Does anyone know or have any info on A Smaller than normal Thyroid. this is what the Dr said when I had my ultrascan yesterday. Luckily no nodules were mentioned. Should I be concerned at all?
I have Hashimoto's and currently take 2 and a half grains of NDT.
Written by
angelharley
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
When I had my scan the sonographer actually gasped. She said the right side of my thyroid was as small as a child's and the left side was smaller still. But no one has ever seemed bothered about it at all.
When my GP received the results of my thyroid ultrasound a couple of months ago, he read it to me, "small thyroid, no nodules." I took that to mean it was not enlarged. Six weeks later I saw my endo for the first time. She looked at the image and then did an "informal ultrasound" in her office to confirm what it appeared to show. She told me the left lobe of my thyroid gland is almost completely atrophied. She drew me a picture with the butterfly wing-shaped right lobe and a little round nub for the left lobe.
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's 30 years ago. It's autoimmune, which means the cells of your immune system mistake the cells of your thyroid gland for something foreign, i.e., "not self," and attack them. Over time, the autoimmune destruction of the thyroid can shrink it essentially down to nothing. There are articles online and books that claim there are ways - through diet, supplements and avoidance of goitrogens - to slow or stop the process. In most cases, doctors simply prescribe T4 to keep your serum TSH level in the "normal" range, adjusting the dose as your thyroid gland becomes less and less able to produce enough T4 on its own.
Thank you for your explanation. I'm 46 and was only diagnosed 4 years ago, maybe I'd had problems thou, a few years previous, as hormones have always been a problem. My TSH last test was 25 and FT4 and Ft4 below range, I've increased meds again, so maybe antibodies are high and attacking my thyroid, like u said xx
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.