HYPERTHYROIDISM/2.8CM NODULE, PLEASE HELP............

[EnchantedSly]

HI EVERYONE, IT'S BEEN ALMOST A YEAR SINCE I HAVE BEEN ON HERE, I HAD TO TAKE A BREAK FROM ALL OF THE OBSESSIVE READING AS I WAS SUFFERING WITH SEVERE DEPRESSION, PANIC ATTACKS AND I WAS JUST A COMPLETE MESS. LAST FEBRUARY, I WENT TO THE ER THINKING I WAS DYING! I WAS HAVING A COMPLETE PANIC ATTACK, MY BLOOD PRESSURE WAS UP, MY HEARTRATE WAS AT 120 BEATS PER MINUTE AND MY TSH WAS 0.01! IT WAS SO BAD. LITTLE BY LITTLE GOING ON 10MG OF METHIMAZOLE, 100MG OF ZOLOFT AND 25MG OF XANAX HAS HELPED A LOT. I STILL FEEL TIRED, HAVE MUSCLE ACHES, LOW ENERGY LEVELS, IRREGULAR PERIODS, IRRITABILITY BUT I AM NOTHING LIKE I WAS A YEAR AGO, THANK GOD!
LAST FEBRUARY, MY DOCTOR DID MY VERY FIRST THYROID ULTRASOUND, NO OTHER DOCTOR I HAVE EVER SEEN, EVER SUGGESTED ONE! NEEDLESS TO SAY, I HAVE 2 NODULES THAT WAS NEVER FOUND BECAUSE I WAS NEVER CHECKED! BUT ANYWAY, I WAS TOLD IT WAS 2.5 CM AND NEEDED TO BE BIOPSED AND THE OTHER ONE WAS VERY TINY, AROUND 4MM.
I DIDN'T HAVE ANY MEDICAL INSURANCE AT ALL, SO EVERYTHING WAS OUT OF POCKET OR BEING BILLED TO ME, SO MY LONGTIME BOYFRIEND AND I GOT MARRIED LAST JULY AND OUR COVERAGE BECAME AVAILABLE IN SEPTEMBER. I FOUND A NEW DOCTOR THAT I REALLY LIKE NOW AND LEFT THE OTHER DOCTOR I WAS SEEING AND IN DECEMBER, I HAD MY BLOOD TAKEN TO CHECK MY TSH AND IT WAS 0.45 WHICH I WAS TOLD WAS GOOD. IT WAS 0.50 IN JULY OF 2007, SO IT'S BASICALLY STAYING IN THE SAME RANGE. IT TOOK A WHILE TO BUILD UP FROM 0.01 BUT THANK GOD, IT'S NOT AT THAT ANYMORE! I WAS SO SICK AND BRAIN FOGGED, I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HECK WAS HAPPENING TO ME ANYMORE, I NEVER WANT TO FEEL LIKE THAT AGAIN IN MY LIFE, I WENT THROUGH HELL LAST YEAR.
SORRY TO MAKE THIS SO LONG BUT SO THE TSH WHICH IS ALWAYS THE PROBLEM WAS CHECKED AND IT'S CURRENTLY AT 0.45, ALL OTHER THYROID LEVELS ARE GOOD ALSO, THEY WERE NEVER A PROBLEM, ONLY THE TSH WAS.
SO, THE NODULE ON MY LEFT SIDE HAS NOW GROWN IN A YEAR TO 2.8CM, OF COURSE I NEED A BIOPSY AND NOW I CAN GET ONE BECAUSE I HAVE MEDICAL, I AM SCARED, VERY NERVOUS ACTUALLY. WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THIS IS CANCEROUS? I KNOW I WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO HAVE IT REMOVED BECAUSE I KNOW FROM READING ON THIS SITE A BIOPSY MIGHT NOT PICK UP CANCEROUS CELLS BUT I AM SCARED ABOUT THE SURGERY!
I HAD ANOTHER THYROID ULTRASOUND ON JANUARY 5TH AND WENT TO SEE MY DOCTOR AND THESE ARE THE RESULTS AND I ASKED HIM QUESTIONS, BUT I REALLY WANT TO SEE WHAT ALL OF YOU THINK ABOUT THE RESULTS, ANY HELP WOULD BE SO GREATLY APPRECIATED! :)

THE THYROID ULTRASOUND RESULTS:

INDICATION: HYPERTHYROIDISM

THE RIGHT LOB OF THE THYROID MEASURES 4.3 X 1.3 X 1.2 CM AND IS DIFFUSELY HTEROGENEOUS IN ECHOTEXTURE. A SMALL HYPOECHOIC NODULE MEASURING 6 X 6 MM IS SEEN IN THE LOWER POLE. THE ISTHMUS MEASURES 3MM.
THE LEFT LOBE OF THE THYROID IS MILDLY ENLARGED IN SIZE AND MEASURES 4.9 X 2.2 X 1.7 CM AND IS DIFFUSELY HETEROGENEOUS IN ECHOTEXTURE. A LARGE HETERGENEOUS PREDOMINANTLY HYPOECHOIC NODULE MEASURING 2.8 X 1.8 CM IS SEEN IN THE MID AND INFERIOR POLE OF THE LEFT LOBE. THIS NODULE DEMONSTRATES INCREASED VASCULARITY ON COLOR DOPPLER. ( THE DOCTOR TOLD ME THIS MIGHT NOT BE SO GOOD BECAUSE IT MEANS THERE IS BLOOD VESSELS AROUND IT OR SOMETHING? I AM NOT SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT HE MEANS EXACTLY?)

IMPRESSION:

SMALL HYPOECHOIC NODULE IN THE RIGHT LOBE.
HETEROGENEOUS PREDOMINANTLY HYPOECHOIC NODULE WITH INCREASED VASCULARITY IN THE LEFT LOBE OF THYROID AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. RECOMMEND CLINICAL CORRELATION AND FURTHER EVALUATION AS CLINICALLY INDICATED.

SORRY IF THIS WAS SO LONG BUT I REALLY WANT TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY HOW SERIOUS THIS IS? I AM SO STRESSED OUT ABOUT IT.
THANK YOU SO MUCH

[EnchantedSly]

Thank you so much for responding. Oh boy, I have to admit that makes me a little more nervous now. I have to call an Endocrinologist that my doctor referred me to tomorrow and schedule a biopsy. I am very nervous about the biopsy too! Is it really bad? How long will it take? I am going to need a Xanax and a lot of numbing!
That percentage for it being benign is so good but I must admit, I am still scared!
So, I should be more concerned with the Increased Vascularity?
Can the nodule be causing me to snore? My husband said I am snoring where it sounds like I am having a hard time breathing at night and I never snored. It's worse if I lay on my back.

[utahmomma]

Heterogeneous - meaning different textures of tissues inside (not the same consistency)

Hypoechoic: 1) in ultrasonography, giving off few echoes or weaker echoes than normal tissue or than in surrounding regions.  2) an ultrasound image with weaker echoes than the surrounding structures; images are dark on monitor; examples are vessels and cyst

Increased Vascularity *can* indicate malignancy (cancer likes to create its own blood source) but not always.

With the size of the nodule and the findings on the ultrasound, your doctor may suggest surgery.  *Don't panic* - many of us here are members of the "double smile club".  The surgery really isn't that bad - I've had a lot of surgeries (in fact this one, twice) and this was one of the easiest I've ever had.   Many here have had similar experiences.   Actually I was more afraid of getting a biopsy!  :-)

I'm not saying that it's cancer - I *really* hope that it's not.  There is a 90-95% chance that it's benign.  Please keep us posted!!!