Nodules

[katiebrighton]

Ok, so please help me! I'm a bit worried 😐. I went to the doctors in April with a swollen thyroid. Blood tests revealed tsh of 8.4 and was put on 50mcg levothyroxine. I felt really jittery and had palpitations on it, so reduced my dose to 25mcg. My tsh levels are 2.4.

My ultrasound today showed my thyroid to be a normal size now, with some nodules. The sonographer wouldn't tell me anything but told me to make an appointment with my gp. Is it unusual to have nodules with high tsh? I'm worried that they might be cancerous. Would I be referred to my gp if the sonographer suspected malignancy? I have tried to get answers all along with my thyroid issues, and none of the doctors have answered my questions. I feel completely frustrated.

Thank you for any help or advice.

[Clutter]

Katiebrighton, you can have nodules with low, high and euthyroid levels. If the nodule/s look suspicious your GP will refer you to an ENT or endocrine specialist for fine needle aspiration biopsy to check for malignancy. 95% of thyroid nodules are benign.

TSH 2.4 is usually too high for comfort. You could try 37.5mcg Levothyroxine if 50mcg feels too much.

[Hidden]

Hello Katiebrighton,

I think it's good your thyroid swelling has gone down and remember most nodules are fine.

If it is thought to need further investigation you will need a FNA which I'm told doesn't hurt.

Your hypothyroid symptoms and high TSH indicate you are under medicated on 25mcg of Levothyroxine. As Clutter suggested why don't you try 37.5 mcg Levo?(That's 50 one day and 25 the next.)

It is still early days for you on thyroxine and improvements can take many weeks after every dose change but you should feel better when your TSH is a little lower. Have you had your TPOAb and TGAb thyroid antibodies checked?

Levothyroxine should be taken first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with a glass of water, 1 hour before food, 2 hours before supplements and 4 hours before iron and calcium.

I hope you feel better soon,

Flower007

[katiebrighton in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your reply. I felt fine before I started taking the levothyroxine, so I presumed it was that which made me feel to rough. Before I took it I was running 4 miles or so (building up fitness after pregnancy), but after a couple of weeks on thyroxine I couldn't manage a mile without feeling very unwell.

I'm going to see my gp to discuss my scan results, so I shall talk to her about dosage while I'm there.

I haven't had any antibodies checked. I shall ask about that too. Thank you very much. You've helped me feel a little less alone in all this.

[Winegum2]

A nodule needs to be over 1cm for them to do a FNA. I had mine re-scanned after 3 months to see if they are growing.

[katiebrighton in reply to Winegum2]

Thank you for the information. I have a gp appointment on Monday, so I shall find out more then. I hope they are small, but I can feel a sort of blockage when I swallow.