is this finding definitely cancer? All blood work normal and no hasimotos

[Grandmasdog]

FINDINGS: The right lobe of the thyroid gland measures 5.7 x 2.2 x 2.3 cm and the left lobe of
the thyroid gland measures 4.4 x 1.3 x 3.9 cm. The isthmus measures 8 mm in thickness. There
is an irregular hypoechoic region within the lower pole of the right thyroid gland that measures
2.3 x 1.4 x 2.3 cm. It has irregular superior margins and increased color blood flow. This
is suspicious for possible malignancy. No other nodules are identified. This extends into the
right isthmus which is partially responsible for the increased depth

[Barb135]

I'm glad to hear that all went well with the biopsy and that part of your stress is over with.  I'm sure you'll be nervous waiting for results, but as my mother used to say: "Don't go looking for trouble; it finds us easy enough on its own..."

I would tend to agree with the doctor in regards to the x-rays, but it's hard to say; if one is prone to thyroid cancer, that could enough to tip the scales.  In the future, be sure to ask for a thyroid shield to be on the safe side.  

I'm happy I was able to help out.  I'll be here, waiting to see how it all turns out for you.   Good luck...

[Grandmasdog]

Barb, i seem to have developed a dry cough that just wont stop...i cough most of the night and am still at it! Its sort of like a tickle at the back of my throat. I found some Riccola i had left over from January and has been letting them melt in my mouth but the tickle amd the clearing of the throat is still there. Since I’ve had the nodule I’ve always had the clearing of the throat but now this cough is so aggravating. Do you think the cough is because of the FNA? Should i be concerned?

[Grandmasdog]

Barb, i seem to have developed a dry cough that just wont stop...i cough most of the night and am still at it! Its sort of like a tickle at the back of my throat. I found some Riccola i had left over from January and has been letting them melt in my mouth but the tickle amd the clearing of the throat is still there. Since I’ve had the nodule I’ve always had the clearing of the throat but now this cough is so aggravating. Do you think the cough is because of the FNA? Should i be concerned?

[Barb135]

The cough could be related to the biopsy - most likely is.  Has it gotten any better yet?  It should get better over the next couple of days, but if not be sure to mention it to the endo when you see her/him on Thurs because it does seem like too much of a coincidence for it to just show up now after you've had the biopsy.  Be sure to drink plenty of water and stay hydrated, as well; that might help.

[Grandmasdog]

Hi Barb, just checking in to let you know the cough must have been some kind of fluke because as terrible and consistent as it was shortly after I posted last it went away and hasn't returned. But I did drink a LOT of water! But I still have the constant clearing of the throat and I also noticed that now I can actually see the right lobe of my thyroid swollen. It may be because of the FNA because its right above the injection site and the swelling extends right into the nodule on my isthmus.  I was surprised that the doc went through the right lobe to extract the samples she needed from the nodule in the middle of my neck instead of going directly through the nodule itself which is in the middle of my neck. Most of the soreness has faded and outside of a really bad day of fatigue yesterday I feel fine. I see the Endo tomorrow and should have my test results on friday! Update coming soon! I almost don't wanna know!

[Grandmasdog]

Hi Barb, I saw the endocrinologist yesterday, yesterday I exhaledshe does not belong to the network of doctors I've been seeing for health care so I had to take her records of all my labs, including a CBC I had done on monday for my Rhuematologist. She listen to my story of how the nodule came about, she had me raise my hands over my head and cross them over, asked me does that make me lightheaded, i said yes and she told me my entire thyroid has to come out and to have my doc fax her the results of the FNA! Never once did she look at the labs or the CD that I brought to her.
Needless to say she wont see me again!
So after that I went to my standing quarterly appointment with my Rhuematologist. I dont think I mentioned that I have mixed connective tissue disease in which has cause my retinas to become detached and sclera buckle surgery to repair them, it has caused me to have solar urticaria and I take a ton of meds plus a monthly shot just to go outside in the daytime, just recently becone allergic to 5 different kinds of grass, box elder maples, ragweed, bur weed, thistles and others I cant remember which causes my sinuses to swell...more meds, I have chronic pain, soreness and stiffness every day of my life and today my Rhuematologist told me my ESR was 82 (normal is 1-20) and I may have fibromyalgia, so her ran more tests. With all that going on you can see why the thought of cancer scared the crap out of me!
When I told my Rhuemy about the nodule he looked at all my lab work that had been done for the thyroid, he examined me and he had his nurse go find out if the pathology report was in...it was...NEGATIVE FOR MALIGNANCY!
“Consistent with granulomatous (subacute) thyroiditis”  Bethesda Classifications: 11 Bengin! Hallelujah!
My Rhuemy Doc  said this may go away on its own but referred me to another endo doc for further evaluation! So yesterday I exhaled for the first time in over a month plus i was hungry haha...i hadnt realized that i wasnt eating! But today all is well!

[Grandmasdog]

I dont know why part of my ending paragraph is mixed in with my beginning paragraph...probably cause im using my cell phone?

[Barb135]

Your labs do look okay, except next time you get thyroid labs make sure they order Free T3, not Total T3, which is pretty much obsolete and doesn't really tell much of anything.  

Wow - I'm really glad you went ahead and talked to your son... apparently, he's in the medical field?  That's awesome!!  

It's possible that allergies could cause the throat issues to be worse, as well.

Another thing to think about since you have allergies is food... you could have food allergies/intolerances you aren't aware of.  Gluten and lactose are the most common, but there are certainly others.  You might want to discuss that with the allergist, as well.

Again, I'm so glad you discussed the whole thing with your son.  Our children can be much more comforting than we give them credit...  I'm glad you don't need the Xanax with his support; I hoped it might work that way.   :-)

Please let me know how the biopsy turns out and keep me posted on your progress.

[Grandmasdog]

Had my biopsy this morning. Neck a little sore not bad though. Doc say she should have results in 5-7 days! Im hopeful that things are gonna be okay! The staff there were extremely comforting and made my short stay pleasant! Im nervous and excited now and not so much fearful especially since the doc say she doubt those xrays would have done any serios damage such as cancer! I go see the endocrinologist on thursday. I’ll be back once i get the results...thanks for keeping me company while i stressed out! You’re a true gem!

[Grandmasdog]

Resultstop
BUN/CREATININE Laboratory: ACL
22-Mar-2018 11:41 BUN 12 mg/dl Range: 6-20
CREATININE 0.77 mg/dl Range: 0.51-0.95
GFR EST.AFRICAN AMER >90 Comments: eGFR results = or >90 mL/min/1.73m2 = Normal kidney function.
GFR EST.NONAFRI AMER 83 Comments: eGFR 60 - 89 mL/min/1.73m2 = Mild decrease in kidney function.
BUN/CREATININE RATIO 16 Range: 7-25
T4, FREE Laboratory: ACL
22-Mar-2018 11:41 FREE T4 1.1 ng/dl Range: 0.8-1.5
TSH Laboratory: ACL
22-Mar-2018 11:41 TSH 0.841 {mcUnits/mL} Range: 0.350-5.000
TOTAL T3 Laboratory: ACL
22-Mar-2018 11:41 TOTAL T3 1.21 ng/ml Range: 0.60-1.81
THYROID ANTIBODY Laboratory: ACL
22-Mar-2018 11:41 THYROGLOBULIN ANTIBODY <0.9 {IU/ml} Range: 0.0-4.0
Comments: Beckman Coulter Access DxI
Chemiluminescence Immunoassay
ANTI-MICROSOMAL AB 43 {UNITS/ML} Range: <60
Since my last report im doing much better! My son knows and he actually was able to get me in for a earlier appointment for the biopsy which is tomorrow morning! (He knows people in high places i guess)! Also i saw an allergist about my sinus and it turns out im allergic to very nearly every thing thats growing outside and my puppy rolls around out there then plays with me when he come in and it aggrevates my condition! My son also got me in to see an endocrinologist on thursday this week too whereas befor it was scheduled for July! I dont know how come i was so fearful about discussing my issue with my son...he was just the strength i needed! Thank you again! BTW my doc only gave me 10 zanax and they were gone in 2 days but im ok without them now!

[Barb135]

Well, you have the dentist issue right... fnd a different one before you have anymore work done on that crown.

As for your family; go ahead and talk to your son even though you don't "know" your diagnosis.  It doesn't hurt to let him help shoulder the burden; you shouldered his burdens the whole time he was growing up, now it's his turn.  I don't like to worry my kids either, but they get upset with me/us if we aren't forthcoming with information that could be devastating in the long run. We went through that last summer when my husband was ill and he chose not to share the situation... Our daughter got very upset because she "wanted" to be here to help support us in our time of need.  Of course, that decision is always your own.

I think the counseling is always a good idea when we have issues like this, especially if we have family problems or lack of support.  

Xanax can be a good thing but it's hard to get off, also.  

You mentioned early in the thread that your thyroid hormone levels are good, but I didn't really ask about them.  Many times results can fall within normal limits, but they aren't really "good" and we actually have hypothyroidism which can cause sleep and anxiety issues.  If you care to post your results with the corresponding reference ranges, I'd be happy to look at them and let you know what I think.  My doctor just increased my dosage on "perfectly good" lab values because I had a ton of symptoms which indicated that those values were not right for me...  The thyroid can be a very touchy organ and if things are out of whack, we aren't going to feel right no matter what the lab says.

[Barb135]

You have the right to request a thyroid shield from your dentist when they do x-rays if they don't offer one.  By all means, if you're still having trouble with the tooth, discuss this with your doctor, but whenever you have dental x-rays insist on the thyroid shield.  That said, if the dentist can't seem to get this crown right, it might be time for a different dentist.  I would discuss this with my doctor prior to having more dental work done, though.  The pain could be coming from either the tooth or the thyroid area or a combination.

As far as support, that's what we're here for and we'll gladly do whatever we can; however, I might suggest that you reach out to your son... our children can be a great source of comfort to us, in times of need, even when we don't expect it.  Of course, that's your decision depending on your overall relationship with him.  My children often surprise me.

[Grandmasdog]

Thanks again Barb, i have already decided that i would not be going back to that dentist pratice. They badically use dentist whos just graduated dental school and the dental assistants are still in school to become an assistant. I think they are just not trained right. As far as insisting on the shield ...it just never occurred to me ...i just took it for granted that they knew what they were doing!  When I was got those result  I had to Google what would cause thyroid cancer and radiation was one of those things that came up and that is what made me think about all those times I had the dental x-rays and the lead vest was never used I do know about the vest because I have had it used on me before in a previous dentist office i used to visit whos retired now! It just never occurred to me to ask and im usuallsy pretty sharp about stuff like that.
Also i have a wonderful son  and we have a great relationship very strong bond but I didn’t want to say anything to him until I was sure.
Might I add that in my family I am usually the rock whenever somebody sick it is me going back-and-forth to the doctor with them when somebody is in the hospital its me who sleeps at the hospital with them when somebody is dying it is me who is there holding their hand but out of the same family, I have mentioned my concerns and fears to them and I cant get not one to even have a conversation with me they all to busy or just dont answer my phone calls or texts.  I guess they think that I’m not supposed to get sick so they blow me off .  Mind you I have a sister who died from colon cancer and a sister who currently has breast cancer and another sister who currently have lung cancer and I have given them 100% support more so than their own children since they have been sick even now they called me for things that they need but when I try to talk about my issue its never important to them they cut me off and talk about Their situation!  And I’m sort of a shrinking violet so I let them have their way ! I think I endure a lot of stress because of my family and I just can’t seem to get any one to even try to understand how i feel. I think maybe that’s one of the things that’s driving my depression. But  One thing I did do, i started going to a Christian counseling center for support and have been having two visits a week for the last couple weeks so that I can vent about that situation with my family and is helping me some but I still can’t sleep.  I called my primary care doctor yesterday and she sent me a prescription for Xanax to the pharmacy so I’ll pick that up today and hopefully i can sleep through the night!

[Barb135]

No, it isn't definitely cancer.  "Suspicious for possible malignancy" means there's a chance it's cancer, but there's also a chance it's not cancer.  Cancer can't be definitively diagnosed with ultrasound; it can only be diagnosed via biopsy, commonly known as FNA (Fine Needle Aspiration) where they look at the cells to determine whether they are actually cancer cells.

If you don't have a time set up for the FNA, you should contact your doctor to get one set up.

Good luck and let us know what you find out.  If there are any questions we can answer for you, please feel free to ask.

[Grandmasdog]

Barb thank you...im at the very precipice of a nervous breakdown! In addtion to the findings the right side of my head and neck has been sore for about 8 weeks. I have double vision in my right  eye, a swollen nasal cavity on the right side which bleeds or runs clear salty water at random, swollen lymph nodes on the right side of my neck and periodic pain in my right ear! I havent slept 3 hours straight in a week since i got those results! The ct scan basically said in addition to the nodule i had either a swollen cyst or swollen lymph node under the thyroid. I have a FNA scheduled 3 weeks from today and if i dont collapse from the not knowing ill be back to post the outcome. It  really means a lot that someone in cyberspace cares about my thyroid the doctors don’t seem to be that concerned. Again thank you!

[Barb135]

I'm so sorry to hear you're going through all of this.  I know it has to be very nerve-wracking for you.  It's not unusual for a swollen thyroid (goiter) cause neck and/or ear pain.  The problem with nasal cavity may/may not be related.

I understand that 3 weeks for the biopsy seems like a long time when you'd have liked to have it done yesterday and have this all over with.

Anxiety makes pain worse, so I know it might seem like it's easy for me to say (trust me, it isn't), try to relax and stay as calm as you can. I'm sure you know that not sleeping makes it all a lot worse.  

I don't know if it will help or not, but thyroid cancer (if you have it) is one of the easiest cancers to cure. They remove the thyroid and cancer goes with it. Sometimes they recommend that you do Radioactive Iodine (RAI) treatment after thyroidectomy, but not always. People recover from thyroidectomy all the time.

I'm on here quite often, so if you want to talk or if you have questions, I'll be glad to try to answer them.

[Grandmasdog]

Much love to you for your kind reassuring response! I probably wouldn’t be as nervous except that i had 10 xrays done on tooth number 7 within a six month period and no lead vest was ever used...and then this started in month number 7 and the dentist still havent got the crown right gor this tooth cause now its loose and they want to rrplace it again for the fourth time...i declined because of all this isdues im having on the right side exactly where tooth number 7 is.  I know it’s a very low dose of radiation but I think 10 within a six-month period Might be the reason why I’m believing I might have cancer !  On top of that I have virtually no support system I have one son who is 38 and I haven’t even discussed my issue with him yet .