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Confused

Okay this might be kinda long.  Sorry but I am looking for answers.

10 yrs ago I gave birth to my youngest.  It was found right after his birth that I had hypothyroid and needed synthroid.  I also took Zoloft.

Okay as time went on I took a combo of anti-depressants and continued with the thyroid meds.  I also was dx'd with GAD (Anxiety disorder) ADHD and OCD which I do feel is correct.  My anxiety turned into panic disorder probably due to having two boys for several years who were not dx'd with Aspergers and Tourette Syndrome.  When they were finally dx'd I had a huge legal battle with the school.  Truancy was also involved and I felt like my life was falling apart.  My panic attacks were huge (I would throw up all of the time). During this time I stopped taking care of myself including not taking my thyroid medication.  I felt I was basically holding on.

I could kick myself for not taking care of me.  But as a parent knows, we throw ourselves into helping our children and forget us.

Okay so in the middle of the truancy/school/lawyer issue's I woke up one morning and noticed a big lump on the right side of my neck.  I thought maybe it was due to stress, or fighting a cold/illness or hell even my OCD and didn't want to over-exaggerate my symptons.  I ignored it.

So now things are going well.  My anxiety is down because the lawyer and a state complaint fixed alot with the illegial things that the school did and I feel much much better health wise.  But the lump still was there.  It felt heavy, big, and like I had extra skin on my neck.

So I go to my docs concentrating now on my health.    She sends me to get blood work and then an ultrasound which I do hve the results.  She told me today that my thyroid levels are normal (how can they be normal?  I thought once you were on meds for thyroid, you always had to take meds for thyroid?) and gave me the copy of the ultrasound.  She wants me to get a biospy (or even an iodine scan first?) and is referring me to a surgeon.

UGH I have so many questions.  I would like to post here my report and find out what all of you think.  It's obvious from the report that the right side of my thyroid lobe is larger than my left side.

I just don't understand how this could happen without needing to resume my meds again.  I just want this dang feeling to go away.

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393685 tn?1425812522
Good.. thanks for posting the report and it is good that a biopsy would be considered. It very inconclusive on what is happening with the right side except it is large. No one knows how to classify it from what I read. I think if I were you - I would search high and low for another opinion with someone very intune with thyroid. This could be an ENT - surgeon - or evena GP/MD - but finding someone who really "gets it" is critical. Your going to be in this for the long haul.... and finding someone who will check out all treatment options is vital.

As discussed above this could be something brought on with all the changes you had, but you need good attention with a physician too.
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Avatar universal
Just a little bump since I posted what the Radiologists report said...  I called and left a message for a call back to get a copy of my lab tests regarding the thyroid blood work.

Thanks so much!
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Avatar universal
Thank you all for your comments and help.  When I asked my doc yesterday about my blook work she said there were 3 tests.  She did not name them.  She said two were showing normal levels while the 3rd one was slightly below level.

Here's a copy of my ultrasound report.

The right lobe was large, measuring 0.0 x 2.5 x 1.7 cm and the texture of the right thyroid lobe was quite inhomogeneous.  There is a 2 x 6 cm dominant mass within the right thyroid lobe that was quite inhomogeneous, with some indistinct margins.  Thyroid Carcinoma, for example cannot be ruled out.

The left thyroid lobe measured 4.3 x 1.6 x 1.2 cm.  The left thyroid lobe is fairly homogeneous and without evidence of a dominant cyst or solid mass.

Thank you and I will find out the blood work tests my doc (an internal med doc) did.
Helpful - 0
393685 tn?1425812522
It sounds like you are/were in a catch 22 a long time ago. I can't say for sure if thyroid disease came first - but with your past issues - OCD - ADHD-GAD - those issues can , and usually do - go hand in hand with hypothyroidism. The problem is most doctors - because of basing the issues with a TSH only lab ( and using a reference scale that is very wide spread in ranges) Will determine those other issues as being the root cause - instead of really doing proper thyroid tests and treatment to see if that - alone can relieve them.

Then when medicating for these "conditions" - those meds - because of the way they switch certain things like endorphines - serotinin- and others in the brain - the pitutiary "may" react and the signal that pitutiary is pumping out (TSH) get distorted. By fluke, if that TSH is done while on those meds - that test can show results that favor hypothyroidism and then - finally... because solely based on that TSH ( which is not completely right) will right meds be introduced to now try and control the real issue.

You also state you were under alot of stress for a long time. I feel for you on that too BTW -

But in ANY reading with thyroid disease - Life Stress is such a big contributor - yet instead for many not being coached to relieve that stress - they are given more drugs to combat it. OK, the thyroid and stress?? that is not the whole truth either...

When under the amount of stress that becomes burdening and consumes you - actually the adrenals are more at fault and will act up - or... become fatigued. When a constant stream of stress is present - the adrenals are the ones that are handling all of it and eventually they become exhausted. When that happens - the adrenals will signal to the thyroid something like -"Hey - I am really in stress here, can you help?" and the thyroid will come to the rescue - but only for a short time. So will the pitutiary and when all those other things are working to help the adrenals - labs on thyroid are almost impossible to tell the patients the real story.

If this cycle continues on the body for long periods without proper repair - a host of other issues will develop and if the body is being looked at and issues are being treated One Thing At A Time.. nothing with actually get better. Keeping the body working as a whole is so important and finding the right doctor to review treatment like a whole is very important too.

Then if thyroid meds are introduced while in the adrenal issue the connections between the 2 become "mixed up" - is the best way I can describe it, and sometimes - very often - the thyroid meds will not do what it should be intended for.

The thought: Post-Partum Thyroiditis sound intresting to be discussed here. Due to the stress and the whole reactions to it - this really could be something you may want to look at - definately along with the adrenals too. In cases - PPT is a temporary thing but goiter and nodules must be ruled out with scans to see if maybe this is just a short clitch and things could even out with the correct treatment.

NO - in many cases - once on thyroid meds you can need them for life - but it can happen for some to find it is temporary. That is a good thing and should be looked at more often. Thyroid meds given - if the person is only in a temp state of hypo - those meds can make the thyroid depend on it for function. Take exercise for example. When you do it regularly - eventually you want to do it - but stop for months - then its tough to get back in the game. Same goes with thyroid meds. Take them and the thyroid will become lazy - especially using direct T3/T4 thyroid meds.

I'd ask your doctor exactly what thyroid test labs were done? - If you ( or if she) are only using the TSH as the guide - then that could be bad. Ask her about adrenal tests ro get them done. Talk freely about supplements and read on conditions associated with deficiencies.

Get those scans too. Rule things out if possible. I see you did an ultra sound - but what did it actually say? - Why is the next phase with biospy? What did she say? What kind of doctor is this person you are seeing? Sometimes we just can't wish things to go away and strategic planning and research has to be done by the individual to get the best results.





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Avatar universal
It sounds like you had Post-Partum Thyroiditis. In most women, this resolves itself in a few months and thyroid function returns to normal so they no longer need thyroxine. In a few (like me) the thyroid never recovers and it becomes a life-long condition with dependency on taking thryoxine daily forever.

But I have no idea about goitres - I hope you get this resolved and feel better soon.

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Avatar universal
Stress can worsening the thyroid symptoms.
I was diagnosed with OCD didn't get any treatment and when I balanced my thyroid it just disappeared .
My depression also went away .
However,they might be irrelevant to your thyroid .
ask for the following blood tests TSH,FT3,FT4,anti TGab ,anti TPOab .
If the last two are positive then you do need to take the med life long,if not then not necessarily .
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