General advice after biopsy

[Uglybetty87]

Hi all,

Just looking for some general advice from those who have dealt with something similar. First went to the dr in September as other people started pointing out my swollen thyriod, had bloods done which all came back as normal (results were tsh 2.16, free t4 14.5 and antibody level 13) and was referred for a thyriod ultrasound. Had that yesterday, sonographer said I had quite a large nodule, did lots and lots of scanning in between popping in and out to talk to drs, then 2 different drs came in for a nosey and did the fine needle biopsy. They didnt really explain anything to me, all felt very rushed (although were all lovely!) and said to contact my dr in 10 days for the results. I know the chances of it being anything sinister are very low so was wondering what else can cause this massive nodule? Should I ask for further tests if these results come back clear? I dont like to waste drs time if its just 'one of those things' but at the same time dont want to miss out on treating any potential problems! Thanks in advance for any help

[Clutter]

Welcome to the forum, UglyBetty87.

It's standard practice to do a fine needle aspiration (FNA ) biopsy on large nodules to rule out malignancy. 95% of nodules are benign but sometimes FNA results may be inconclusive and the procedure may need repeating a few months later. It's not unusual to have 2 or 3 inconclusive FNA results and your specialist will discuss whether the nodule should continue to be monitored or whether hemithyroidectomy of the affected lobe should be considered.

Nodules are common and it's very unusual to die of old age without having one or more. If a benign nodule is so large it is causing breathing or swallowing problems or looks like impacting nearby organs, hemithyroidectomy may be recommended. In theory the remaining lobe should produce sufficient hormone but sometimes Levothyroxine is required.

_______________________________________________________________________________

I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.

[Uglybetty87 in reply to Clutter]

Thanks for the advice! Nothing was explained very well but hopefully my gp explains at my follow up appt!

[Clutter in reply to Uglybetty87]

Uglybetty, Don't count on your GP knowing much. The staging goes like this:

thy1: insufficient sample for testing.

thy2: benign

thy3: indeterminate

thy4: probably malignant

thy5: malignant

thyroid.about.com/lr/fine_n...

thyroid.about.com/gi/o.htm?...

[Uglybetty87 in reply to Clutter]

Oh great lol so hope they refer to a specialist if needs be?!

[Clutter in reply to Uglybetty87]

Uglybetty87, you'll probably be referred to a thyroid surgeon if the result is malignant or if a benign nodule needs removing.

[Uglybetty87 in reply to Clutter]

Fingers crossed it doesnt come to that, I'm a total whimp! Thanks for your help 👍