Options for goiter?

Hello, I have an appointment with my endo next week and I want to discuss options for my goiter. Sometimes, it hurts to swallow pills and my tongue is becoming more sore. Also, I can feel the pain in my ears and my eyes are sore. My optometrist examined my eyes two months ago and said he sees no sign of them pulling away, but I'm just concerned that this goiter will get worse. I just began my Synthyroid treatment a month ago for Hashi, and know I will need to have my dose raised. Will this help the goiter? Should I examine surgical options? I've heard so many horror stories about RAI. Anyone ever have RAI?

Thanks,
:) Tamra

[dawnangela]

Tamra, My goiter did shrink on the thyroxine ..Was told it wont go completely and it doesn't happen all the time..But it did take about 8 weeks on treatment to reduce, Im on 100mg a day, But if its getting worse i would have it looked at..Dawn

[TamraW]

Dawn, I'm only on 50 mcg right now. I am hoping my endo will bump me. I have bloodwork this Tuesday and an appt. on the 29th.

Anyone else with opinions???

Thanks,
:) Tamra

[loonette]

Hi,
So you have a goiter and Hashimoto's not Graves right?  Just wondering because you made the eyes pulling away reference which I thought was only a Graves condition.  Also, I am now in the process of the whole RAI/WBS thing...you can look at my posts and journal for that cuz I am soooo tired right now.  

From another post I made...
I had a goiter for several years (2004) before it's removal in 2009.  It was a watch and see approach.  After the initial fine needle biopsy to rule out cancer, I was told well it is so large you can't biopsy everything.  Great.  Why did I really have it done in the first place! It came back benign.  So, I didn't have surgery back then.  I took levoxyl 75 mcg for hypothyroidism and to keep goiter down.  It wouldn't stay down and I noticed it got larger in 2008 (another biopsy) which again showed benign multinodular goiter and Hashimoto diagnosis made then.  It was playing around with right side growing/left side growing so a fine needle biopsy did not help then since it came back benign.  

Finally, a carotid ultrasound by Primary doc because of dizziness, showed goiter enlarged.  Went back to endo, got a surgery referral, had TT (Hashimoto's was going to destroy it anyway) in July 09 and found papillary carcinoma T2.  

In my case, I did not have breathing difficulty or swallowing issues which is really bizarre.  In those cases it is clear to have it removed if the size of it is an issue.  With meds, if it doesn't remain the same or shrink, then it is time to look at why.  A friend of mine's goiter went down with medication.  Mine obviously didn't.  People live with goiter all the time, just be aware if it continues to enlarge that there is a problem. Also, monitor your own goiter.  There were a couple of years there that I was confident of the benign nature of the last fnas but I should have been doing my own neck checks to be sure that goiter was not enlarging or insist on another ultrasound.  Other things became a focus rather than my health.  Keep on top of it.
      

[TamraW]

Loonette, thanks so much! I have read that a small number of Hashis do get the Graves eye disease. Scary, but I've had two eye exams in the past six months and both were fine.

Anyway, this morning I ate my breakfast and all is fine.

The weird thing is that the goiter seems to swell after taking vitamins.

We just found another nodule on an ultrasound. My endo never saw the ultrsound and doesn't want to biopsy since it is only .8 cm. I am going to demand it.

Thanks again. I read on www.thyroidcancer.com that Hashis account for 30 percent of thyroid cancer. Luckily, the surgeon who has numerous national surgeon awards, who hosts the thyroid cancer website, is less than two hours drive from my house. If I get this goiter removed, I want only the best surgeon.
:) Tamra

[loonette]

As far as the eye thing, my vision of late has become really blurry.  My optometrist said I would need reading glasses (have astigmatism) eventually, but I didn't think this soon.  Now, I have had both the hypo hell with no medication and radiation at this point and vision really stinks.  I guess I need to wait and see if vision improves within 6-8 weeks to let new meds work in?  

Have no idea about the goiter and vitamin connection, but add that to your list of symptoms.  They will want to know, you have swallowing issues or breathing issues (and of course suspicious nodules) to have it removed.

Take care!