Thyroid nodule causing sore throat

[Suecoo66]

Does anyone else whose got a nodule present in their thyroid get a sore throat a lot ? I've got a 600mm x 400mm nodule. (Has been scanned and awaiting FNA) and wondering if its a common cause of a sore throat. My TSH levels have also been abnormal.

[humanbean]

There are some issues with your units of measurement.

600mm is about 23 inches. 400mm is about 15 inches.

A nodule of 60 mm x 40 mm i.e. 6 cm x 4 cm or 2.4 inches x 1.6 inches is feasible (I've never had one, that I know of). But certainly it sounds very likely to be big enough to cause pain.

According to the wikipedia page on the thyroid :

The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped organ composed of two lobes, left and right, connected by a narrow tissue band, called an "isthmus".[5] It weighs 25 grams in adults, with each lobe being about 5 cm long, 3 cm wide, and 2 cm thick and the isthmus about 1.25 cm in height and width.[5] The gland is usually larger in women than in men, and increases in size during pregnancy.

[Suecoo66 in reply to humanbean]

I would say the pain feels like a sore throat and causes me to cough and a hoarse voice

[woosMum in reply to Suecoo66]

I get lots of sore throats and chest infections, also coughing most of the time with a feeling of pressure at the front of my neck. My nodule when last measured was 18mm across but its been a few years since I had an ultrasound as my Drs are clueless. I frequently lose my voice altogether.

[Suecoo66 in reply to woosMum]

Yeah I'm getting a dry cough most of the time now I also lose my voice if I talk too much.

[Hedgeree]

Hi Suecoo66,

I don't get much pain in my thyroid area just occasional. But my 3cm nodule does cause hoarseness and the feeling of a lump in my throat; I experience this most days.

Quite regularly I do have a sore throat in the mornings and my glands feel swollen but I think that could possibly just be a coincidence.

Best wishes.

[Suecoo66]

Yeah my glands do swell quite regularly too. I know hoarseness is a symptom is thyroid disease

[jgelliss]

I'm so sorry that you are going through this. Before my TT I had soar throat and raspy voice. As a matter of fact this is how my thyroid issues where finely confirmed. I was sent for a sonogram on my thyroids . And then I was biopsied . The rest is history. I hope you feel better soon.

[Suecoo66 in reply to jgelliss]

Can I ask what TT means ? Thank you for your kind reply

[jgelliss in reply to Suecoo66]

I needed to have my thyroids removed . I was diagnosed having papillary cancer and Hashimoto Thyroiditis.

[Suecoo66 in reply to jgelliss]

Is Papillary cancer treatable? I think my main worry is if its cancerous

[jgelliss in reply to Suecoo66]

Yes . My Surgeon at the said this is the better cancer to have if your going to have cancer. They removed my thyroids and had RAI. I'm now on T3 and T4 and periodically need adjustments. What are your results? Did your Dr tell you that you have cancer? Not all noddles are cancerous. Wishing you all the best.

[Suecoo66 in reply to jgelliss]

No he looked at a website and told me the odds of it being cancer according to a study then asked if I wanted an FNA.

[jgelliss in reply to Suecoo66]

You should ask for a sonogram and then for biopsy if needed to rule out cancer .

[Suecoo66 in reply to jgelliss]

I've had an ultrasound

[jgelliss in reply to Suecoo66]

What was the results of your ultrasound? Does your Dr recommend more testing?

[Suecoo66 in reply to jgelliss]

The ultrasound showed a 6 x 4cm nodule. I saw the consultant yesterday and he's referring me for an FNA

[Batty1 in reply to jgelliss]

I shutter at this is the “better cancer to have” these doctors act as if cancer of any kind is just a walk in the park. My pap cancer and Thyroidectomy was anything but a walk in the park more like a living nightmare.

[jgelliss in reply to Batty1]

You are so right. I couldn't agree with you more. No Cancer is Ever Good.

[PurpleNails Administrator in reply to Suecoo66]

TT is total thyroidectomy. Partial or subtotal thyroidectomy is where they remove a potion (usually it’s a entire lobe)

[Sparklegrrl]

I have a multinodular goitre which causes mild tracheal deviation and narrowing. My throat feels hoarse a lot of the time, and I constantly feel like I need to swallow. I do get a sore throat sometimes from it, and sometimes the nodule aches.

[DelicateInput]

Yes, I have/had a multinodular goitre. I have been taking Levothyroxine for the last six weeks at a 50 dosage and a lot of my symptoms have improved. The goitre hurt when pressed and I had constant sore throats which have cleared up. The goitre has gone down massively and no longer hurts. I had a tendency to a gruff voice but thought this was caused by a cold coming on. It had been particularly bad and noticeable by others since before Christmas, but has now vanished. I had a scan confirming multinodular goitre and a cyst plus thyroiditis but was told it was not cancer - the GP thought it might be so he ordered the scan.

The swelling around my neck and the goitre have gone down a lot - I felt very conscious of it and it no longer hurts. I now have a chin. I also lost a stone, and even though eating drinking a lot since have still not put weight back on. I also feel better able to cope mentally - able to do several things, one after the other, whereas I previously had to stop at one and then resume taking ages to work anything out and getting muddled up. My memory has improved. I am also feeling the heat - I sweat again at the gym as I used to but this stopped during the last couple of years. I am looking forward to seeing endocrinologist next week and getting a higher dose. My TSH were raised for 20 years - around 6+ most of the time. There was a sudden drop in T4 around 2003/4 from 24 (scale 12 to 25), then 19, then, 15, then 12 and it is thought this is when the nodules developed.

Hope this is helpful.

[Litatamon in reply to DelicateInput]

This is wonderful to hear.

I just had a TT due to a multi-nodule goitre. I am happy I did as it was causing breathing and swallowing issues. And despite normal thyroid values, the pathology came back as a diseased thyroid - lymphocytic thyroiditis. That would probably have never been found.

However, loved your outcome and information for others. I was told they would never get smaller, only larger. And was never offered Levo as a treatment option. After researching just now I did discover that some can get bigger on Levo, but it is still criminal that neither my GP, Endocrinologist nor surgeon talked about that specific option.

So happy you are doing well and sharing your information. All the best.

[Brightness14]

I never even knew anything about thyroid problems, when suddenly I was out walking up hill and I couldn't breathe. I had a thyroid nodule 3cm x 4cm which I never knew about. Anywayit had mover my trachea and was interfering with my breathing. This was in the UK. I had a FNA and they found nothing. I was never helped they just left me for around two years. Then I moved to France within a couple of months I had a TT was was found to have Papillary Cancer. Six years later I am now well again. These can cause a type of sore throat

[Batty1]

My nodules caused swallowing issues.

[Litatamon]

Two of my nodules, due to size and positioning, caused breathing and swallowing issues. And I can tell post-TT were most definitely restricting oxygen. That was suspected but it is a 100% post TT.

I also had voice changes. Everyone talks about the clarity of my voice after surgery. Lucky as surgery can cause issues with voice as well.

It is incredible what becomes erroneously normal in your head over time.

I could feel it all gone. Meaning it was a constant lump in my throat beyond the breathing and swallowing issues. - that might be mistaken for the beginning of a sore throat.

I did not expect to feel it gone, which means I started to think that sensation was normal.

[mrskiki]

I don't know if I have a nodule as haven't had a scan but have a constant sore throat for well over 6 months and hoarse voice, have hashimotos/hypothyroidism. It's uncomfortable when it's not hurting, can be awkward swallowing too and it can wake me up either with thirst or breathing problem.

[Suecoo66 in reply to mrskiki]

Funnily enough I do sometimes wake up suddenly struggling to breath like someone's choking me