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zuzu23 · 06-05-2002, 09:43 AM

here goes. For almost two years now, I have had a huge lump in my throat. It came on very suddenly, along with an extremely rapid weight gain(70 pounds in 5 weeks.) They thought thyroid, obviously, but tests came back normal. I was re-tested recently, and still fine. A thyroid ultrasound revealed multiple cysts. There were actually too many to count. Now I am going for a thyroid scan.

My father-in-law recently passed away from throat cancer. We are all very worried that this could be it. He had a sore throat for months; I have had the same since at least January. I was pregnant at the time, so didn't bother to mention it to the doc since they won't give antibiotics during pregnancy.

Now my weight has dropped again. Not as quickly as it came on, but most of it's gone. Does anyone have a similar story? Any guesses? My scan isn't for another two weeks and I am worried because it is actually noticeable to other people. It feels huge and hurts a lot. Any ideas??

mineman · 06-05-2002, 09:53 AM

Hi zuzu23,
A few months ago I gained 18 pounds and lost it in three weeks. Nothing compared to your gain and lose but not normal. Since that time I have felt more and more fatigued. I have almost all the symptoms of Hypo but also sweat allot which is a sign of Hyperthyroid. I just got home from the lab, they did a CBC, TSH, and 14 (15) not sure which, blood panel. I get the results in a couple days and will post them. I also have a sore throat but it only lasts a few daays at a time. When I do have a sore throat it feels like something is blocking or stuck in there.

ArtfulD · 06-06-2002, 10:55 AM

Hi zuzu23. I am very sorry to hear about your father-in-law. I am not a doctor, but your symptoms sound like you may have thyroid disease, even though you say your test results came back "normal." If possible, please post back with the blood tests that were taken, your results, and the lab's "normal" reference ranges. Sometimes we have symptoms before our thyroid blood levels reach abnormal limits, but it sounds to me that perhaps you had only minimal blood tests (such as just TSH) rather than a full thyroid panel that would give a more comprehensive picture.

You say that your thyroid ultrasound showed multiple cysts and that the swelling in your neck is tender and noticeable. It is possible that you have a swollen thyroid gland (goiter) from whatever is going on in your body. This swelling (and your cysts) can occur for a variety of reasons, including the presence of thyroid antibodies. Please ask your doctor to test your antibody levels to determine if it is causing your discomfort.

I think it is particularly important to check for thyroid antibodies in your case because you mention that your symptoms worsened during pregnancy. Because all of our hormones are related, pregnancy can impact the thyroid. Some women produce thyroid antibodies at when pregnant, and result with thyroid cysts, nodules and/or post-partum thyroiditis (inflammation).

The supplement Selenium (200 mcg/day) can help support your thyroid and help fight any antibodies that are present. I don't know if you are nursing, but you can discuss Selenium with your doctor to see if he or she thinks it would be okay to try.

I am glad to hear that you will be going for a thyroid scan. This test will show how active your thyroid tissue is (e.g., how much hormone it produces) and determine if you have any overactive or underactive areas so they can plan your treatment.

If you've not yet had a chance, read through our Information Archive thread. It has a ton of useful information that can help.
<A HREF="http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/Forum118/HTML/000005.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/Forum118/HTML/000005.html</A>

Also, there is an abundance of information on thyroiditis and thyroid scans, etc. in the thyroid section of endocrine web:
<A HREF="http://www.endocrineweb.com" TARGET=_blank>http://www.endocrineweb.com</A>

About.com has an excellent website as well:
<A HREF="http://thyroid.about.com" TARGET=_blank>http://thyroid.about.com</A>

Good luck, and keep us informed.

zuzu23 · 06-06-2002, 04:24 PM

Wow, thanks for all the great info! You sure sound like you know a lot about thyroid disease. I will definately be printing this out to show my doc.

Last night I checked out a book on thyroid disease. I read through almost all of it very quickly, and I must admit, I am even more scared of it being cancer now. Some of the symptoms seem like it. What I am wondering now is if this "thyroid scan" will be able to tell definately if this could be a type of cancer. If not, what tests should I ask for? I am only 23 and have already had one cancer scare when I was about 8, and was very lucky. I guess you could say I am a little more paranoid about it now.

I have no idea which tests they did. It was a one-time simple blood test, and they really didn't tell me a lot. I don't know what their lab classifies as "normal", and I really like to be totally informed about anything to do with my health. I was kind of upset that they were so abrupt about the huge weight gain.

Also, you asked if I am nursing. No, I am not; unfortunately, that pregnancy ended in another miscarriage (I've had 3 in a row.) Anyone know if these symptoms could have something to do with the miscarriages?? We are absolutely baffled and crushed by this. I have a son already, but want another.

Anyways, thanks for the great info!

NUMBER 9 · 07-22-2002, 11:27 AM

My blood work can back normal for two years,even though my thyroid tumor had been growing for the same time.I also gained alot of weight, my toenails fell off and my memory was going. I thought I was going crazy. My doctor took out my thyroid, than I did radioactive iodine and things are much better. Except I can't keep off the weight.

Tree Frog · 07-23-2002, 01:11 AM

Hi NUMBER 9,
You may still not be at your optimum thyroid dose.

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