Doc wants an answer on course of action, thyroid uptake or wait and redo ultrasound in 6 months.

[lyssahblue]

Sooo... went in with inflamed thyroid doc suspected Hashimoto's. All labs were fine two sets of blood work done- all good. Doc assistant just called with results of ultrasound I have multiple cysts on both sides with prominent ones on the right which is the side that was inflamed painfully. Recommends thyroid uptake test or we can wait 6 to 12 months and redo the ultrasound. Is there any reason that I shouldn't just go with the thyroid uptake test? Thanks in advance for your help.

[greygoose]

Do you have copies of the two sets of blood tests? If not, it's most important to get one. Good is just an opinion. And your doctor's opinion might not be the same as ours!

[activelazy]

Yes you need to have the actual results. A repeat ultrasound is fine later but I would go ahead with uptake scan now. No harm at all. I did.

[greygoose in reply to activelazy]

No harm, but does it do any good? Does it provide any useful information?

[activelazy in reply to greygoose]

Well, in my case, along with neck ultrasound, uptake scan showed very low uptake when TSH was very low too. Along with other bloods including antibodies, aided in confirming the diagnosis of sub acute thyroiditis. Not Hashimoto.

[greygoose in reply to activelazy]

OK

[lyssahblue in reply to greygoose]

Hey, thanks for the responses, I attached a photo with my lab results. I know there's a lot of labs people recommend I get, I have a list going of additional tests to ask for. I have another question...are cysts/nodules the same? Then a group is a goiter? I'm told I have several cysts with 3 prominent on the right and some on the left most likely benign. I said yes to the scan it hasn't been scheduled yet. Can my thyroid function still be off with normal labs?

[greygoose in reply to lyssahblue]

Unfortunately, in the second test, they did a Total T3, instead of a Free T3. A TT3 doesn't give you any useful information, and makes it difficult to compare the two lots of tests. But your FT3 has gone down.

Your TSH suggests to me that the two sets of tests were done at different times of the day, which also makes it difficult to compare them. TSH is highest early in the day, and decreases throughout the day. It also decreases after eating. So, tests should always be done under the same conditions for the purpose of comparison. That said, your Frees are on the low side, even though the TSH is perfectly acceptable. How about antibodies?

To my mind, l would not think a nodule and a cyst were the same think. To me, a cyst is under the skin, and a nodule is on the surface. But, where thyroid is concerned, doctors seem to use thevtwo terms interchangeably. A goitre is a swelling of the thyroid gland. You can have a goitre without nodules, just as you can have a number of nodules without a goitre - which is my case.

[lyssahblue in reply to greygoose]

Thank you very much for the information. When I get an order for lab work I can go in at my leisure to get it done. So I can ensure it's done the same way from here out. Crazy how you have to become your own doctor with thyroid problems. It seems such a common problem yet the standard of care isn't there. I was never told anything about fasting or time of day and the labs were ordered each by a different doctor. What does the drop in my FT3 tell you?

[greygoose in reply to lyssahblue]

It's your FT4 that has dropped, sorry, made a mistake there. Impossible to tell about the FT3 because they didn't do it the second time.

Just a drop in the FT4 on its own, without any other information, doesn't mean much at all, but could mean that your gland is flagging even further.

So, did they not test any antibodies?

[lyssahblue in reply to greygoose]

No, they didn't and I didn't know enough to ask, unfortunately.

[greygoose in reply to lyssahblue]

I find it incomprehensible that they 'suspect' Hashi's, but don't bother to do the antibody tests. Although, of course, a negative test doesn't automatically mean you don't have it. But, you think they'd give it a shot.

You could try asking them to do the TPO antibody test. I know the NHS doesn't do the TgAB.

[mistydog in reply to greygoose]

They did TgAB for me. I was positive for both.

[lyssahblue in reply to greygoose]

So I'm going to write my provider and ask about getting the following tests, I would love opinions.

Going to ask for another CBC

B12, Vit D, Iron, TIBC, Ferritin and Folate

and FT3 since it was forgotten the last time.

TPO & TGAb

Anything else?

[mistydog in reply to lyssahblue]

Check out the circadian rhythm of the thyroid.

[lyssahblue in reply to mistydog]

I'll look it up, thank you!

[activelazy]

Hi

How are things now? Did you do the uptake scan?