Thyroid issues

During a routine checkup, my internist found a nodule on my thyroid. I’m currently waiting on the biopsy results, though my hormone levels are normal. I'm spiraling over the potential diagnosis because I fall into a high-risk category, and to make matters worse, my parents are being completely unsupportive. Instead of helping, they’re just blaming me, saying things like, "It's your own fault, we warned you about this." I’m a total wreck right now—I can't function, I can't work, and I can't stop crying. Has anyone dealt with something similar? Where should I go in New York City to get this handled (best hospitals or specialists)? What are the typical prognoses?

I’m dealing with the exact same thing—my internist told me to come back for a follow-up in six months, but it’s already been a year and a half since then... and I still haven't gone. Basically, if they find the nodule has grown, I'll just have it removed. I'm planning to head in next week.
Look, there's really no reason to panic. They can just take out that specific area, or even the whole thyroid if needed—we'd just take hormone replacement pills for the rest of our lives and be totally fine. Even Simone Biles and Allyson Felix live perfectly normal lives without a thyroid.

Hang in there—God forbid anything worse happens than this...😘
Let me know how it goes once you get your results back; since we're in the same boat, I'm genuinely curious.

P.S. My hormone levels are fine too—everything is right within the normal range.

Thank you.
Didn't they perform a spinal tap on you?
To be honest, I’m terrified this might be something malignant. I had some head X-rays a few years back, and I can't help but worry that radiation exposure might trigger cancer. God willing, it turns out to be benign so I can just monitor it from here on out.

So, I ended up having a nodule too, even though my hormone levels were totally normal. They finally decided to take it out after about ten years of just watching it... it grew from maybe half a centimeter to roughly 2.5. And honestly, even with fine bloodwork, my immune system was shot. I dealt with constant anxiety, those terrifying choking sensations, panic attacks, heart palpitations, you name it...
The nodule itself was benign. I was super diligent about it, though—getting my annual checkups, ultrasounds, biopsies, even a scintigraphy once in a while...
BTW, they only ended up removing about a third of one lobe. I'm not on any medication at all right now.

Melissa Cruz2 said:I used to deal with anxiety too, everything from panic attacks and feeling like I couldn't breathe to racing heartbeats and all those fears...

Could you tell me if things have finally settled down for you, and looking back, what was the one thing that actually made the biggest difference?

hollowhawk15 said:come on, tell me... are you feeling better now? what actually helped you the most?

It’s all gone. Every bit of it. I haven't touched any Xanax since, nor have I been sick at all. Honestly, the only thing that really did the trick was the one thing I could actually control: getting that tumor removed.

I’ve been dealing with a thyroid nodule for ten years now—regular checkups every couple of years, hormones stay perfectly balanced, and I’m doing just fine. There’s really no reason to panic.

Gerald Kern77 said:I've had a thyroid nodule for ten years now. I just get checked out every couple of years, my hormone levels are totally fine, and honestly, I feel great. There’s really no reason to freak out over it.

It's easy to act like everything is fine when you aren't actually feeling anything... maybe try posting about people who *are* actually struggling for once.

The doctor told me my results look fine and suggested we just check back in a year—what a relief! Still, given the headaches this situation is causing me, I’ll have to deal with it sooner or later regardless. Thank you for the support!

They actually caught a nodule during my very first biopsy, though they didn't specify the exact size. So, now I'm heading in for surgery to remove the right lobe. I'm actually using a family connection to get this scheduled because there is absolutely no way I could wait until February given how backed up their appointment calendar is. To make matters worse, my symptoms have already ramped up, so I’m wondering if anyone has advice on something to help me stay calm before the procedure, which should be happening in a week or two. I'm not sure if I phrased that perfectly, but whatever, hopefully it makes sense.

I’m feeling pretty anxious myself. My hormone levels are within the normal range, but I’m still waiting on the antibody results. This thing I have has irregular borders, which points toward cancer.
I haven't done the biopsy yet, but I have a feeling I'll be getting some bad news before my turn comes up. 😢

Man, Charlie, you’ve seriously got it rough. Are they actually making you wait this long just to get the needle in?

Nicole Allen10 said:They actually found a nodule during my first biopsy, though they didn't specify the size. So, I'm heading in to have the right lobe removed. I'm using a family connection to skip the line because there's no way I'd wait until February given their schedule. My thyroid activity is already ramping up, so I'm wondering if there's anything I can take to calm things down before the surgery in a week or two. Not sure if I phrased that right, but whatever, hope this makes sense!

I don't think you worded that quite right 🙂 what exactly is "ramping up"? What are you trying to calm down? Is your thyroid overactive? If they haven't prescribed anything to slow it down, you probably don't need anything. Just hang in there a bit longer 🙂 but I'm confused why you're going in for surgery without getting a biopsy or having them note the actual size of the nodule in the report... (maybe I missed something since everyone started jumping onto different topics)

Charlie said:I’m honestly terrified. My hormone levels are technically "normal" right now, but I’m just waiting on my antibody results. This thing I have has irregular edges and looks way too much like cancer
I haven't even had the biopsy yet, and I feel like I'm going to pass out before they even get to me. 😢

Why are you convinced it's cancer? The ultrasound showed a goiter—likely Hashimoto's thyroiditis. You’ll probably end up with hypothyroidism and positive antibodies eventually anyway. Honestly, hyperthyroidism is a much bigger headache! Just get that biopsy done ASAP and try not to spiral. That lump is most likely nothing, and since Hashimoto's involves antibodies attacking the gland, there's a chance it might even shrink on its own. And if it stays too big, they'll just take it out.

Nicole Allen10 said:Man, Charlie, you are seriously having a rough time. Are you going to be stuck waiting forever for that puncture?

😲
Look, I’m just being real with you—if I were in your shoes, I'd tell you that your situation is actually way worse than Charlie's, but I'm not you
so I'll just say this: this whole post is honestly pretty terrible.🙂

I honestly don't get why parents wouldn't step up and offer support... that's just awful. Especially since, from what I understand, thyroid issues are usually genetic. Correct me if I'm wrong there, but it can definitely be passed down from a grandmother to a grandchild. It’s like how one of my friends was warned when she was little to keep a close eye on it, and sure enough, she ended up dealing with all those complications. My own mom has thyroid struggles, too. My sister and I both went in for checkups recently, and we're perfectly fine, though if we ever decide to have kids, they'd probably need regular screenings just to stay ahead of things.
I'm rooting for you and really hope you get through this.

@ fadedhound69, I think you missed my point because I actually mentioned that I had a second puncture right after the first one—so yeah, it definitely happened. As for them not listing the exact size in the report, I honestly have no clue how much weight that carries (correct me if I'm wrong, though). To me, the bigger deal is that I’m getting it removed altogether
. It’s not like the stuff I read on that other thread where people just live with it for ten years. And look, obviously my thyroid is overactive; I don't even know what you're getting at there. But whatever, a friend is hooking me up with some Xanax just so I can make it through to the surgery, which I'm hoping happens next week. Dealing with all this while grieving the death of my father has been an absolute nightmare of extra stress.

Nicole Allen10 said:@ fadedhound69 you totally misread me because I said this happened *after* my first biopsy, which means I actually had two done. And honestly, I have no clue if the size they left out of the report matters much (sorry if I'm wrong!). To me, the big news is that I'm getting it removed
instead of living with it for 10 years like I thought I read on that other thread. And yeah, my thyroid is definitely overactive—not sure what you meant by that. Anyway, it doesn't matter, a friend is giving me some Xanax to help me get through until my surgery, which I'm hoping happens next week. Dealing with my dad passing away lately has just been one massive extra stressor.

I told you I was reading up on it, but it’s hard to follow you sometimes, so I might have missed a beat. Usually, with benign nodules, the size is the main thing since they don't take them out unless they get huge. And yeah, I meant your thyroid is working overtime, but I wasn't sure if you were trying to calm your thyroid down or your nerves. I didn't see anything about living with it for 10 years either 😕
I am so sorry about your dad and I really hope you hang in there until the surgery... regardless, I'm wishing you nothing but the best 😘

You’re totally misinterpreting me again. I didn't say I've been living with this for ten years—I just read that someone else mentioned it in a different thread on this forum. And now you're acting like I'm the one who misunderstood everything. Besides, irritability is one of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism (if I spelled that right, anyway).

Nicole Allen10, I’m not even arguing—there’s nothing to argue about! I just totally don't get you. I know exactly what hyperthyroidism feels like. Honestly, I still didn't catch your drift: were you saying someone in another thread mentioned having a nodule and an overactive thyroid and they've just been dealing with it for 10 years?? Because usually, if you have an overactive thyroid and a nodule (you'd have to see what kind and how big it is, obviously), people don't just sit around waiting 10 years to get surgery... But whatever, it doesn't really matter to me to keep talking about some random person I've never even read before. I don't know what their deal is.