can anyone help me understand this?

[chey099]

Im new to this forum so let me share some of me with you..I'm 53 years old with 3 great kids and 3 step kids..between me and my hubby we have 13 grandkids with one on the way...and i thought
Christmas would get cheaper when the kids grew up...lol..My husband and i both have our own harleys and love riding to rallys..
13 years ago i had my thyroid removed because of cancer..I started taking synthroid and for 12 years i had no problems..For the last year my tsh level has been changing..Its now 8.110 and my t4 is good  0.94.. I've been repeatedly told that my tsh levels could be caused due to me getting older...I have a new dr. and he ordered an ultrasound..they found in the expected location of the right lobe of the thyroid gland a hypoechoic area measuring 1.1x0.8x.06 cm.. This could be caused my recurrent/residual disease and lymph node or postoperative scarring..so the dr ordered  a cat scan.. now on that it says there appears to be residual tissue at the right love.  the nasopharynx and oropharynx are within normal limits..no enhancing mass or lesion..no abnormal fluid collection the larynx is unremarkable..there are nonspecific subcentimerer lymph nodes at the jugulodigastric area. no significant parapharyngeal or cervical lymphoadenopathy is identified.. impression...finding is indicative of residual thyroid tissue at the right lobe..A recurrent thyroid carcinoma cannot be totally excluded...now i'm going for another scan..wbs with iodine 131..
There are nonspecific subcentimeter lymph nodes at the jugulodigastric area...
  what the heck is going on with me?? anyone have a clue..i haven't even seen my family dr. since he ordered the ultrasound...Does any of this make sense to any of you?? I'm driving myself crazy...

[chey099]

thank you or your help...God willing, it will just be scar tissue....

[AR-10]

If you had a total thyroidectomy without RAI after the operation, it'd possible that thyroid tissue has regrown. The thyroid has a limited ability to regrow tissue. It would take years to grow a significant ammount, and that may be what you have done.

Or, it may be risidual tissue from the operation. The only way to remove all the tissue surgically is to remove the vocal cords and nerves that you need.

Hopefully that is the case and it is not a recurrance of cancer. The nonspecific subcentimeter lymph nodes are mumbo jumbo to me. Sorry. There is a member by the name of 898 that may be able to explain that to you, or someone else may know.

I wish you the best with your upcoming tests, and welcome to the board.

[chey099]

Thanks for answering..no i never had a RAI treatment before...i wondered if maybe they didn't do them then...If i had a T3 test, i don't know what the levels were

[AR-10]

When you had your thyroidectomy thirteen years ago, did you have RAI treatment afterwards?

Have you had a Free T3 test lately to go with your Free T4 test?