Aa
Ms.
My doctor's office just called and said i have some spots on my thyroid and that i need to see a specialist, can some one till me anything about the spots. i do have a nice size lump on my neck that wasnt noticable until the doctor point it out and had an ultra sound done on it.
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COMMUNITY LEADER
Do you know if these "spots" could be nodules? A lot of us have nodules on our thyroid and they aren't bothersome. As thyroid-hunter said, the "lump on your neck" is most likely a goiter, which is simply a swollen/enlarged thyroid.
Do you have any lab results that you could post for us? Like maybe TSH, Free T3, Free T4, antibody tests, etc?
While it's often frustrating to get things stabilized, most thyroid issues are "manageable". The majority of us on this forum are on daily thyroid replacement medication.
If you have labs that you could post, please list the tests, their results and the reference ranges, since these ranges vary lab to lab and must come from your own report. If you don't have a copy of the lab report, ask your doctor for one; he is required to provide it upon request. If you have not had labs done, please request them, asap.
Hang in there; things may not be so bleak as you think.
Do you have any lab results that you could post for us? Like maybe TSH, Free T3, Free T4, antibody tests, etc?
While it's often frustrating to get things stabilized, most thyroid issues are "manageable". The majority of us on this forum are on daily thyroid replacement medication.
If you have labs that you could post, please list the tests, their results and the reference ranges, since these ranges vary lab to lab and must come from your own report. If you don't have a copy of the lab report, ask your doctor for one; he is required to provide it upon request. If you have not had labs done, please request them, asap.
Hang in there; things may not be so bleak as you think.
You're welcome for the response, and I apologize I've missed a few days on the Board due to business travel.
To honestly answer your question as straightforward as I can, your thyroid gland is critically important to many aspects of your body and your life. Once diseased, it seldom, if ever, is cured. But 2-5% of the women presenting with hypothyroidism, especially those which are primarily postpartum, are cured. At 53, my age, it's doubtful we will see any "cures" in our lifetime.
So, that mean's managment, and adaptation. These are accomplished in a lot of ways, and need cooperation among your family and friends, physician, and of course - yourself. This can be difficult as I feel the depression in your note. Depression is a natural symptom of long term illnesses like you've suffered already. Diabetes, anxiety, and high blood pressure, along with their meds, will MAKE YOU DEPRESSED. It happens to us all - me too. An virtually everyone on the Thyroid Board who is honest about their condition.
You have to make a tough decision very soon, if not today. ARE you going to fight back, make some changes, seek some support from friends and family, get some answers about your medicall issues and natural things you can do to fight back, OR are you going to just sit back, get worse, and be miserable? This is the clear choice we all face, and you have faced it with your medical issues already. A thyroid problem will unfortunately add to your medical issues, and your choices.
I want to encourage you to become empowered with strengths that you already have. First off, let's realize you don't have a diagnosis of adult onset leukemia or pancreatic cancer, Right? So there are so many, who have it worse, we better keep that in mind.
Second off, you have a good, proactive primary physician. Make sure your specialist is equally as good. I want you to go to ANY physician's office from now on - EMPOWERED. With a written list of questions you want an answer to (and don't leave until you get them!), and also a list of your symptoms and medical problems you want discussed. It's not a laundry list of complaints, just medical issues you need an answer to at that appointment. YOU must take charge of your health, NOBODY else will. If you do, you will find your medical visits will change in character and nature & I guarantee it will be easier for you to medicate when you understand how, what and why you're medicating.
I take multiple meds daily, and I hate it too, but the alternative is worse. If I can do it, as big a baby about this as could possibly exist, you can do it too.
I always relate our situation to the old movie the "Outlaw Josey Wales" when I think of mine and others fight with incurable disease(s). It's when Clint Eastwood rides out to meet Ten Bears, the great Commanche warrior who's already holding some hostages from the innocent Kansas family that has joined him. Before he leaves (important - he goes to face the enemy, not wait or hide - point 1), he tells the Kansas farm family how it really is in a life and death fight. To paraphrase: "......and when things look bad, REALLY bad, that's when you've got to get mean. Deep down mean. Because if you don't - you'll neither fight nor live, and that's the worst it can be."
Hope that point makes sense. Life itself is a fight. The poker players say all they need is a chip and a chair. We've got more than that to work with. Let's get to the Doc and find out exactly what you're fighting, then take it to it.
My Best - Clay
To honestly answer your question as straightforward as I can, your thyroid gland is critically important to many aspects of your body and your life. Once diseased, it seldom, if ever, is cured. But 2-5% of the women presenting with hypothyroidism, especially those which are primarily postpartum, are cured. At 53, my age, it's doubtful we will see any "cures" in our lifetime.
So, that mean's managment, and adaptation. These are accomplished in a lot of ways, and need cooperation among your family and friends, physician, and of course - yourself. This can be difficult as I feel the depression in your note. Depression is a natural symptom of long term illnesses like you've suffered already. Diabetes, anxiety, and high blood pressure, along with their meds, will MAKE YOU DEPRESSED. It happens to us all - me too. An virtually everyone on the Thyroid Board who is honest about their condition.
You have to make a tough decision very soon, if not today. ARE you going to fight back, make some changes, seek some support from friends and family, get some answers about your medicall issues and natural things you can do to fight back, OR are you going to just sit back, get worse, and be miserable? This is the clear choice we all face, and you have faced it with your medical issues already. A thyroid problem will unfortunately add to your medical issues, and your choices.
I want to encourage you to become empowered with strengths that you already have. First off, let's realize you don't have a diagnosis of adult onset leukemia or pancreatic cancer, Right? So there are so many, who have it worse, we better keep that in mind.
Second off, you have a good, proactive primary physician. Make sure your specialist is equally as good. I want you to go to ANY physician's office from now on - EMPOWERED. With a written list of questions you want an answer to (and don't leave until you get them!), and also a list of your symptoms and medical problems you want discussed. It's not a laundry list of complaints, just medical issues you need an answer to at that appointment. YOU must take charge of your health, NOBODY else will. If you do, you will find your medical visits will change in character and nature & I guarantee it will be easier for you to medicate when you understand how, what and why you're medicating.
I take multiple meds daily, and I hate it too, but the alternative is worse. If I can do it, as big a baby about this as could possibly exist, you can do it too.
I always relate our situation to the old movie the "Outlaw Josey Wales" when I think of mine and others fight with incurable disease(s). It's when Clint Eastwood rides out to meet Ten Bears, the great Commanche warrior who's already holding some hostages from the innocent Kansas family that has joined him. Before he leaves (important - he goes to face the enemy, not wait or hide - point 1), he tells the Kansas farm family how it really is in a life and death fight. To paraphrase: "......and when things look bad, REALLY bad, that's when you've got to get mean. Deep down mean. Because if you don't - you'll neither fight nor live, and that's the worst it can be."
Hope that point makes sense. Life itself is a fight. The poker players say all they need is a chip and a chair. We've got more than that to work with. Let's get to the Doc and find out exactly what you're fighting, then take it to it.
My Best - Clay
Thanks for responding. just a little bit about myself, i have diabetes, highblood pressure, anxeity and i am taking about 7 different kinds of meds for these conditions and now i hear about this thyroid, is this thyroid something to worry about can it be cured, i now need a little encouraging words, i am about in tears thinking about another health problem to deal with. i am 53 years old and have too many health problems, also i just found out this passed summer that i am allergic to grass and has to take meds for that also for the rest of my life. please help
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I'm Clay aka Thyroid Hunter, and there are a lot of people on this site who have similar sounding problems.
First off, you have a pro-active doctor in having an early ultrasound. The "nice size lump on my neck", isn't a lump on your neck, it's a lump on your thyroid gland, it's called a goiter, and almost 9% of the people in this nation have it in some form or another. Only about 15% of those have one large enough to be noticeable.
Size DOESN'T matter, or mean Cancer, or anything like that. Most likely, the specialist your physician will be sending you too is an "Endocrinologist", or a specilist in metabolic and immune diseases. This would include diseases like diabetes and pituatary problems.
The specialist will look at your ultrasound, and from there may do any number, or all, of several things. 1st - The specialist may order a very detailed series of blood tests which will include specific tests for your thyroid. During your appointment, I might suggest you ask the physician to order a "minerals" panel to look at the mineral levels in your body as well. Your physician may have other tests he wants to run - I would just encourage you to ask questions about why and how the tests are run on you, and the side effects, if any they'll bring.
You have not mentioned any "symptoms" other than the lump on your throat. Did you present to your physician with just the lump as the reason for the visit? Or do you have other symptoms that are at issue?
Depending upon the "texture", "location" and "number" of "spots", (which may be adenomas, tumors, cyst(s), and/or nodules, He may want to order a fine needle biopsy to determine if there is any cancer. At this point, a surgical specialist usually enters the picture, and like any other provider of service, you need to get more than 1 opinion prior to decision making.
I hope this helps.