neck/throat pain: possible post-viral thyroiditis?

I had a cold about 3 weeks ago, and for the last 10 days have been free of cold symptoms, but have had a really painful throat - not red and raw inside, but just feels swollen, like a lump, and very tender from the outside as well.  Swallowing is extremely painful. None of the normal sore throat rememdies help at all (soluable aspirin, lozenges, etc) because it doesn't feel like that kind of sore throat.  It hurts to yawn or cough, and I can feel it when I move my head from side to side.  It also hurts a bit (like swollen glands) up towards my ears.  The pain comes and goes a bit, and does seem to be improving now.  I've not had a fever, though just kind of hot and sweaty at times, and a bit edgy.  From what I've read, it sounds a lot like viral thyroiditis.  I went to see my GP the other day, though, and she suggested nothing like that.  She felt along my throat and glands, but said there were no lumps she could feel, and said it was probably from my cold, once she'd excluded the possibility that it was something caught in my throat that could have scratched or got stuck or something (which it doesn't feel like at all). She didn't suggest anything about my thyroid, and just said to wait and see.  How likely is it that it is something like thyroiditis, and is she missing something or just intentionally waiting for a while before doing any further tests? It's a common enough problem that she would be suspect it, given that I'd just had a viral illness, right?  So how long should I wait before going back?  If the pain is getting better now, does that make it less likely?

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

Based on your description it does not sound like thyroid - classically the thyroid (located below the adam's apple and above the collar bone - in the midline of the neck) is tender to touch -- you are describing pain higher up towards the jaw bone which may be swollen lymph glands.  The ear pain is nonspecific but can occur with thyroiditis.  The thyroid labs usually show hyperthyroidism and the ESR (marker of inflammation) and Tg (marker of thyroid protein) are elevated.  If the symptoms persist for another week or so it would be wortwhile to have another eval -- both for thyroiditis and to see if you have a post-viral bacterial upper respiratory infection (more common than thyroiditis).

[res23]

Oh, perhaps I forgot to mention that bit, because it was the obvious thing that had got me thinking thyroid in the first place.  That's where the majority of the pain was - in the midline of the name, right around my voice box (in fact at first I thought it was just a strained voice, til it got worse).  It was extremely tender to touch from the outside, as well as severe pain on swallowing.  The extra pain towards the ears was in addition to the main pain in the neck/throat.  It sounded exactly like all the descriptions I'd read of thyroiditis.  However, I'm less convinced now, because after about 10 days of that sort of intense pain, the pain is barely there anymore.  It's still a bit tender when I press from the outside, but not too bad.  However, I would like to know if perhaps it was thyroiditis in case I get some of the other longer term consequences.  Would the lab tests still show up problems in a week or so, even if the severe pain is gone by now?

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

in severe thyroiditis the tsh would remain low for several weeks

[res23]

thanks, maybe I'll go back and see her next week if it's still at all sore.  It's only slightly sore now.
(sorry about my typos in the message - supposed to read 'main pain is in the front of the neck', and somehow the word 'name' got in there as a combination!..)  the pain is right above my collarbone, in the middle, a small very tender area, and I had extreme pain inside my throat on swallowing, which seems to have improved a lot.  Sudden onset, but now also reasonably sudden disappearance after 10 days/2 weeks.  Weird, weird, weird.
Ive also had some hives today and yesterday, which seems very weird and makes me think that perhaps it's just a really strange throat virus or something?!

[mickey226]

i have had a swoolen neck about 1 month ago i went to the doctor and he said that my thyroid was enlarge he did a boold test and my tsh was 1.28 he said that was fine he then send me for a ultrasound that show complex mass ok i then went for a cat scan that show lymph nodes bilaterally now i have to go for a thyroid ab test i gain about 20 pounds in 2 months i am really scared because i do not know what is going on whith me.do this sound like a thyroid problem.

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