two TIRADS 4 nodules less than 5mm size hypoechoic. Endocrinologist suggesting total thyroidectomy.
Hi, I'm 36 f, and had a total thryoidectomy for chronic hyperthryoidism and mutlinodular goiter with compressive symptoms. I also had to have 1 parathyroid gland removed because it had enlarged to double it's size. After the initial recovery period from the surgery I felt great. For about 2- 2 1/2 weeks I honestly felt better than I had in years. Then suddenly my TSH flew to a 21 and i felt horrible. Since then I've had a dose adjustment and blood work, waiting 3 more weeks until my next bit of blood work and appointment with my endo.
I understand the dose change and finding the right dose in general is sort of a waiting game but just....ugggh. I have horrible brain fog and fatigue, hair loss, weight gain, 'mood swings', trouble sleeping, the works. I've discussed all this with my doctors, and know that optimizing my hormones levels will take time. I'm just having a hard time coping with the adjustment period and new normal, whatever that is.
I'm posting here in hopes that other people who've undergone and total thyroidectomy can share experiences, give advice, tell me that there's a light at the end of this tunnel.
hello, im not sure if this is the right place to ask this but does anyone with hyperthyroidism know how to combat weight gain/continue losing? last year, i had started losing weight by calorie deficit, and then calorie deficit and treadmill. i didnt lose weight at all unless i tried, but i have lost a significant amount of weight and the weight loss has stalled since i have been trying to maintain it until my appointment with my doctor. it just sucks because im finally happy with myself and im so worried that ill gain weight after meds. for the first time in my life im happy with myself after being heavy my whole life. i dont want to give up on my weight loss, but if its impossible, i dont know what to do. thank you for any advice, im also 18 and female. im aware that it probably sped up my metabolism, but that weight loss definitely was not easy so i just feel so confused.
Has anyone had a FNA come back as ‘consistent with thyroid lymph nodes’?
Located in the isthmus.
I’ve had 2 FNA’s now, first being non diagnostic and then this one. The nodules are very small (5mm) but were classed as TR5 and I also had another larger left pole nodule that came back as benign.
So now they don’t know if they are nodules or lymph nodes?
Radiologist had also said there was a third ‘nodule’ present right next to the other 2 (which popped up within a 5 month timeframe)
This process is all very confusing!
I’ve also had other neck symptoms which I feel are right where lymph nodes would be.
Report states I do not have thyroiditis.
Any insight would be great if anyone has had anything similar!
TL;DR:
Diagnosed with Graves' disease in March 2025. Had an allergic reaction to Methimazole, but did well on Propylthiouracil (PTU). Due to a national shortage, I’ve been off PTU for ~2 weeks and my thyroid levels are rising again. Supply may not return until December. Looking for advice or alternatives, and wondering if it’s possible to safely get PTU from abroad.
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I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in March 2025. I initially started on Methimazole, but after a few weeks I developed allergic reactions, so my endocrinologist switched me to Propylthiouracil (PTU).
On PTU, my thyroid levels improved significantly and I was mostly symptom-free.
Last September, my current endocrinologist advised reducing my PTU dose to 1 tablet per day. My levels went up slightly, so I returned to 2 tablets per day. However, PTU supply in my country has been very limited. To stretch my medication, I reduced my dose to once daily—but I’ve now been completely out of PTU for almost 2 weeks.
My recent lab results show elevated thyroid levels again, indicating a recurrence of hyperthyroidism. Unfortunately, the ONLY distributor here in the Philippines recently announced that their overseas manufacturer has suspended operations, and PTU supply may not resume until December.
I’m feeling stuck and unsure what to do next.
- Has anyone experienced a similar situation?
- Is it possible (and safe/legal) to have someone abroad purchase PTU and ship it to the Philipoines?
I would prefer to avoid radioactive iodine (RAI) if possible, as it’s very expensive here, and I previously responded well to PTU at the right dose.
so idk if i should tell my PCP about my thyroid issues. i’ve had like a lump in my throat whenever i swallow only on one side. also my mouth is very dry and i have these lumps that are hard for quite a while. like about 5 under my jaw and two on each side of my thyroid gland that popped up recently, i would show a picture but its against the rules. any advice is appreciated
I have a 3 cm nodule right by my windpipe. And a few smaller ones. I also might be a little puffy from my menopause treatment, apparently progesterone can do this. (I also have some issues with histamine reactivity and had anaphylaxis twice this past year, so I HATE this feeling)
Apparently my thyroid itself is also slightly larger than it was last summer. (Had an ultrasound in the ER in Feb when I had an anaphylaxis episode. I don’t know why they did that, but they did.)
My endo got the report from the ER, and wrote me a letter saying it’s not urgent so no need to see me sooner. My regular scheduled ultrasound at her hospital will be in June. I won’t be able to review results until October.
I don’t know if she thinks I’m worried about cancer? I am not. That nodule was biopsied a couple years ago and it was fine. Features make it TIRADS 4 but not that worried.
What can I do? I am not changing endos because 1) I’m in Canada, hard to find a new one , and more importantly, 2) she’s in charge of monitoring other stuff by MRI (pituitary and another brain thing). She is my connection to the best neurosurgeon in town if it turns out I need brain surgery.
I *can* breathe but lying flat is MIGHTY uncomfortable! Couple times I woke up from sleeping because my throat closed in on itself.
What are some natural ways to raise TSH? I have subclinical hyperthyroidism (this is the second time I’ve had it). I am very sensitive to thyroid changes, and very symptomatic. My mental health takes a huge toll when my TSH is low, as the anxiety is out of hand. Last time this happened was 5 years ago and I went GF. Felt better maybe 8-12 months later. In 2023, my TSH was 1.7 🙏🏼. This time around, I’m looking for more natural remedies to get out of subclinical hyperthyroidism and raise TSH? We have ruled out any toxic nodules, as well as Graves (although I know you can test neg, my endo wants to retest in 6 months). I have been GF and dairy free for the last month, and I’m trying my absolute hardest to avoid inflammatory foods. No seed oils.
Also, I am curious if anyone has had any experience with this. In 2020 and 2025, are the only two times in my life I have lost a significant amount of weight by diet and exercise changes. I mean like 50-60 pounds. Shortly after both weight losses, is when my TSH plummets and I’m super symptomatic. Can weight loss cause issues like this? I’m concerned it throws off my hormones, affects my thyroid, etc. My endocrinologist didn’t seem concerned about weight loss negatively affecting my health but it’s now a pattern, and I’m curious if weight loss has been my trigger to enter subclinical hyperthyroidism twice now. In 2020/2021 was also the time around Covid / the vaccine so for the longest time I thought that was my trigger but I haven’t gotten any vaccines since 2021 and I haven’t had Covid since 2023 (to my knowledge). I’m just not sure what’s causing my low TSH if I don’t have Graves or a nodule? And if it’s thyroiditis, why can I get a virus sometimes and not have this type of reaction? Any perspective on all of this would be so beneficial. Any remedies, insight, personal experiences. PLEASE! 🙏🏼
im having a total thyroidectomy in 2 days. any advices ? I would also like to ask if the post-op is okay or will it affect my daily living after?
Hello all! I know I need to ask my doctor, and I will, but wanted to know if others take their thyroid medications at night?
I’m on levothyroxine - it says to take in the morning a half hour before eating. I’m a new mom and I wake up at different times each morning, when my baby tells me to lol. Sometimes I’m starving at 4am and need to eat something. But mostly I just forget about it.
I would be much better off taking it at night as my evening routine is much better than my morning one. Sometimes it’s 11am before I realize I forgot it - but I’m not sure if I should take it? So I have been skipping it a lot.
What do you think? Take it when I remember it at any time of day or take it at night before bed consistently?
Thanks!
I take 137mg tablet once a day in the morning after having a full removal of my thyroid and it has always caused me to suddenly not be able to sleep through the night I wakeup every other hour. I stopped taking my medication for about 5 months and my sleep went back to normal but obviously I have to take the meds so I started again recently and the sleep problems are back 😞🫠
Does anyone else have this issue? If so what have you and your doctor tried?
Hi everyone,
I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in 2021 and took methimazole for about a year. My doctor eventually said it was under control, and I stopped treatment. Since then, I’ve been living pretty normally.
Earlier this year, I started going to the gym consistently, but I’ve noticed I’m not gaining muscle at all despite regular workouts and effort. At the same time, I’ve had some symptoms come back like weight loss, hair loss, and maybe some mental health dips.
It made me wonder if my thyroid might be acting up again. I’m planning to get checked, but I recently moved to a new country so I’ll be seeing a different doctor.
For those who’ve experienced a relapse:
Would really appreciate hearing your experiences, especially related to fitness and muscle gain. Thanks!
In a few days I’ll be at 2 weeks post partial thyroidectomy. I meet with my endocrinologist at the end of next week.
I’ve got a ton of blood panels waiting for me at the lab that I need to take care of (from various docs) that include a thyroid work up. I kinda want to know if my thyroid hormone levels are looking normal or okay, but is 2 weeks too soon to tell? (My levels were normal beforehand)
Also, I feel like my incision area should not look as swollen and red as it does. Has anyone else had a lot of skin irritation or dermatitis from their bandages or liquid adhesive? The incision itself has healed in that it’s not “open” anymore but the area still looks puffy and it’s sore. I kinda thought it would be less swollen by now. Don’t want to post photos, sorry.
Not looking for medical advice just perhaps some range of experiences. Thanks.
I don’t see my doctor for a week unfortunately
EXAMINATION: Thyroid ultrasound.
INDICATION: Neck swelling.
TECHNIQUE: Real-time sonographic evaluation of the thyroid was performed. Grayscale and color
Doppler images recorded.
COMPARISON: No prior studies available for comparison.
FINDINGS:
The thyroid gland is of homogeneous echotexture bilaterally.
The right lobe of the thyroid gland measures 5cm in greatest dimension. No significant thyroid nodules are appreciated within the right thyroid lobe.
The left lobe of the thyroid gland measures 4.7 cm in greatest dimension. No significant nodules are
demonstrated afthe las shuraid lobe.
The isthmus measures 2 cm in thickness.
IMPRESSION:
Hi I have strangers coming up to me commenting on the size of my thyroid / I am quite slight I have done numerous tests in the past and never tested positive for a thyroid condition. I’m also on mood stabilizers and anti psychotic medication but my psychiatrist rules out hypothyroidism. Does anyone have experience with having a fluctuating visible thyroid and if so did tests come to any conclusion?
I have taken Levothyroxine .75mg and switched to taking NP thyroid 60mg for about 6 months but stopped about a week ago after having a bad reaction to it that I didn’t realise it was that. I wanna go back on my Levothyroxine, and I still have some that are not expired. Is it bad to do that without a doctors approval? It’s what I’ve been on for many many years. I’m hoping this makes sense. The lack of thyroid is making me have major brain fog.
I have two nodes, one is 3.9 and considered scored 3 and the other 2.5, 3. Everything is pointing to it NOT being cancer, but my husband and I are really anxious. It feels like something is in my throat ever since the guy who did my ultrasound was rough with me..primary wanted a biopsy but I decided to speak to an endo to get her opinion first..but I don’t want them to remove half my thyroid..so I was going to look into RFA if it’s not cancer, is it painful? Obviously I have to get a biopsy done first, but I’m already dreading it since I have trauma with things near my neck..can you be knocked out for these?
Yesterday I had blood tests done and my tsh was 5.12 (high)and my t4 free 1.17 (normal). My doctor just said she’s going to get my tsh tested again in a few months and I was wondering can you lower it? I checked google for symptoms of high tsh and I’ve had weight gain, fatigue, anxiety, muscle-weakness also memory issues for a while now but I guess I thought I just needed more sleep or something. I’m male 31.
Is it normal to not take ur thyroid meds the day of ur blood work until after blood is drawn?
Okay I had a thyroid nodule show up 7 years ago. No hormone issues since, and I’ve had it monitored via ultrasound and a fna a couple years ago. Nothing abnormal as far as fna went- but the nodule was 6 cm. I had a repeat ultrasound a month ago to check in and my nodule has grown to 8 cm. Still no pain, hormone issues, or anything like that. I can feel it when I swallow now and I saw an endocrinologist who is strongly recommending having that side of my thyroid removed. I’m fine with that, I do not care about the scar. But I’m scared of cancer. I’ve been seeing a pcp and we’ve kept a close eye on things, but I’d love positive stories.