Mostly benign but some atypical....

[AngieR23]

I had a thyroid nodule discovered back in Oct. of 2010 from an MRI performed for a cervical spine injury. My primary care DR. set up an appt. with an ENT who suggested an US and needle biopsy. I had to have emergency surgery regarding the spiinal injury 3 days before my US and biopsy. After the spinal surgery, I was left with a very large scar and had to wait for it to heal enough to reschedule the biopsy.
I had the biopsy and US oerformed on Wed.(1/19)  The person performing the biopsy said it was very large and was also very vascular and he normally didnt see one this large in someone so young.(I am 35) The statement on the MRI was a large heterogenous lesion in the left neck measuring 3.4x 4.3x 5.4 cm, arises from the left thyroid nodule
The ENT said most cells were benign but some of the cells found were atypical. He then proceeded to tell me a man had these same results a week ago and had the surgery and his growth was cancerous. I have had numerous blood draws with all thyroid levels in the normal range. The ENT said it was my decision to have this surgery and told me to think about it and give him a call back. He suggested we wait 3 months, do another US and see if it has grown....how much bigger does he want it to be. I want it out, but I have no clue if this is the right decision.
I will have to wait at least another month for the neurologist over my spinal case to clear me for this surgery, so I have no choice but to think about it, heck all I do is think about it.
So can anyone chime in with some advice that has had to deal with this. My Mom has Hashimotos but my thyroid isnt overactive and her growth was non cancerous and shrunk with radiation therapy so the advice she can give me is GET IT OUT, which of course is what any family member will say. I just want objective opinions from someone who has been there.
Thanks for any help,
Angie

[MANmom]

The size and vascularity are a concern, I believe the odds are 20% or so for cancer.  Are you OK with 1 in 5 odds?  It is pretty big, it probably won't shrink and it isn't going to go away.  Can they take out the 1/2 of the thyroid with the nodule?  Then you could find out for sure, and if there is no cancer, you still have 1/2 a thyroid.  By the way, many drugs cause a false-positive ANA, amoung them birth control pills, and several anti-biotics, such as Cefzil.  If you are on birth control pills or were given anti-biotics during surgery you may have a false-positive.  Get rid of all drugs and have them check you again after you have been off all drugs for a couple months.  Your sore throat and hoarseness can be attributed to the thyroid nodule, mine was.  I, too, woke up drenched in sweat and had hot/cold spells, joint pain, wacky periods, and irritable moments. My blood pressure spiked, and it was all due to my thyroid.  The FNA results told me I had "benign follicular clusters" but couldn't tell me whether or not it was cancer. I had 1/2 taken out, they did find cancer, so I had it all removed.  I have never felt better, my hoarseness is gone, as is my joint pain.  I had elbows that were sore for years, I couldn't even pick up a gallon of milk with one hand, since surgery I am back to picking up two at once.  It does take a while to regulate meds, but once you find the right dose, you will feel better.  I am not trying to steer you one way or the other, but I wanted you to know how similar our cases are.  By the way, a PA once told me I had Lupus due to a false ANA panel, I was panicked!  Then I googled it and found that information on false-positives.  I have since been tested twice, no Lupus, but Hashimotos.  Good luck.

[AngieR23]

Thanks for your answer. You were right, I called my Mom and she had hyperthyroidism not hypo. I am going to talk with my GP Monday and ask for my lab results and get him to get me a copy of the stuff the ENT has. He is a very awesome GP and is the type who will do anything for his pts.
I know what you mean by the "normal" thing, especially by reading what some of you guys have been through.
I have had several appts with rheumatologists due to many blood tests coming back with
high ANA levels but they never could find anything, gave me a diagnosis of fibromyalgia which seems to have some or most of the same symtoms someone with a thyroid problem has. I have no idea what they tested for, I was just told everything checked out fine when they did bloodwork.
I'm sick of being told everything is fine when I don't feel fine. I constantly have a sore throat, get hoarse very easily, awful bone and muscle aches, heaaches, tired all the time, sometimes I even have this feeking like my eyes are about to explode. I have to constantly use eye drops because my eyes always feel so dry. I also have many nights when I wake up drenched in sweat and sometimes I feel too hot and other times I cant seem to get warm. And don't get me started on the mood swings.... especially a week before my period. I am completely irrational and downright mean sometimes. I hate this because I have 3 kids who don't deserve to be yelled at because "its just one of those days".All this I described has been going on for as long as I can remember,
I really want this out but then I'm afraid I will be one of the many whose Dr's mess up during surgery or cant regulate my meds correctlty after the surgery. Heck, Im just scared all around.

[Barb135]

The first thing I'd say is "if there are atypical cells, don't wait", but that's just my thought, because I'm not big on leaving "iffy" things in my body to "grow up" - that might not be pleasant.

Do you have a copy of the lab report for your thyroid hormone tests?  "Normal" usually doesn't impress us very much, because a lot of people are determined to be "normal" on the labs, simply because they fall within the ranges that lab uses, but they still have issues. We like to see the results and references ranges ourselves.  Some of us don't trust a lot of doctors too much either......... LOL

You might be confused - Hashimoto's is generally associated with having an under active thyroid, (hypothyroidism); and  many of us (apparently, including your mother) have nodules on our thyroid that aren't cause for concern.  Have you been tested for Hashimoto's? That would require tests for Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TGab).  If you haven't been, you should be......