anyone else with these crazy symptoms?

[memaw50]

ENT found a 2.2 x 1.4 x 1.5cm nodule on my right thyroid. went for ultrasound and he says that it is a hard solid mass, and he wants it out now...I also have 4 smaller ones on the left lobe. He said on a scale a 10 needs to be removed, a 15 is likely to be cancer and mine is a 22 and there is no treatment, it has to be removed. I am scheduled for a right lobectomy on Jan 16th, I go for a thyroid scan (body scan) barium swallow and other tests Jan, 8th. My ENT thinks it is cancer, he was very honest with me, He said the size, hardness and other things seen on the ultrasound made him think it is cancer and has to come out.  I had gastric bypass 6 years ago and have had PTH scores in the 135 area for the past 2 years. I imagine my parathyroids are involved since the PTH is so high. I am 50 years old and had symptoms including a bad cough since early spring of this year , my general DR has never checked my thyroid. I went to see the ENT on my own because I was tired of fooling with my gen DR. My ENT said a FNA wasn''t neccessary, he  wouldn't trust the results. I have been treated for depression, fibromyalgia, horrible bone pain and pnemonia for the past year. I am scared. I am exhausted all the time. I want this darn thing out, wish he would take the whole thing since there are nodules on the left side also.. Has anyone else had this scenario? Please....also, I keep smelling cigarette smoke ( I don't smoke)...sometimes It smells like soured sugar water, sometimes like smoke,,,sometimes a dead smell, ( I don''t have a sinus infection, thats what I went to see ENT about , also ears are clear, no fluid or infection) also lightheaded and dizzy since late October, sounds crazy,,maybe  I am crazy..I am worried, but trying to be strong. How bad is the thyroid surgery? really honestly how bad?

[Nyxie63]

This may sound like kind of a silly question, but have you been tested for Lyme and co-infections?  A lot of your symptoms sound similar.  Then again, a lot of symptoms from a lot of things sound like a lot of other things.  

Anyhoo, good luck and hope you're feeling better soon. :)

[flyers1]

I agree that you should have the whole thing out.  My fnb suggested pap ca in the left lobe. The ultrasound showed a 1cm lesion on the left but the right is fine. My surgeon only removed the left even after I requested the entire thing out if there was any suspicion of ca. He said that the right was good based on the u/s and when feeling he didn't feel anything so he was not going to remove healthy tissue. He also stated that the ca was completely encapsulated and all of the surrounding tissue was healthy. I am 39 and apparently that is in my favor. The endo agreed. I was not comfortable with this dicission because everything that they had said up until then was that both would have to be removed if it was ca. The frozen section that they did while I was under also showed the nodule to be suspicious. I was furious that they didn't take the whole thing. I went for a second opinion (at a diff hosp) and she wanted her patholgy people to see the biopsy slides. After their review she told me that it was a low grade pap, no angio invasion, 1 focus, stage 1, 1 cm. I don't quite remember what all of that ment but she said that this was the least worrysome out of all of the thyroid ca. She didn't feel it was necessary for me to go through the surgery again to remove the other side. She will follow me every 6 months with u/s and blood work. I still don't have peace of mind.

As for the surgery, I can not take pain meds so I had a difficult time for the first week. Each day did get easier. Good luck to you. I hope that this helps. Peace of mind helps to get through it.

[Joni65]

Howdy

I agree 100 % with utahmomma to push for the entire thyroid to be removed!!  I had a Total thyroidectomy on 12/21/07 due to a nodule in my right thyroid which tested positive for Papillary Carcinoma from a FNA on 12/11/07.  When the final surgical pathologic report came back it showed
1.  Papillary adenocarcinoma in the Right Thyroid
2.  Follicular - Variant Papillary adenocarcinoma in the Left Thyroid
3.  Metastatic thyroid papillary carcinoma to two of the three lymph nodes

We were surprised that it came back like this, but I am so HAPPY that the surgeon removed all of it!  

Well, I am 42 years old and I developed a productive cough with clear sputum around 10/25/07 and my CXR was normal, but it still remains.  I have been on 2 rounds of antibiotics, Abuterol inhaler, a medication called singular and antihistamines.  I am going to push now for further tests since I was just informed 1/3/08 of the surgical pathology report!  

The surgery is not that bad!  I had a swollen neck, sore throat, and some neck discomfort, but they give you pain medication to make you more comfortable.  Just make sure it you start to feel tingling or the pins and needles sensation to let the nurse know right away because sometimes after surgery the parathyroid glands dont work correctly at first and your Calcium will drop!  The nurse will give you calcium and it will go away!  Just keep a look out for it because it can sneak up on you very fast!  I went back to work one week after my surgery and felt GREAT!  

I hope everything goes well, and keep us posted on what is going on!  

Joni

[utahmomma]

I had the surgery twice.  Push for the entire thyroid to be removed - mine was a fluke (they found cancer after I was in recovery so I had to have the other half out a year later).  The surgery(s) are the easiest surgery I've ever had (and I've had 8 total).  Recovery wasn't a big deal.   Tell the surgeon to get the entire thing out because if you will need RAI (if it is cancerous) you can't have part of your thyroid

[DLA]

Pretty much running the gambit of thyroid problems have read on here often.  One of my ideas about the smell is that any kind of thyroid problem increases your sense of smell like nobody's business.  It also increases your hearing.  Especially high pitched noises.

Can't help you with the surgery part, didn't have that, but most of them on here don't seem to have much problem.  As a matter of fact some of them have been on the board in the hospital right after surgery.  Truly.

Dac

[ChitChatNine]

I have seen others on the forum speak of smelling cig. smoke!!!!!  Maybe do a search!!!!!

Usually if the one side tests cancerous during the surgery they do a TT right then and there .. I would ask the ENT about that as an option????  If the hard nodule IS cancer I'd want that other side out 1-2-3 w/o hesitation or doubts at all ... after all, the cells can travel thru the isthus and I was told 30% of the time they can travel and do travel ?????

Cheryl (partial .. my froz. pathology was benign and it was 48hrs later two small ones were pap ca)