cold nodule/normal tsh/ multi nodular grew

[peron]

my mother has found out she has a multi nodular thyroid, that showed up cold. she has normal tsh level but high antibodies. the nodule  was needle biopsied and shown to be begnine in june. she recently has found out it has grown from 2.3cm o 2.9cm and that she is hashimoto. they suggest to remove it--why remove it if it was found begnine in june. it is all very hard to understand--she also suffers from bad arthritus. she is only 59



need some answers

[venora]

I am still very sore in the sternum where they cut through the bone.I had no it idea it would take this long to heal.My neck part is all healed up.Thanks for inquiry.Love Venora

[utahmomma]

I'm *so* glad you got it out.  How are you feeling? (I remember you saying yours was substernal)

[venora]

HI there .They found the cancer on the 2nd surgery.I am glad they took it out.
Love Venora

[peron]

hello
well we have an appointment on dec 18 and i am going with her to ask a million questions to the dr. you are all right just get it out not matter what. i had a laporoscopy inthe summer to get rid of 2 4cm cysts in my ovaries because all they did was grow, so she should get rid of  anything that is gorwing in her--it is unwelcome.
  
again thank you and i am sure i will conyinue to ask more and more questions and comments

bless everyone

[utahmomma]

I'm glad you have such a positive attitude and your doctor sounds great.  I've had the same surgery you were mentioning (laparoscopic ovarian surgery) four times!  Twice to remove cysts and twice more to remove one ovary each time (and it's accompanying cysts).  Those surgeries were MURDER compared to my two thyroid surgeries.

Keep us posted!

[utahmomma]

Did they find your cancer during the first surgery or the second?

[venora]

I had 2 surgeries .It kinda bit but they didnt know about the substernal goiter until they took out first half of my goiter.My first surgery was May 19 and then 2nd was Sept.@5 to take out other half of thyroid and the the sub sternal goiter.BTW I had needle biopsy done on thyroid before May 19 surgery and it came back with no cancer report.best advice for your Mom go to websites suggested,and ask LOTS of question of DR.and get 2nd opinion if needed.LOve Venora

[utahmomma]

Peron, I'm sure that there have been people losing their voice from thyroid surgery.  I don't know how Canadian health care works but can you pick your surgeon?  If so, check with the hospitals and find one who has lots of experience with thyroids.  The key is to avoid the nerves but some of us have "sticky" thyroids that have to be coaxed away from the nerves.  With four of us it just meant a bit more thyroid tissue left on the nerves, with the fifth sister she had a raspy voice for about 8 months but she sounds just fine now.

Peron, I'm not quite sure what the two surgeries entails - usually the surgeon would remove the suspicious lobe then have it biopsied right in the OR.  If it is cancerous the second half comes out right then and there.  The only person I've heard of having two surgeries was me and that was a complete fluke.  One of my sisters had Hashimoto's and her symptoms completely disappeared after the surgery and Synthroid (she probably still has antibodies but her levels are great - she's probably the healthiest of all).

ChitChatNine - what a wonderful analogy!  You're right, if people considered their thyroids like they considered breast abnormalities it may make some people take it a bit more seriously.   I caught holy hell from an endocrinologist because I had my children's thyroids ultrasound-ed (is that a word?).  Anyway, my son's was perfect, my daughter's had large multinodule growths on both lobes.  Because of the thyroid cancer in my family my daughter and I opted to have her thyroid removed.  Luckily it was "precancerous" ("Atypical cells") but an endo screamed at me for encouraging my daughter to have her thyroid out.  I asked him if his wife had the BRAC1/2 gene and all of her sisters had breast cancer, and she had a suspicious lump would you not encourage her to have a mastectomy??  He shut up and I fired him the next week.  :-)

I'm not saying EVERYONE should have their thyroids out I'm just saying when the evidence is pretty overwhelming what is to be gained by closing your eyes and hoping it will all go away??  

I guess in a way I'm kind of referring to my mother who has all these daughters who have papillary carcinoma and my mother has a HUGE goiter that is multinodule (lots of them cold) yet she won't get it out.  Then again her sister had Stage III breast cancer and my mother (in her mid 60s) refuses to get a mammogram.  I just don't understand.  

[peron]

thank you so much for your words of wisdom. this forum is wonderful, and i just stumbled upon it. i am the worry wort and she is not, it has always been that way. we will now trying to get an apnt with the endocronologist  to talk more and get a surgery date. it is canada so there are waiting lists . the dr said that there is nothing she can take to cleear the brain fog, the cold sweats and tiredness--do you have any suggestions.

again i really thank you for your words
it is nice to know that people exisit to talk and not just drs

[peron]

has anyone lost there voice from removal of a thyroid. what are the complications of the surgery. why would a dr mention that there would be two surgeries one after eachother.

what does one do about the symptoms of hashimotos disease--and do they ever dissappear?

[utahmomma]

Don't panic!  Like I mentioned, over 90% of nodules are NOT cancerous.  It sounds like your mother's doctor is just being proactive.

I just know a bit too much about thyroid cancer since three of my four sisters and I have papillary carcinoma.  The other sister had "precancerous" cells as did my 16 year old daughter.  We are the EXCEPTION to the rule - we have a cancer that is NOT supposed to be hereditary.  We are in a research study (wahoo - bonus).  We also live in an area with a very high incidence of radiation exposure cancers because of "down-winder syndrome" from above-ground nuclear testing in the Nevada desert.  Although all of us are too young to have been directly exposed to fallout.

I'm the oldest of the cancer survivors in my family and I'm 40.  We are all doing fine - we just have really cute matching scars.  :-)

Thyroid cancer is the most treatable, slow-growing, and curable cancer there is.  

ONE MORE TIME:  Thyroid cancer is the most treatable, slow-growing, and curable cancer there is!  

Like many of us like to say, if you have to get cancer this is the one to get.  The majority of the thyroid is easily removed by surgery and the wonderful thing about thyroid tissue is it LOVES iodine.  To kill off any remaining thyroid tissue they simply hook iodine to radiation and give you a dose of it.  No traditional chemo, no traditional radiation treatment.

There are so many things that can cause thyroid nodules, your mother's doctor is just covering all the bases.  I'm assuming your mother's doctor is an endocrinologist?  If not it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion from one.

Please don't panic - this just sounds like a good doctor doing his/her job.

Read through the web pages and some of the posts on this forum - that should help alleviate some of your fears.

[ChitChatNine]

Hello ... I am 47 and recently had a needle biopsy that came back atypical.  I understand your concern regarding surgery when something isn't deemed Cancer from the go-get, etc.  Mine is 1.7cm and a solid growth, etc.  It was found on a routine physical.  All my labs are perfect.  

I have realized / rationalized that if this same lump was in my breast I'd run to have it out .. so why did I hedge thinking maybe not to take out the thyroid (1/2 of it) and be rid of the failed portion that shouldn't be there in the way of a lump.

I realize where you are at and wanted to say hello .. we are here for you :) .. my surgery is set for 1/9/07.

Cheryl

[peron]

how serious or bad is thyroid cancer--why is it so undiagnosed and most people find out that they had anything wrong by mistake? how is your sister now?--should i be woried? my grandfather took thyroid meds, should i get tested? she does not like surgery, she just got over a hip replacement and cataract surgery. when you hear the word of possible cancer--it is scary.

[utahmomma]

I'm going to give you some of my favorite sites that you can look through to get "expert" advice.  I only have personal antidotes.

http://www.endocrineweb.com/
http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/dept/thyroid/

One thing you should know is 95% of thyroid nodules are not cancerous although more "cold" nodules are problematic than "warm" nodules.

Biopsies aren't always conclusive.  It's quite difficult, even with an ultrasound, to make sure that the needle is getting that one little suspicious spot in a nodule that might be problematic.  Having a nodule grow that much is probably making the doctor concerned.

Some doctors will tell you that Hashimoto's means that you can't have thyroid cancer - that's not always true.  My sister was diagnosed with Hashi's and had papillary carcinoma.

It sounds like your mother's doctors are trying to be proactive with her health.  Please read through the web pages I listed above.  There is a lot of vital information contained there.  Ask your mother if you can attend her next doctor's appointment with her and you can ask a lot of informed questions.

I'm not trying to frighten you, just give you some information that could really help you and your mother make some informed decisions (and ask some pertinent questions).

Please let us know.