Anybody else have a big thyroid!?!?!?!?

[Sheik N Shimmy]

Hi guys,

I just want to run this one by you if that's ok.

I had a Thyroid function blood test in November which came back normal. However, today I got a call out of the blue from a doctor to say that they reviewed my barium swallow test results and are concerned that I have an enlarged thyroid gland which is causing compression on my esophagus. They will do a ct scan (in two bloody months!).

If the blood test was normal could an enlarged thyroid be the cause of the night sweats, difficulty breathing/swallowing, weight loss(despite eating well), anxiety, pa's etc? Are we talking cancer here?

It'll be two/three months before I find out so any advice appreciated.

E

Keep On Keepin On

[nell1965]

Hiya
An enlarged thyroid is called a goitre and has various causes, it can range in size from hardly noticible to very large, and it can press on the trachea or oesophagus,you can have a goitre but have normal thyroid function tests, it depends on what is causing your goitre. If it is difuse/smooth then this means the whole gland is enlarged and it feels smooth to touch,there are several causes of this, none of which that i know of are cancer. There is also nodular enlargement where the gland feels lumpy or a single lump which could be a cyst , or a benign tumour(nothing to worry about), cancer of the thyroid is rare, and usually is removed by surgery. Some people just have a naturally bigger thyroid gland at certain times in their life, particularly times of stress. An overactive thyroid can produce symptoms like you have been suffering from and sometimes ordinary thyroid function tests are not enough to pick this up and further more specialised blood work is required, you could if you wanted to ask your gp to repeat your blood work but i suspect it will still show up normal. The fact that it is a ct they want you to have makes me think (only my opinion ) that they just want to double check everything is ok, i would have thought that if they were truly suspicious about your thyroid they would not have you waiting 2 months for a ct scan, a doctor can tell a lot from a simple local exam of the thyroid gland, i know you, if you are going to worry too much go see your doc and ask hin to ......... wait for it.... feel your gland lol. I suspect that you have nothing to seriously worry about, i have garbled on a bit and i apologise,hope i have not made you feel any worse
your virtual m8
Nell

I just want my life back
nell
x

[Sheik N Shimmy]

Merci beaucoup mon amie,

This is very reassuring. I can live with this condition. Im not sure how I got it but who cares.

It might even be something called 'grave's disease'. Not sure if that is any more serious. It would explain what has happened around my eyes (a bit puffed up, darkish rings). It could also explain the heat intolerance, fatigue and palps/heart sensations (I think).

The lady doctor said she would feel my glands again when I go back to her :D She said that she felt that I wasn't an urgent case and I appreciate that. There's a lot of people with more serious problems who need ct scans fast.

Am I still a member of the anxiety club if I have a thyroid disorder?

E

Keep On Keepin On

[nell1965]

oh no..... if you have thyroid problems then you will have to go..... big time, we cant have anyone in here masquarading as one of us poor suffering souls if its just their thyroid thats the problem. You will have to go and play with the real people.... na ne na ne na na!!!!!
lol
you will always be welcome as far as im concerned, but then that doesnt count for much
Nell

I just want my life back
nell
x

[tattybear]

Hiya,

My thyroid is swollen and i have thyroid cysts (found by an ultrasound) but the specialist said they are so small that they ar enothing to worry about and have no efect on me at all.

They have said to go back if they get bigger etc, but they dont cause me any probs at all, i never noticed it until my phsychiatrist said!

Tatty B xx

[nell1965]

Hi Tatty B
That is quite common,a lot of people can have things like this and never know about it,if we were to know about all the little benign cysts around our body we would be amazed and in some of our cases TERRIFIED lol


I just want my life back
nell
x