I'm new to this area of HW. about a year ago I started seeing a rheumatologist. He noted during my initial exam that my thyroid felt enlarged. I followed up with my primary and he sent me to an endocrinologist. She did bloodwork and ordered an ultrasound. She said function was normal and I had nodules. She said to come back in 6 months for a checkup. I had my checkup this week and was a bit alarmed when she started talking about it needing to be removed at some point. She gave me the option to do it now or wait. After inquiring why this was required, she described at least 4 nodules and said the overall size of both glands was over 6cm and average is 4. She said if she waits until it gets to 7 and sends me to a surgeon, they will say we shouldn't have waited so long. I said I'd rather check it out in another 6 months. After thinking about it and talking to my wife (and considering my max out of pocket is covered for the year already) I decided to just do it. I did more reading yesterday about nodules and cancer and I am feeling better and better about the decision. I just thought I'd drop in here, share my story, and see if there are other things I need to consider. The diagnosis on my test orders refers to non-toxic multinodular goiter. My family wants me to "drink the iodine" as my dad did, but in my reading it seems that treatment is not even approved for my diagnosis. I believe his diagnosis was graves. My mom and others in her family have hashi.
So that's my story and I'm stuck with it.
Did the Endo do another ultrasound and see that the nodules are growing at your recent checkup? I see you have a consult on the 30th--will be interested to hear what is decided then.
I'm very new to thyroid issues. Nodules were an incidental finding, biopsy was taken, follow up ultrasound showed no growth, I had no symptoms, so a year later the dr did bloodwork. Oops! I'm a mess and need to be on medication now! I went to a different dr who agreed on the medication, so that's all I'm doing and it seems to work well for me.
A friend gave me a book about drinking iodine. There was even one line in the book that described my situation and said Don't Drink It. I was thankful for that!
Sorry you are stuck with this story to add to your other stories.
Subclinical Hyperthyroidism; Sleep Apnea; Shoulder Impingement Syndrome.
Posterior C3 - C7 laminectomy and fusion 2 rods and 10 screws, local bone graft from surgery site-lamina and other bony tissue 12/17/2013
Thankful for my husband of over 40 years
I'm very new to thyroid issues. Nodules were an incidental finding, biopsy was taken, follow up ultrasound showed no growth, I had no symptoms, so a year later the dr did bloodwork. Oops! I'm a mess and need to be on medication now! I went to a different dr who agreed on the medication, so that's all I'm doing and it seems to work well for me.
A friend gave me a book about drinking iodine. There was even one line in the book that described my situation and said Don't Drink It. I was thankful for that!
Sorry you are stuck with this story to add to your other stories.
Subclinical Hyperthyroidism; Sleep Apnea; Shoulder Impingement Syndrome.
Posterior C3 - C7 laminectomy and fusion 2 rods and 10 screws, local bone graft from surgery site-lamina and other bony tissue 12/17/2013
Thankful for my husband of over 40 years
The surgeon said he is just a hired gun. My doctor decided it should come out. Then he got a bit more serious and we talked about the size, growth, nodules on both sides, the possibility of cancer and the increased complications with further growth. So it's coming out on the 18th.
I am comfortable with the decision, but I definitely have some anxiety about the procedure. I'll be 40 in a couple months and this will be my first surgery. Still hoping to get my other nerve block in before the surgery, but I don't want to do it less than a week before. So I'm fast running out of time to fit that in.
Genetic fusion of C4-5, 3 bulged discs nearby. Myofascial pain from the mid back up. Crohn's and RA dx'd. Humira, Robaxin, Relafen, Norco and Methotrexate for the above. Zoloft, Valium for the mental aspects. And some omeprozol to control heartburn.
I am comfortable with the decision, but I definitely have some anxiety about the procedure. I'll be 40 in a couple months and this will be my first surgery. Still hoping to get my other nerve block in before the surgery, but I don't want to do it less than a week before. So I'm fast running out of time to fit that in.
Genetic fusion of C4-5, 3 bulged discs nearby. Myofascial pain from the mid back up. Crohn's and RA dx'd. Humira, Robaxin, Relafen, Norco and Methotrexate for the above. Zoloft, Valium for the mental aspects. And some omeprozol to control heartburn.
Country Dad, I suggest you also share this back in Chronic Pain. There will be lots of interest there. Hope the timing works out for you to get the nerve block very soon.
Subclinical Hyperthyroidism; Sleep Apnea; Shoulder Impingement Syndrome.
Posterior C3 - C7 laminectomy and fusion 2 rods and 10 screws, local bone graft from surgery site-lamina and other bony tissue 12/17/2013
Thankful for my husband of over 40 years
Subclinical Hyperthyroidism; Sleep Apnea; Shoulder Impingement Syndrome.
Posterior C3 - C7 laminectomy and fusion 2 rods and 10 screws, local bone graft from surgery site-lamina and other bony tissue 12/17/2013
Thankful for my husband of over 40 years
Thanks Abilene. The doctor doing the nerve blocks called me back that day and I got clearance from the surgeon and had the other nerve block done on Thursday. This nerve block was more painful than the last and I feel much more soreness in the days following. I'm glad I got it done more than 2 weeks out from this surgery so I have some time to heal.
One question on the thyroid surgery, and I will be checking this with my surgeon, but one of the nurses on Thursday said they thought I would have to stop taking the Methotrexate for a week or 2 before the surgery.
Genetic fusion of C4-5, 3 bulged discs nearby. Myofascial pain from the mid back up. Crohn's and RA dx'd. Humira, Robaxin, Relafen, Norco and Methotrexate for the above. Zoloft, Valium for the mental aspects. And some omeprozol to control heartburn.
One question on the thyroid surgery, and I will be checking this with my surgeon, but one of the nurses on Thursday said they thought I would have to stop taking the Methotrexate for a week or 2 before the surgery.
Genetic fusion of C4-5, 3 bulged discs nearby. Myofascial pain from the mid back up. Crohn's and RA dx'd. Humira, Robaxin, Relafen, Norco and Methotrexate for the above. Zoloft, Valium for the mental aspects. And some omeprozol to control heartburn.
I know some of the post are old but they still apply to thyroid and surgery so I am telling my story as well.
Several years ago during a routine check up and blood work, my PCP told me that I had an elevated PTH and that it needed to be monitored. Several test were ordered. Urine 24hr test, PTH test, calcium test, bone density test and some other test I can't remember. After the results, it was told to me that my PTH level was 147 but that the other test were normal so they would take a Wait and See approach to the elevated level. That was six years ago and since that time to make a long story short...I have had several endo doctors who monitored the levels over the last 6 years and continued the testing and monitoring with PTH levels going from 147 to 200 to 245 to 289 to 276 and then the whopper 311 and then 400.
311 PTH was March 2020 where a biopsy was done on the thyroid nodules discovered after doctor said during a swallow test thyroid was swollen. After all that testing and x rays and more testing and x rays Covid broke out and that was the end of that. The hospital in Chicago would not even let me come in for anything and told me to stay away but did do video visits to monitor the issue based on what I told them about coughing, swallowing difficulties, bone pain, osteopenia issues and all of that. I suffered so bad for the last two years during this plague of a pandemic, but at the beginning of the year, I braved the elements and returned to the hospital for a complete check of my blood, my thyroid, my bones, my calcium levels, my PTH levels and everything that was involved.
I could not avoid the surgery any longer and set it up for Feb-1-22.
The doctors made sure to keep giving me Covid test before surgery and said this was something they did for each and every patient. I guess they had to make sure that the person getting surgery did not have Covid and honestly they did not care if you had been vaccinated, had not been vaccinated, had boosters or not. Everybody was given several Covid test before surgery. I thought this was great and had actually gotten real comfortable with the surgery coming up as I was suffering so bad and it was unbearable. I sometimes could not even stand up for a long period of time and I was always exhausted and tired.
The hospital in Chicago sent a service car to pick me up the day of the surgery. They did not want me to drive myself. Everything was going smoothly until check in when they asked me to remove my N95 mask and gave me one of those flimsy medical mask to put on. I was so angry seeing as how everybody in the hospital had on N95 mask but they took mine and gave me a flimsy mask. Hmmmmm
Anyway after that, several doctors involved in the surgery came and went and finally I was taken in for surgery and according to my family who kept calling and the doctors, everything went fine.
During recovery, I was moved to a brand new wing in the Chicago hospital and I had a private room where more doctors kept checking vitals and looked after me but during the night after surgery a patient was admitted and coughed all night and I mean exactly that.
The next day I was discharged and a service car again came to take me home and during a snow storm in Chicago....how cool was that?
I got home and my family started taking care of me and can you believe it but after everyone in my bubble who I interacted with and ONLY with them....having done all the proper things and followed a strict protocol and nobody got the plague Covid virus for two years.......on Feb 5....5 days after the surgery.....everybody in the house got Covid. I could not believe it. We never got Covid for two years but as soon as I went to an actual hospital for surgery....returned home.....never went anywhere except my bubble of family and they never went anywhere except on the balcony of the house.......I gave everybody Covid. Imagine that.
I have a scar, I healed up, my voice returned which was something I was worried about but my calcium level was 9 which was good.....PTH went down to 45 which was good but went back up to 175. Calcium stayed at 9 so doctors were not worried. That's my story.
Several years ago during a routine check up and blood work, my PCP told me that I had an elevated PTH and that it needed to be monitored. Several test were ordered. Urine 24hr test, PTH test, calcium test, bone density test and some other test I can't remember. After the results, it was told to me that my PTH level was 147 but that the other test were normal so they would take a Wait and See approach to the elevated level. That was six years ago and since that time to make a long story short...I have had several endo doctors who monitored the levels over the last 6 years and continued the testing and monitoring with PTH levels going from 147 to 200 to 245 to 289 to 276 and then the whopper 311 and then 400.
311 PTH was March 2020 where a biopsy was done on the thyroid nodules discovered after doctor said during a swallow test thyroid was swollen. After all that testing and x rays and more testing and x rays Covid broke out and that was the end of that. The hospital in Chicago would not even let me come in for anything and told me to stay away but did do video visits to monitor the issue based on what I told them about coughing, swallowing difficulties, bone pain, osteopenia issues and all of that. I suffered so bad for the last two years during this plague of a pandemic, but at the beginning of the year, I braved the elements and returned to the hospital for a complete check of my blood, my thyroid, my bones, my calcium levels, my PTH levels and everything that was involved.
I could not avoid the surgery any longer and set it up for Feb-1-22.
The doctors made sure to keep giving me Covid test before surgery and said this was something they did for each and every patient. I guess they had to make sure that the person getting surgery did not have Covid and honestly they did not care if you had been vaccinated, had not been vaccinated, had boosters or not. Everybody was given several Covid test before surgery. I thought this was great and had actually gotten real comfortable with the surgery coming up as I was suffering so bad and it was unbearable. I sometimes could not even stand up for a long period of time and I was always exhausted and tired.
The hospital in Chicago sent a service car to pick me up the day of the surgery. They did not want me to drive myself. Everything was going smoothly until check in when they asked me to remove my N95 mask and gave me one of those flimsy medical mask to put on. I was so angry seeing as how everybody in the hospital had on N95 mask but they took mine and gave me a flimsy mask. Hmmmmm
Anyway after that, several doctors involved in the surgery came and went and finally I was taken in for surgery and according to my family who kept calling and the doctors, everything went fine.
During recovery, I was moved to a brand new wing in the Chicago hospital and I had a private room where more doctors kept checking vitals and looked after me but during the night after surgery a patient was admitted and coughed all night and I mean exactly that.
The next day I was discharged and a service car again came to take me home and during a snow storm in Chicago....how cool was that?
I got home and my family started taking care of me and can you believe it but after everyone in my bubble who I interacted with and ONLY with them....having done all the proper things and followed a strict protocol and nobody got the plague Covid virus for two years.......on Feb 5....5 days after the surgery.....everybody in the house got Covid. I could not believe it. We never got Covid for two years but as soon as I went to an actual hospital for surgery....returned home.....never went anywhere except my bubble of family and they never went anywhere except on the balcony of the house.......I gave everybody Covid. Imagine that.
I have a scar, I healed up, my voice returned which was something I was worried about but my calcium level was 9 which was good.....PTH went down to 45 which was good but went back up to 175. Calcium stayed at 9 so doctors were not worried. That's my story.