Please Answer

[Mis]

I have been here before asking about a possible pvc. Went to a new Doctor and he thought my problem was coming from thyroid. They did blood work and everything came back okay, and they also sent me to have a Ultrasound on my thyroid. When they were done with the ultrasound I asked if everything was normal, and the nurse said yeah, well.... their is a small "nitch" on the right side, but since my blood work was normal and my age (25) its nothing to worry about. So my question is, should I be worried about it or is it somthing that can be quite normal?? And also I had someone tell me that it could be like a scar from strep throat. I used to get strep quite often and pretty severe. Any suggestions???

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

"Nitch" isn't exactly a medical term that I'm familiar with but it sounds to me like she was telling you everything was OK.  Your doctor should have a final test report and you can get the results from him.  Step throat would not cause any changes in the thyroid gland.

[Missy]

Okay I have the right "medical term" it is a nodule. They told me that it is so very small that they dont even know if its anything. They said maybe it was the film or maybe its somthing thats been their all my life. Any new suggestions since I have the right term? Sorry!! I have to go for another ultrasound in 4 months

[Christine]

Missy,
I'm not a doctor but I do have experience with thyroid nodules.  Thyroid nodules are very common in women.  Mostly, they are due to a variety of thyroid conditions and this is something that you want to watch.  There is a condition called Hashimoto's thyroiditis where the thyroid gland gradually attacks itself and causes the gland to become nodular.  Eventually the gland will be come more and more destroyed and may produce less thyroid hormone, causing you to become hypothyroid.  Obviously this is not a problem now.  Thyroid cancer also can cause a nodule in your thyroid (my own personal experience).  It is not very common at all, but it does happen, which is why NO lump, no matter how big or small should be ignored.  I agree with your doctor that you should have another ultrasound in a few months.  If it does not change or if it gets larger, I would recommend a fine needle biopsy of the nodule, and further investigation if the biopsy is inconclusive.  I do not want to scare you but I have met many people whose nodules were ignored and later on down the road ended up with a rather large, invasive thyroid cancer.  Just watch the nodule and make sure you get a definitive answer on what it is within the next several months.  Don't settle for "it's nothing" until you have proof that it's nothing.
Christine

[faye]

Missy,

Part of the concern with nodules is that they can increase in size.  My 17 yr old daughter has had an "enlarged thyroid" since she was around 2yrs old.  At age 9, her pediatrician ran a thyroid scan with uptake and also tested her for Hashimotos' disease.  Both were normal.  In Oct I decided to have her thyroid checked again as she was feeling pressure on her throat.  She was diagnosed as slightly hyperthyroid (overproductive)and the scan w/uptake & ultrasound revealed a large mass.  A subtotal thyroidectomy (partial removal) was done on 12/20 (great way to spend Christmas break from school...huh?)and as is usually the case, over 90% of the time, the growth was benign.  The surgery was done because she was a candidate for another thyroid disease called Grave's disease, not Hashimotos'.

The fact that your doctor recommended another ultrasound in 4mos suggests that he/she recognizes the need to confirm that it is a nodule.  If it is, he will likely monitor it so that he can determine if there is any increase in it's size.  My only suggestion would be to ask for a referral to an endocronologist (sp?) if you develope any problems with the thyroid, at a later date.  This is a VERY important gland and the hormones that it produces effect a variety of organs, including the heart.  A good source of information on the thyroid is www.about.com.

In some instances, the nodules do not grow or if they do, they do not reach a size that requires surgery, so I am not suggesting that you have future surgery to look forward to.  It is just that thyroid problems/symptoms are often overlooked, especially in younger women.  

It sounds like you are in pretty good hands, so relax....and do yourself a favor...ask your doctor the questions, not the nurse.  You will only spend a lot of time worrying yourself about illnesses that may not even exist.  Besides, the nurse doesn't get paid to answer questions...your doctor does (Right,Doc?)!
Have a good New Year,
A Mom
..

[Mommydee]

Hi Faye,
It was interesting reading your post.  Seldom do I hear of someone with a child with thyroid disease.  My daughter was diagnosed with severe Graves' Disease at the age of 8 (after a year of misdiagnoses).  She was extremely ill at diagnosis.  She remained on antithyroid drugs for 7 years.  She is now 15 and fighting lupus since age 12....there is debate whether it is real lupus or drug induced from the antithyroid drugs.  She is now off the antithyroid drugs for six months now, and fortunately it appears her Graves' is in remission.  Although her bulging eyes disappeared with treatment, she still has a very enlarged thyroid (goiter).  At diagnosis it was four times enlarged...now it is three times enlarged.  Because of the lupus symptoms, if the Graves comes back, she will either need to have the radioactive iodine treatment or surgical treatment.  Just wanted to respond because it is so rare in children...I've met two others....one was a little boy that I saw in the endocronologist office at the children's hospital and amazingly I knew him, he was a student in the class I teach...he was four and was born with no thyroid.  The other is the son of someone at work....he was 18 when diagnosed with Graves.
Continued health to your child!
Dee

[Missy]

Thanks, everyone for all the comments!!! I really didnt feel satisfied with my Doctors advice on "its nothing, its very small". I figure if we check into it now and get it taken care of while its small I will be better off. Also, I realize most nodules are benign, but if you have it their all your life, without being removed, can it become cancerous at anytime? Thanks again!!!

[Christine]

Missy,
It is hard to say if a nodule has a higher predisposition towards becoming cancer than normal tissue.  I would probably guess that it doesn't.  If your nodule is caused by a disorder of the thyroid gland (either Hashimoto's or Graves disease) than there is no reason that it should become cancerous with time.
Christine

[phil]

Missy,
Good luck to you!

-Phil

[Jennifer "P"]

I am a 24 year old female smoker.  A couple doctors have told me in the past that I have a heart murmur.  Every once in a while, my heart feels like it "flutters".  This is the only word (flutter) that I can use to describe this sensation.  My heart will be beating regularly, then all of the sudden it seems like it skips a beat and "flutters" only for a second or two then beats harder than normal only once.. then back to normal.  Lately I have been smoking heavy (about 10 more cigarettes per day) and the past 2 evenings while I was relaxing watching t.v. my heart fluttered alot.  When I say alot I mean between 5 and 10 times.  I could go months and not notice, then once in a while it might flutter a few times a day, but then not do it any more for a few months or even more... Is this due to the heart murmur? or not related?  Obviously smoking is not good for me or anyone else, is it the smoking?

Jennifer "P"

[alcohal]

hi!my name is not alcohal (alcohol) it shane and i'm doing a project on aicohal for the science fair and i was wondering if you could send me some info