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Thread: Thyroid Nodules Growing

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
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    219

    Thyroid Nodules Growing

    Hello all - for my whole life I have had a goiter with multiple nodules on it. I have an ultrasound every year just to keep an eye on the nodules. This last one showed that 2 of the 4 nodules have grown quite a bit since last year. I mean, they always grow a LITTLE bit, but this time they grew a lot. They aren't huge, 1 CM each, the concern is mostly that they started growing more rapidly. They also said they were TR4 nodules, which is "moderately suspicious". I am having a fine needle aspiration (FNA) on March 1st to determine what it is. This is really just sinking me back into a spiral. I've done pretty well with only the occasional, short-lived, mole freak out, but this one is really bugging me. I know in my head that this one is usually slow growing and almost always curable. Honestly that doesn't bug me so much. I also know that even beating it, the odds of it recurring or having another kind after that, are kind of high. THAT is what is bugging me - ending up with something worse. SOO many people say Oh well if it IS this one, it's the "good" cancer to have. Seeing BOTH Of my parents die last year, within 4 days of each other from cancer (lung and esophageal), I don't consider ANY cancer to be a "good" kind. UGH!

  2. #2
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    Mar 2016
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    219

    Re: Thyroid Nodules Growing

    Anyone had experience with this - the thyroid nodules or goiter?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
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    887

    Re: Thyroid Nodules Growing

    Hi Nicole,

    i have a small goiter and and a nodule on my thyroid but it's only been scanned once so I don't know if it's grown or stayed the same.

    I would say it is incredibly common and try not to worry. I know a few people with goiters/nodules and I also know someone who had their thyroid removed as they thought it was cancer but it turned out to be benign.

    It's good they are keeping an eye on it. Do you have hashimoto's? I know that causes a lot of nodules that can change quite quickly as the gland enlarges, until I believe the antibodies eventually damage it to the point it can't function anymore.

  4. #4
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    Mar 2016
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    219

    Re: Thyroid Nodules Growing

    Thanks Munchlet! As far as I know, I do not have hashimoto's, but I know thyroid function is a question with several of my doctors who think something might be wrong with it. The one doctor who is supposed to be watching it, the endocrinologist, really never runs any panels on it, only does the yearly ultrasound and then checks my basic lipid and kidney panels, that's it. It's been a frustrating road for sure, for a long time. But now with these growing, and knowing there is a good chance the FNA will come back inconclusive (that seems to happen more often than not), I'm just not in the best headspace.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
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    151

    Re: Thyroid Nodules Growing

    I’ve been dealing with this for 2 years. So I have multiple nodules but my actual thyroid isn’t enlarged. I had my one nodule biopsied last year as it was moderately suspicious. The FNA came back benign. With nodules, the rule of thumb is to biopsy them as needed. Honestly, it’s not unusual for them to grow either. It’s prob better they biopsy it for peace of mind. The majority of nodules are benign. Try try try not to worry too much.

  6. #6
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    Mar 2016
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    219

    Re: Thyroid Nodules Growing

    Thanks Scared! That actually helps a lot! I have my FNA in a week. Mine were growing super slowly over many years, but the last year, they seem to have picked up some speed. Part of my brain just wants them to remove the thyroid so that is one less thing I have to monitor. Thanks to actually having melanoma twice and being borderline quite a few other times, I have to always be on alert with my skin. That alone is exhausting sometimes! I'm curious, did the FNA hurt or cause bruising or anything?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
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    16,747

    Re: Thyroid Nodules Growing

    The FNA will cause some bruising but you will have a local anaesthetic to numb the area so no pain.

    You don't want to have your thyroid removed if the nodules are benign and small which yours are still.You would be looking at thyroid meds for life and unnecessary surgery.

  8. #8
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    Mar 2016
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    Re: Thyroid Nodules Growing

    Pulisa - thank you for that. Nice to hear someone considers them to be small. Guess that works in my favor. :-)

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
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    251

    Re: Thyroid Nodules Growing

    Well- I think I found my twin.

    I’m 31 and have had about 20 moles removed due to my dad having melanoma- and found out about my multi-nodulare goiter when I was 24. Here is the somewhat comforting news- I too have been monitoring every 6 months to a year, bloodwork and labs have always been normal. I don’t take crap from drs... so I push for tests and make sure they order appropriate labs ( in the past I have proven them wrong by them realizing I was right)....my mom had a complete thryoidectomy last year findinf incidental “meaning they just happened to find a sliver” follicular cancer - my aunt and great aunt both have multi-nodule goiters.. so here I am.

    Anyway- I have had 3 fna’s on my thyroid under guided ultrasound. I’m back on these boards cause I just got my results back on my most recent ultrasound- showing my smallest nodule (1.5 cm) having irregular borders- so you can bet where my brain is going. I have an appt with my endocrinologist Monday who will likely want to run another fna

    Being that I have now multiple experience fna’s I can tell you they are nothing to be afraid of ( although I’m good with needles) for me it’s never the procedure that gives me the anxiety... it’s why I’m getting the procedure and what the results will be that does...I finally have found a good cytopathologist with a team of about 6 who does it all there - takes it back and diagnoses it and tells me right away that it’s okay. Rule #1. If you have it done in office and all they do is smere a slide and let it sit there... this is NOT a good dr... you want to have ir done guided under ultrasound and immediately stored properly. You will get there ( I can’t remember if I was numbed or not.. I think I was) they will first locate the nodule under an ultrasound and then with a needle go in and collect cells- for me- they ran 10 passes... twice- just to make sure they had enough... tbh- it doesn’t hurt so much as it just feels awkward.... it’s “pressure” but it really isn’t that bad- I just pray that you can get results right away so you don’t need to worry... I have to wait till March 10 :/

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Posts
    219

    Re: Thyroid Nodules Growing

    Well, I had it this morning. I went in kind of thinking that maybe they would at least make me comfortable. No, not at all. The radiologist who did it and the nurse who helped just talked to each other the whole time, about schedules and other people. They didn't even give me a pillow under my neck. The nurse was rough with the ultrasound to locate before the FNA and the radiologist was rough WITH the FNA. They did numb the skin, but I was getting quite a bit of pain inside. It really felt like he was just digging at it, over and over. The only "nice" thing he said was that they really don't even give these things much attention until they are 2 cm. I am several hours out now and it hurts to swallow, all the way up to my ear and there is a definite lump where he was working. I left there feeling like the lowest scum. And (despite what my username says), I am 44 years old. I've had surgeries, loads of procedures, etc and i've only had one one other time I felt so bad leaving a procedure, and even that wasn't bad compared to this.

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