swollen neck

Hi, my neck is always swollen and just doesn't seem to ever go down. the swelling is quite far up my neck also, just underneath my jawbone. I was just reading up on congenital hypothyroidism and this can be a sign, the thyroid gland stays high up in the neck. My mother and aunties are all hypo, also we have distant relatives in Australia and my mum visited them last year, the females their are also hypo. I am wondering if anyone else has this kind of swelling high up on the neck? how the heck would you get a doctor to look into it further? I know that now they do a heel prick test on all new borns to test for this but I don't think they did in the 70s. I am concerned as I have 3 children and one girl and she shows some symptoms of being hyper, however nothing showed up on her heel prick test. However I am not too sure I trust the nhs to tell you the truth about the results anyhow.

[shaws Administrator]

Ask your GP to palpate your neck and if he's not satisfied refer you to an Endocrinologist. If he does - put up a new post asking if someone can send you a Private Message of a good Endo and where he consults.

[Hidden in reply to shaws]

I will thank you. I have been to various doctors about it but they have just shrugged it off as nothing. It started with my throat getting swollen all the time when I caught various viruses my kids were passing around but it's been like this now for 12 months solid. I just thought it was weight gain but the last 3 months or so it's gone visibly bigger and I can feel some sort of lump, solid mass there that doesn't feel normal.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Don't wait about any longer ask to be referred to an Endocrinologist Also email [e-mail] for a list of Endos.

[Hidden in reply to shaws]

I will thank you for your help.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Tell the doctor your family depends upon you that you are worried about this swelling you've had for a long time and I want to be referred to a Specialist.

[Clutter]

KatieKatie,

If you were born congenitally hypothyroid it would have been detected by the time you were a few months old.

The swelling you describe is probably a goitre. When you next see your GP ask him/her to palpate your throat and neck and if swelling is detected to refer you for an ultrasound scan to examine the condition and size of your thyroid gland.

You can ask for a copy of your thyroid results and ranges and that of your daughter if you have her tested. NHS won't lie about the results.

[Hidden in reply to Clutter]

Thanks Clutter. I do need to get my neck checked out. I will do that. There was one GP at our practice who noticed it (the swelling) but I went in at the time about a virus. I can never get back in to see her. I haven't been officially diagnosed with hypothyroidism and self medicating from private testing. Its been really swollen for the past 12 months. I will go and sort it though.