Re: multi nodular goitre

[Guest guest]

the old endo is wrong and dangerous. even the guy who invented the TSH

(Toft) now thinks it is not the greatest test. I don't have time now but I

will send the Toft article when I find it.

Gracia (whose mother is a Larkin from the olde sod)

> Thanks for your replies. When I went to see the endocrinologist I

> brought with me my medical history and lots of questions that I

> wanted answered because I had done research myself about my

> condition, I had bought Shomans book, recorded basal temperature

> etc. He rubbished it all and told me he had been an endocrinoglogist

> for thirty years and as far as he was concerned there was only one

> test that mattered TSH. Since he had not seen me before I was

> diagnosed and did not have my previous blood tests he needed to see

> what I was like without the synthetic thyroxine (in Ireland its

> called Eltroxin) that is why he advised me to come off the

> medication and remain off it as long as I possibly can, he

> recommended at least 2 months. I should then go back to my GP and

> get him to do my TSH levels.

>

> If they remain suppressed I have multi-nodular goitre. He said he

> would then see me again for radioactive iodine treatment to kill the

> thyroid altogether. This he said would make me hypothyroid but it

> would prevent the atrial fibrillation associated with multi nodular

> goitre. If on the other hand it did not remain suppressed I had auto

> immune hypothyroidism and was already on the right treatment and it

> was only a case of getting the dosage right.

>

> Any other symptoms therefore had to be related to some other ailment

> or disorder.

>

> Regards

>

> Bridget

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! far far away from him and tell him

since the 1800's medicine has changed!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Interstitial-Cystitis

www.misskimberly.com

multi nodular goitre

> Thanks for your replies. When I went to see the endocrinologist I

> brought with me my medical history and lots of questions that I

> wanted answered because I had done research myself about my

> condition, I had bought Shomans book, recorded basal temperature

> etc. He rubbished it all and told me he had been an endocrinoglogist

> for thirty years and as far as he was concerned there was only one

> test that mattered TSH. Since he had not seen me before I was

> diagnosed and did not have my previous blood tests he needed to see

> what I was like without the synthetic thyroxine (in Ireland its

> called Eltroxin) that is why he advised me to come off the

> medication and remain off it as long as I possibly can, he

> recommended at least 2 months. I should then go back to my GP and

> get him to do my TSH levels.

>

> If they remain suppressed I have multi-nodular goitre. He said he

> would then see me again for radioactive iodine treatment to kill the

> thyroid altogether. This he said would make me hypothyroid but it

> would prevent the atrial fibrillation associated with multi nodular

> goitre. If on the other hand it did not remain suppressed I had auto

> immune hypothyroidism and was already on the right treatment and it

> was only a case of getting the dosage right.

>

> Any other symptoms therefore had to be related to some other ailment

> or disorder.

>

> Regards

>

> Bridget

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

the only reason to have this irradiate is if it's cancer and you have

tried everything else--I have a friend who lives with her graves and

is much happier she is not hypo---so let me say going into hypo is no

picnic---this is what you need to do-- read all of this site and try

to figure out why you have the goieter--too much cooper--too much

iodine--too little --no selenium --too much--same for zinc---find out

before and see if you can correct it before you do something this

drastic---

http://www.ithyroid.com/supplement_list.htm

HYPOTHYROIDISM

Hypothyroidism is characterized by insufficient T3 thyroid hormone at

the cellular level. Thyroid hormone regulates the metabolic rate, so

people with hypothyroidism typically have a low metabolic rate. This

results in low energy level, slow heart rate, low body temperature,

and weight gain.

Hypothyroidism can result from the thyroid gland not producing enough

thyroxin or T4, or from a decreased rate of conversion of T4 into T3,

the hormone that activates the cells. This latter condition is also

known as " Low T3 Syndrome " or " 's Syndrome. " Either cause

leads to low blood levels of T3 and hypothyroid symptoms.

Hypothyroidism can be caused by a lack of nutrients necessary to make

the hormone or it can be caused by illness. Routine thyroid tests

performed on patients in a hospital will show that most patients have

low thyroid hormone levels. Fasting will also cause thyroid hormone

levels to drop. The decrease in thyroid hormones in both of these

cases seems to be a built-in safety mechanism of the body to preserve

energy for healing and prevent catabolism of the muscles.

It appears that for the thyroid to produce a normal amount of

hormone, the body must be well. Any disease can cause low thyroid

output as a preservative function. This appears to be a

good " strategy " for the body, because you don't want to have plenty

of energy if your body needs to rest and heal.

Consequently, correcting hypothyroidism can often mean correcting all

the health problems in the body. While this may sound like a

daunting task, I believe that if the body is supplied with all the

needed nutrients, health will return and the thyroid will function

adequately.

Sometimes the same nutrient deficiencies that are causing

hypothyroidism are also causing the other disease conditions. In

these cases, by supplementing with the nutrients we know to be

involved in thyroid hormone production may also correct the other

health problems.

One exception to this may (or may not) be hypothyroidism caused by

RAI (radioiodine therapy administered to stop hyperthyroidism).

Because of the damage to the thyroid by radiation, it may not be

possible for the thyroid to recover. On the other hand, it might be

possible.

I talked to one woman who told me that she had been hypothyroid and

on replacement hormone for over 20 years. She began a nutritional

supplement program and felt so much better that she was able to stop

taking the hormone. This is just hearsay, but still interesting.

Generally people who have undergone RAI feel that their thyroid

glands are not working at all. This doesn't seem to be the case. My

estimation is that if the thyroid gland were totally inactive, then

the person would need about 300 mcg of Synthroid, which is

levothyroxin or synthetically produced thyroid hormone which is

identical to the T4 that our bodies make.

If a person who had RAI were taking 100 mcg of Synthroid, then by

deduction their thyroid glands must be producing the equivalent of

200 mcg of thyroxin or about 2/3 of normal. Trying to get the

thyroid gland to go from zero production to 300 mcg a day would be

daunting, but getting it from 200 to 300 seems possible.

When essential nutrients for thyroid hormone production are deficient

in the diet, the thyroid gland grows in an apparent effort to filter

more blood to get the scarce nutrients out of the blood supply. This

enlargement is known as goiter.

It is well known that iodine deficiency will cause a goiter and less

well known that selenium deficiency will also cause a goiter. Other

nutrient deficiencies may cause goiter, but this has not been well

studied.

The existence of goiters demonstrates that the thyroid gland has the

capacity to grow or at least enlarge. If this is true, then perhaps

it can grow or regenerate after RAI. It would seem theoretically

possible, but I don't have the information to answer this question

with any degree of confidence one way or the other.

GOITER

Goiter is a swelling of the thyroid gland and it can become painful

and interfere with swallowing. I believe that goiter is the normal

response of the body to increase thyroid size and output when mineral

deficiencies prevent the thyroid from being able to make enough

hormone.

The two main mineral deficiencies which are known to cause goiter are

iodine and selenium. Please see the pages on both of these two

minerals and the article on selenium and iodine interaction.

Another mineral deficiency that is associated with goiter is iron.

The following study indicates that iron helps to reduce goiter size.

This is excellent evidence that iron is critical for thyroid function

and that iron-deficiency anemia is often an important factor in

causing hypothyroidism.

[Guest guest]

hi Bridget,

i would certainly be upset if a doctor treated me like this, and I would try to

find another one.

i forwarded your posts to my mother. she has a history of thyroid problems since

she was 16 years old. She eventually had surgery...had 60% of her thyroid

removed. she was hyperT at the time and had multi-nodule goiters. This is when I

was a teenager.

I don't know if she had antibodies then or now (i think she's going have have

test done in a week).

Anyway, the endo she saw a month ago said she's almost positive mom has

antibodies and therefore has Hashimoto's disease (so she probably had Grave's

disease back when I was a teen?) She also told mom she thinks she may have some

more nodules on what's left of her thyroid.

Despite Mom having an abnormal TSH which put her in the hypo range, this endo

disagreed with mom's doctor putting her on thyroid meds.

Anyway, the doctor told mom to come off thyroid meds and get them all out of her

system because she wanted to see what her labs were without them. Neither mom

nor I could figure out why the doc would say this because the doc already had a

copy of mom's labs when she had no thyroid medication in her system and she was

hypoT.

After reading your post, it sounds like your doc is doing the same thing and

sounds like the reason has to do with those nodules.

This doc also told my mom she may need to get rid of the rest of her thyroid.

After reading that stuff Tina posted about nodules, it did say that long-term

suppression of the thyroid via thyroid meds could get rid of the nodules, but I

don't think it was the preferred way. That was just one article though.

I will see if I can find some more articles these days...see if the

recommendations are the same.

Good luck, Sheila

bridan90 <briby40@...> wrote:

Thanks for your replies. When I went to see the endocrinologist I

brought with me my medical history and lots of questions that I

wanted answered because I had done research myself about my

condition, I had bought Shomans book, recorded basal temperature

etc. He rubbished it all and told me he had been an endocrinoglogist

for thirty years and as far as he was concerned there was only one

test that mattered TSH. Since he had not seen me before I was

diagnosed and did not have my previous blood tests he needed to see

what I was like without the synthetic thyroxine (in Ireland its

called Eltroxin) that is why he advised me to come off the

medication and remain off it as long as I possibly can, he

recommended at least 2 months. I should then go back to my GP and

get him to do my TSH levels.

If they remain suppressed I have multi-nodular goitre. He said he

would then see me again for radioactive iodine treatment to kill the

thyroid altogether. This he said would make me hypothyroid but it

would prevent the atrial fibrillation associated with multi nodular

goitre. If on the other hand it did not remain suppressed I had auto

immune hypothyroidism and was already on the right treatment and it

was only a case of getting the dosage right.

Any other symptoms therefore had to be related to some other ailment

or disorder.

Regards

Bridget

[Guest guest]

Hi Bridgette,

According to this article, it looks like if the nodule(s) are not cancerous, the

first thing they usually do is RX thyroid hormones to try to shrink it. That's

what I was thinking too. If it continues to grow despite treatment with thyroid

hormones, that's usually when they recommend RAI. I'm wondering how long it

usually takes to shrink the nodule(s)... Sheila

http://thyroid.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.thyroid-info.com\

/articles/nodulesgoiter.htm

Thyroid Nodules, Lumps, Enlarged Thyroid, Goiter

Key Information

by Shomon

If your doctor has diagnosed you as having a thyroid nodule, a thyroid lump or

an enlargement of the thyroid known as goiter, you'll want to know more about

the diagnosis and treatment process, the relationship between nodules to thyroid

cancer, and followup.

What is a Thyroid Nodule?

Thyroid nodules are very common. A nodule is a swelling or lump, which can be a

solid or liquid filled cyst or mass. Most are benign, but a small percentage can

be cancerous. So you should always have a nodule evaluated by your physician as

soon as you notice it.

Symptoms of a nodule can be varied. Some people have hyperthyroidism symptoms --

such as palpitations, insomnia, weight loss, anxiety, and tremors -- and others

have hypothyroidism symptoms -- weight gain, fatigue, depression. Some will

cycle back and forth between hyperthyroid and hypothyroid symptoms. Some people

mainly have difficulty swallowing, a feeling of fullness, pain or pressure in

the neck, a hoarse voice, or neck tenderness. And finally, many people have

nodules wiht no obvious symptoms related to thyroid dysfunction at all.

If you have a thyroid nodule, don't be very worried that it is cancerous. Only

5% of nodules are cancerous, and most forms of thyroid cancers are highly

treatable and curable.

Thyroid Nodule Statistics

An estimated one in 12 to 15 women and one in 50 men has a thyroid nodule

More than 90 percent of all thyroid nodules are not cancerous

Evaluating a Nodule By Blood Test

Typically, the first step when a nodule is discovered is for the doctor to

conduct a blood test to evaluate your thyroid hormone levels. The results are

usually normal, because thyroid nodules do not typically produce thyroid

hormone.

Occasionally, nodules will produce thyroid hormone, and cause hyperthyroidism.

Nodules can also develop in patients who have an existing thyroid condition.

This frequently occurs with people who have Hashimoto's Disease, the autoimmune

thyroid condition that can cause hypothyroidism.

A rare form of thyroid cancer is medullary cancer, which can sometimes be

detected by a blood test to measure calcitonin levels. Medullary thyroid is

known to have hereditary factors, so calcitonin tests are recommended for those

who have family members with medullary cancer.

Evaluating a Nodule By Thyroid Scans

Commonly, in addition to a blood test, a thyroid scan will also be conducted to

evaluate the nodule. In a thyroid scan, you'll receive a small amount of

radioactive iodine that is absorbed by your thyroid. An image of the thyroid

taken is then taken, and can show a picture of the distribution of the

radioactive material in your thyroid gland. Thyroid nodules may some iodine

( " warm nodules " ), show more activity ( " hot " nodules), or take up little iodine

and show decreased acitvity ( " cold " nodules). Warm and hot nodules are rarely

cancerous. Even among cold nodules, only a small percentage are cancerous, but

these types of nodules typically require further evaluation.

Evaluating a Nodule By Ultrasound Test

A next step can be an ultrasound of the thyroid. This test can determine the

nature of the cold nodule -- solid versus fluid-filled. Ultrasounds are being

used less frequently, however, because most doctors evaluating a cold nodule

prefer to evaluate both the type of nodule, and test the cells for cancer at the

same time, a process than can be accomplished by a test known as " Fine Needle

Aspiration, " (FNA) or a needle biopsy.

Evaluating a Nodule By Needle Aspiration / Needle Biopsy.

In needle aspiration or needle biopsy a local anesthetic is usually used to help

minimize any pain. You'll mainly feel just pressure or a pinching feeling as a

needle is inserted into the thyroid in order to withdraw cells for testing.

Typically, in what's known as a fine needle aspiration (FNA), several samples

will be taken from the nodule in order to make sure various parts are evaluated.

The sample taken from the thyroid will be evaluated by a pathologist. Typically,

the findings will indicate that your nodule is:

Benign. This means your nodule is not cancerous. Approximately 70% of nodules

will come back benign.

Malignant. This means your nodule is cancerous. Approximately 5 % of

suspicious nodules will be malignant.

Suspicious. This means diagnosis wasn't conclusive, but there was possible

cancer.

Inconclusive. If the sampling wasn't sufficient, a diagnosis might be

difficult. In this case, an additional biopsy might be recommended.

For an in-depth discussion of the fine needle aspiration process, see my

article, Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of the Thyroid -- Questions & Answers.

Thyroid Nodule Treatments

Typically, for a benign nodule, the treatment is to prescribe thyroid hormone,

which can usually shrink the nodule, or prevent it from growing. If the nodule

continues to grow, your doctor may biopsy it again, or recommend surgical

removal.

Most doctors will recommend surgical removal of a malignant nodule. While in

surgery, the thyroid cells can be evaluated, and a decision to remove the lobe

of the thyroid -- or the entire gland -- can be made based on the results. Based

on the diagnosis, thyroid cancer treatment can then be pursued.

In the case of an inconclusive nodule, if a repeat biopsy is not possible, or if

the doctor is suspicious of the nodule, some doctors will recommend surgical

removal and evaluation. The majority of these nodules are also benign.

Goiters

What is a Goiter?

A goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid, and is sometimes used as a term to

refer to an enlarged thyroid. The thyroid becomes large enough so that it can be

seen as enlarged on ultrasounds or x- rays, and may be enlarged enough to

enlarge the neck area visibly.

What are the Symptoms of a Goiter?

Some goiters can be tender to the touch. An enlarged thyroid can also press on

your windpipe or your esophagus, which may make you cough, have a hoarse voice,

feel shortness of breath, feel like you don't want to wear turtlenecks or

neckties, feel fullness in your neck, experience choking or shortness of breath

at night, or feel like food is getting stuck in your throat.

Causes of Goiter

In areas outside the U.S., particularly parts of Asia and Africa, iodine

deficiency is a key cause of goiter. But in the U.S. and many other

industrialized nations, the use of iodized salt and processed foods has

eliminated that problem for all but about 10-20% of the population.

In the U.S., goiter is more commonly caused by autoimmune thyroid problems that

cause an inflammatory reaction in the thyroid.

Doctors will typically treat a smaller goiter with thyroid hormone replacement

drugs. This can slow down or stop the growth of the goiter, but doesn't

typically shrink the goiter.

If the goiter continues to grow while on thyroid hormone, or symptoms continue,

or the goiter is cosmetically unsightly, most doctors will recommend surgery. If

the goiter contains any suspicious nodules, that may also be reason for surgery.

Sticking Out Our Necks and this website are © Copyright Shomon, 1997-2003.

All rights reserved. Shomon, Editor/Webmaster

All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a

substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You

should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your

physician or health practitioner before starting a new treatment program. Please

see our full disclaimer.

bridan90 <briby40@...> wrote:Thanks for your replies. When I went to see the

endocrinologist I

brought with me my medical history and lots of questions that I

wanted answered because I had done research myself about my

condition, I had bought Shomans book, recorded basal temperature

etc. He rubbished it all and told me he had been an endocrinoglogist

for thirty years and as far as he was concerned there was only one

test that mattered TSH. Since he had not seen me before I was

diagnosed and did not have my previous blood tests he needed to see

what I was like without the synthetic thyroxine (in Ireland its

called Eltroxin) that is why he advised me to come off the

medication and remain off it as long as I possibly can, he

recommended at least 2 months. I should then go back to my GP and

get him to do my TSH levels.

If they remain suppressed I have multi-nodular goitre. He said he

would then see me again for radioactive iodine treatment to kill the

thyroid altogether. This he said would make me hypothyroid but it

would prevent the atrial fibrillation associated with multi nodular

goitre. If on the other hand it did not remain suppressed I had auto

immune hypothyroidism and was already on the right treatment and it

was only a case of getting the dosage right.

Any other symptoms therefore had to be related to some other ailment

or disorder.

Regards

Bridget