get reeeeeaalllyy nasty over time.

I'm also glad to hear that your vascular doctor will have his own tech do your ultrasound in his office in three months. :) I'm a big proponent of the specialist sonographers for this sort of thing, since learning how to do this stuff and seeing for myself how easy it is to miss things if you don't do hundreds of these studies.
 
Just coming to check in... And to say thank you for all the good wishes so far! Just left the dr. Man I am not a fan of having my blood drawn AT. ALL. They're running a full work up today and I should have the results in the morning. Full thyroid panel (including tsh, t4, t3u) and a couple of other tests with letter names. He said these tests will cover about 75% of the possibilities, and if the tests come back fine, he recommends me having an exam done for PCOS... Really hoping it's a thyroid issue and we can go ahead and get a handle on things.
 
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