So earlier this week I went in for an ultrasound on my thyroid Tuesday. That evening the the nurse practioner called and told me that the "nodule" on my thyroid was both solid and cystic. Which means I now have to go in next Monday & Tuesday for a RadioActive Iodine Uptake and Scan. Which means I have to go take a RADIOACTIVE pill Monday morning. Then Tuesday I have to go in and they will do a scan and see how the iodine and radiation are reacting in the nodule.
There are two different reactions. It will either be hot or cold. If its hot the NP said depending on my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) they will probably just monitor the nodule and my TSH. If its cold, they have to biopsy it and see if it is cancer. Yeah, thats right Cancer. UGH!
I don't want to wait and see if it is hot. I am losing hair drastically. I used to be able to put my hair into a hair tie 2 times and it was tight. Now its 3 bordering on 4 times. The NP said oh well, thats probably not related to your thyroid, its probably due to vitamin deficiancy. Well, i am taking 2000iu of Vitamin D/day and I am still losing lots of hair. Depending on the results of the RAIUS I plan on going to a new doctor for a second opinion. Online there are sites that talk of DRs who treat the SYMPTOMS not the blood test. I just want to get better. I want to stop losing hair and having super dry skin and being tired all.the.time, and gaining weight/not being able to lose weight. I have all these symptoms that scream HYPOthyroid but this office is saying HYPERthyroid because of my TSH levels. I hate this. (Elle if your reading this tell your husband to listen to his patients when they are having issues not just order blood tests and ignore the symptoms the patient is having.)
Now onto the other part of my oh so crappy week. I have fire ants in the house. But these were just itty bitty tiny guys. So Monday I called our bug guys and they came out and put out bait. It is getting close to the 30 day re-spray. Well, while they were putting bait out they checked out where I said the ants may be coming from. What did they find? Ants yes. Oh but also TERMITES. MOTHER F#%&##. It just gets worse and worse. So today the Terminex guys come (they are contracted through our home warranty, so instead of 1k, it only cost us $200). At least that was one up for this week. However the guy called this morning at 8:30 to tell me they'd be here this afternoon. About 30 minutes later, while making breakfast for Wy, and me in my pajamas still (read shorts and tshirt only), the doorbell rings. Yup its the exterminator. So I have to go get the dog in lock him in the kitchen with baby gates, and then try to go upstairs and get dressed. However while getting dressed I look out the window and the dude is waiting outside the front door. So now I have to run back downstairs and see what he wants. I need to move the fence from our garden so he can treat there. So I again go to get dressed, succeed, but then have to leave the kid in the kitchen with the dog to move the fence. It just went on and on.
Thank goodness T comes home Saturday night. But then my Grandma is flying in Sunday afternoon so that she can watch Wyatt during my Dr appts as well as the following three days because I can't hold Wyatt too close because well, I will be radioflippinactive. I have to sleep in a separate bed, flush the toilet two-three times after using it and wash my hands extremely througholy.
Ugh. I went through a health debockle like that 2 years ago and went to several doctors before I finally found a nurse practioner that listened to a damn word I said. I wish someone could get it through doctors heads that just because you went to school for a long time doesn't mean you know everything ever. Sometimes, we know our own damn bodies ass holes. I hope this stupid test proves something that makes it treatable quickly so A.)you can stop losing hair because that sucks and B.)you were radioflippin active for a reason. Good luck!
If your TSH level is normal, the RAI scan may not be necessary, as most likely the nodule is cold.
Internal blood flow, irregilar borders and calcification with hypoechoic (having blood flow)feature, gives this nodule 22% chance of malignancy.
Nodule less then 1 cm without blood flow is modt likely benign.
My TSH is actually low, this office considers anything below .3 low, mine is .27.
Also, the nodule was 1.6x1.6x1.1 cm in size.
The technetium scan according to some expert is better tool to evaluate possible hot nodules then RAI scan; the borderline-low TSH level can be contributed to the medicine such as Metformin.
Since the nodule has cystic components the biopsy under live u-s observation is recommended to take specimen from solid part of that nodule. It is not uncommon for hot adenomas to show atypical cells (which is not necessary sign of the cancer)
Best of luck!!
I'm not on any medicine right now, only taking VitD, 2000iu/day due to very low VitD levels.
I've also already had an ultrasound on the nodule which is how they found out it was solid and cystic. Thank you.