i have a thyroid nodule*update*

[kindacrunchy]

I noticed a slight swelling in my neck on Monday. A litttle tender but nothing too major. I thought it was a lymph node. I told my mw today and she checks it out and tells me it is a thyroid nodule. She proceeds to tell me that I need to see the endocrinologist, have blood work done, get a fine needle aspirate, and an u/s. So I ask her where she was going with all this since people don't seem to tell you anything and she said that we had to make sure it wasn't cancerous. I have never heard the word cancer come out of any of my health care providers mouths before.
Not only are we moving in 2 weeks, and the baby is due around Christmas, but now I have the word cancer gnawing at the back of my brain. I have been so busy with all this house crap, packing, etc. and felt that I could finally relax and focus on my birth after we move and now this. I'm not saying "poor me". I'm saying "Poor Dylan".
Can somebody please give me some words of wisdom on channeling my thoughts on this baby instead of all the other external crap that has been going on. I don't feel like I can reign it all in, suck it up, and focus. My brain is totally scattered.
Thanks!

[DesireeH]

Aww Karen, I'm sorry! Hopefully its nothing. Good thing you found it early too though so you can get it checked out. They thought I had a brain tumor once and it scared the crap out of me but the MRI results showed I was fine. I hope everything is fine with you too!

[Jeanne_L]

:hug

I know how scary that word can be, mama. I had a basal cell carcinoma a few years back. I didn't know it was cancer until it was removed and biopsied... but just that thought that "I had cancer!" is terrifying.

As far as trying to focus: do you practice yoga or meditation at all? If you can try to find a quiet place, clear your mind (yeah, I know, peice of cake, right?!), and just be in the moment and connect with your baby... even for just 10 or 15 minutes... tell yourself that this is your time with your baby and all that other stuff will still be there when you are done! I try to do that every day, especially when things are hectic. I find it's easiest to meditate after yoga or after a walk...

I'll be thinking of you. Please keep us posted!!!

[Kontessa]

I had to talk my Dr into doing an ultra sound after feeling my neck not right for months. They found at least 3 nuduals and goider in my thyriod. They sent to me a specialist who said it had to do with pregnancy and would go away, by the I had baby over 6 months past so I was not believing him too much. All my blood work was normal though so I was not too worried.

After this little one is born, (We just moved) I will see a new Dr and find out what is going on. For now though, from all I have read, if it is cancer it will go very slow and we should have time to deal.

Just in case though, look into the Alkaline Diet, test your PH now and see how it is and work on your diet for you and baby.

We know stress is horrible, and I am sorry you have to worry about this right now, but try to focus on possitive things. It has to be ok.

Blessings,
Kontessa (Kimmy)

[judybean]

I'll ditto the meditation time. Even the smallest amount of time can make the biggest difference in your outlook and your day! Yes, of course it's easier said than done, but it *can* be done just as pain *can* be tolerated when you use the proper techniques.

[StarCat]

Karen- I'm sorry. That is such a hard thing to hear when you want to be focusing on baby. I am a super worrrier so I know it would have me worked up- I still can't figure out how not to worry about things so I can't help you there. But I can tell you that thyroid nodules are very common in women (like 1 in 12-15 women will get one at some point) they are not usually malignant. I know sometime pregnancy hormones can speed up the growth of polyps and lumps and what not or even cause them to grow. Maybe it could be a pregnant thing?

[atozmama]

It is not unusual to see thyroid problems during pregnancy and postpartum. The extra blood volume a woman creates for pregnancy uses the free thyroid hormone that ususally circulates in the body, so the thyroid tries to make more and in some women, it can't keep up. About.com has an excellent section on thyroid info and even a section on pregnancy and breastfeeding. It must be scary to hear the word cancer at such a vulnerable time. I hope you can get into a endrocronoigist soon and find some answers, even though it is more to do at a busy time. I also second the others sugggestions on taking time to meditate or talk to your baby, even if it is just a few min in the shower.

[kindacrunchy]

Thanks everyone! I did squeeze my pregnanr self into our tiny bath tub last night. That is my relaxation place that i rarely visit anymore.
I have read some stuff about thyroid problems. I do know that things go a little crazy with pregnancy. Unfortunately, I was raised by a vey worrisome mother who rushed me to the doctor for every little thing. I have inherited some of that but not to that extent. It's actually a good thing that I am pregnant and seeing someone on a regular basis, otherwise I would have waited to have it checked.
She told me it would be about two weeks before I could get in to see the endocrinologist which is right around Thanksgiving and our move. Yippee!
Any more suggestions or experiences are welcome. It's helping get my feet planted.
Thanks again!

[kindacrunchy]

i saw the endocrinologist yesterday. He did a fine needle aspirate on the nodule (hopefully) to send in to the lab and now I am waiting for radiology to call and schedule an ultrasound. My thyroid profile was normal so it isn't inflammation. It is either a benign growth or a malignant growth. I really thought I was going to have the u/s and find out more yesterday. Now my mind is racing and my imagination is going wild. I just want the diagnostics over so I know what I am dealing with. I hate waiting!
I was fine over the weekend and thought I was getting a grip and now I feel like I have lost it. I'm scared right now and I'm desperately trying to overcome that.
Anyway, that's the update.

[StarCat]

Oh Karen...waiting really does suck. I hope, hope, hope its benign. This really is a lot of stress to be going through right now for you- I can only imagine how much you must be freaking out. I know how I would be. It's amazing how strong we can be when we need to, though. I hope you can find some kind of peaceful place in your head to help get you through this. My thoughts and prayers are with you!! :Hug

[Lucky Charm]

Mama, how scary!

I have no personal experience other than a friend who had a nodule that was in fact malignant. She had a thyroidectomy and is doing fine. She takes synthroid daily.

Another nurse friend that I work with had her thyroid removed last fall, and is doing quite well. I dont recall her having to have radiation treatment or chemo.

Please let us know what the pathology report says.

:Hug

[StarCat]

Just thinking about you and wondering if you have heard anything?

[danav]

Hi - lurking from Feb board but wanted to share my experience and hopefully a little comfort.

I noticed a large lump on my thyroid in July 2004 - I was just walking through my hallway and passed the bathroom mirror, and noticed a shadow on my neck out of the corner of my eye. When I stopped to really look, I couldn't believe this huge lump sitting right there that I had never seen before! Asked my gyn about it a couple weeks later at my regular appt, and she sent me to a oncologist/surgeon. He talked about cancer, did a fine needle aspiration in the office (hurt like heck!!), and the results came back weird - they didn't think it was cancer, though.

So I was sent to an endocrinologist, who freaked me out by telling me he was VERY concerned that it might well be cancer, because it came up so suddenly and I am so young (34), as well as his interpretation of the aspiration biopsy results. He did reassure me that if it WAS cancer, it was almost certainly the type of thyroid cancer that is very curable with an almost 100% survival rate (the deadly variety of thyroid cancer normally occurs in much older people). So he did another needle biopsy under ultrasound guidance (by ultrasound, the nodule measured nearly 2 cm, very large according to the doc). That biopsy came back indicating that it was NOT cancer...although I couldn't get an absolute definitive answer without doing an actual surgical biopsy by removing the nodule and part or all of my thyroid.

They would have liked to do a radioactive iodine uptake scan, which would have more accurately determined the presence or absence of cancer, but it would have neccessitated weaning my son (who was still nursing at that point, he was 2) because the radioactive iodine enters breastmilk and would have damaged my son's thyroid (I did some research and everything I found did in fact indicate that total weaning was required, not just pump & dump for a few days). But even without that test, the doctor was comfortable concluding that it was not cancer, and recommended I follow up in 6 months to monitor the nodule. Even though benign, there is a chance it can grow and eventually cause pressure on my trachea or nerves in the area, and need to be removed. Removal of half or most of my thyroid would probably mean thyroid hormone replacements for the rest of my life, so as long as it doesn't grow and isn't causing any problems, there is no reason to remove it.

It has now been nearly a year and a half since I found the nodule, and it has not changed size at all, and my thyroid function is totally normal (had it checked prior to this pregnancy, and again just last week). Hopefully things will stay status quo indefinitely.

So, essentially what I wanted to tell you is that there is a good chance that this is not cancer. If it is cancer, it is very likely the type that is very curable - it is perhaps the most easily treated type of cancer there is. The treatment typically involves removal of part or all of the thyroid, followed by a treatment of radioactive iodine (I think this is ingested, if I recall correctly). This radioactive iodine is absorbed only by thyroid tissue, so it will not affect any other part of your body (your hair won't fall out, other tissues will not be damaged like they are in other cancer radiation treatments), yet it will seek out and destroy any thyroid cells in your body, which means that if the thyroid cancer has spread this radioactive iodine will get it no matter where it has gone.

I understand how you are probably feeling right now...I went through a couple of weeks of being convinced that I did have cancer, and was honestly surprised when I got the second biopsy results and found out I was ok. It's scary! :hugs to you, and I will pray that you get some very good news very soon so you can concentrate on your pregnancy and upcoming birth rather than all of this stress!

[GruppieGirl]

Nodules are VERY normal and most often are not a sign of cancer.

Personally, I have a multi-nodular goiter. At last check I had 8 nodules. Did a biopsy on one and it came back normal. I am having an ultrasound on my thyroid next week to check out how they are doing. I am 30.

My blood tyroid levels have always been normal, even with the multi-nodular goiter. Interested to hear about the blood levels of others with nodules.


My thoughts are with you! Please remember that nodules are very common. :hug

[IncaMama]

i've had thyroid issues in the past, and my endo once told me to expect nodules at some point in my life, that they are more common than we all realize, and that most of them are NOT cancerous. it's just a hotbed of activity in there, and some people are prone to growths because of that.

i pray that it's malignant! *hug*

[kindacrunchy]

Hi mamas,
Thanks for thinking about me. My midwife received all of the diagnostic results. She called and left a message about 1 1/2 hours after I had my ultrasound. She said the aspirate showed that the nodule is an adenoma which is a non-cancerous growth and that the u/s showed that it was a single nodule. She said that I will probably need to be rechecked fter Dylan is born. I read that adenomas can secrete thyroid hormone which would cause me tp be hyperthyroid, so I may need to have meds or possibly surgery. I'm still waiting for the official word from the endocrinologist. All I can say is that my midwife rocks. It is so nice to know that I have someone on the inside as my advocate. She was so on top of things for me.
Now, all I have to do is pack and move in 1 1/2 weeks and then I can totally focus on giving birth. Now that the thyroid scare is over, I have been able to think about birth and Dylan a lot more. If only the house could pack itself, move itself, and unpack itself:)
Thanks again for your thoughts and concern!
Karen

[DesireeH]

Aww, glad it is non cancerous! That is a relief!!

I hope your move goes as smooth as possible!

[judybean]

Aww, glad it is non cancerous! That is a relief!!

I hope your move goes as smooth as possible!

:thumb Exactly what she said!!

[StarCat]

Good News!!! I was worried about you- that was just too much stress to add onto a pregnant woman!
Hope the move goes well!

[starparticle]

:thumb Great news! What a relief!