LafayetteLady
Posts: 7683
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Northern New Jersey
Status: offline
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So, some of you may remember my thyroid issues from earlier this year. Doc put me on methamazole and it has completely gotten rid of the hot flashes! To go outside when it is 65 degrees and be able to enjoy the beautiful weather!
Anyway, as endo and I discussed further, we talked about my options going forward. Since I have a "hot" nodule, the odds are really slim it is malignant. so while current meds control the hyperactivty, I would still need to have regular ultrasounds and biopsies because the status could change. Also, over the long term, methamazole has some serious long term effects, like osteoporosis. However, this is option one.
Option 2 would be radioactive iodine therapy. Huge dose that will essessentially kill my throid glad. However, during that time, I would of course have to not take meds at least part of time so labs are accurate. And one dose may not do the job, so I woul have all kinds of crap symptoms to deal with, plus be radioactive and have contact restrictions. So even though its an option, it isn't for me.
Third choice is surgery. Remove the thyroid and start syntroid or whatever. Ok, sounds fine to me. But of course there a hitch. One dr that I don't go to anymore had ordered parathyroid levels (PTH). I didn't notice until after my last visit with the endo. Sinced he didn't order it he didn't notice either. Yea, its 154. The high end of norm is 72. Go figure.
So I point this out to the surgeon who is ear nose and throat. He sends me for a sestamibi scan. The resulst show nothing because my big thyroid nodule is blocking the view! Now he wants me to go for an MRI. He also talked about removing just the right thyroid lobe. Get this; after analyzation if it comes back malignant, he will "just" do the other side. Oh really? Really. And of course, by removing only the right side, I may still need the methamazole, I may need syntroid, or I may need nothing at all.
Know wath that idea says to me? You are going to suffer horrendous hot flashes again, and the little nodule on the left that is getting no attention because mr 3 centimeters on the right is hogging it all is going to spring into action.
Not in MY lifetime!
So back to the endo I go to talk to him about all of this and to have him call surgeon and tell him what to do. The nonchalant way the surgeon said they would just do a second surgery was insane. Also he kept saying that he hopes the adenoma on the parathyroid(only thing that makes them screwy) is also on the right so it makes it easier. So I got the impression he is hoping so in order that he may just lop off the right side and call it a day.
For anyone who is wondering, the parathyroid and thyroid are not connected in any way other than the similarility in name and their location. But between the two fo them, they can really fuck up everything else inyour body.
So I have two names for other surgeons to get another opinion. Endo says the MRI isn't likely to show anything either, and from what I've read, the best way to figure it out is to look for it during surgery, esaially sincce he will be in there anyway.
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Surgery in the near future - 
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