I would go too for the biopsy so you don't have to worry for six months. There really isn't anything to getting one. I go every 5 years . The last time was at the hospital and they only took two samples ( in office they took three) and I don't think it even took the doctor 5 minutes once he started.

I tend to have low anxiety and trust my doctor if she were to tell me we'll keep a eye on it. On the other hand, if I were you, and had high anxiety and given the facts the endocrinologist gave you, it would take me about 22 nanoseconds to decide to have the biopsy. Peace of mind is a big thing!

I have a nodule and I've had thyroid disease for 40 years.

Every 8 years or so I get an FNA: Fine Needle Aspiration where they use a needle guided by ultrasound to get some samples from the nodule which they then test. Mine has been benign for all this time. The vast majority of them are benign. The test was done without anesthesia or pain killers in the office and took only a few minutes and was only mildly uncomfortable...but I have no problems with needles being a frequent blood donor.

There's no reason to wait 6 mos. Just tell your endocrinologist that you would rest easier getting the FNA and s/he should be able to do it no problem.

Also keep in mind that if it is cancer...though the odds are greatly that it isn't...thyroid cancer is probably one of the easier kinds to deal with as it is so curable.

Chi, that is often how we find things, looking for something else!

I have nodules that we've been watching over 10 years. Never done a biopsy because they are not growing. I do blood work and see the endo. twice a year and get an ultrasound every 2-3 years.

Many people have nodules and the nodules do not affect their health. The nodules most likely have been in the thyroid quite a long time. I have nodules and have an ultrasound every 6 months to a year to monitor any change in size. I have had biopsies twice several years apart as a precautionary measure recommended by the endocrinologist. Because I have several nodules, the procedure involved taking samples from each. The procedure is nothing to worry about.k. There is no discomfort during or after. I left the office with a bandaid on my neck. Both times a specialist did the biopsy, my regular endocrinologist. One thing to be aware of is sometimes not enough cells are drawn to evaluate a nodule. Ask your physician about it and to explain the protocol. Get it done. You will be fine.

I apologize for the typos etc. The edit function is not working for me.

Anxiety can have a negative effect on your physical health. If it would ease your mind and eliminate your anxiety, get the biopsy.

One of my sisters has extreme anxiety regarding her health. Any little thing worries her to pieces. For example,if she has indigestion, she is worried about colon cancer. A headache, she worries about brain tumors. She had severe back pain which required surgery a couple years ago, so of course she worried about a surgical error that would leave her paralyzed. It's sad to see. So far she has been diagnosed with

Anxiety

Depression

IBS-D AND IBS-C

Some sort of arthritis that I cant recall the name of that flares up when she gets overly stressed.

Migraines

Insomnia

And it goes on and on and on. She is always going to some doctor.I think her extreme anxiety has either brought on or worsened a lot of her conditions, and I wonder why whoever she goes to see regarding her mental health has not addressed it. I hope you don't get to that point,Chi.

Oh I am already at that point, amylou. If I hear someone has cancer, I Google symptoms to see if I also have that type of cancer. I've had countless tests - MRI's, mammograms, ultrasounds, endoscopies and colonoscopies and I'm only in my 30's. Every little pain means cancer in my brain. I worry about everything and I am always convinced I will die in any medical procedure.

For me, it started when I lost my vibrant and lively mom when I was 25. She was diagnosed with lung cancer at age 46 and was dead by 47, and seeing her go from healthy and vivacious to hospice in such a short time really messed with me. I'm so scared the same thing will happen to me.

I'm in therapy to try to help and found a very patient GP who encourages me to bring my list of things I'm worried about and we go over them and she either eases my mind or we follow up on it.

Yes, your first paragraph sounds very familiar. My sister is also still in her thirtys, only 4 years older than me,and has had so many tests is dizzying. I have to say that I worry for you. She has so much to be joyful about, yet she is consumed with the what's ifs.

It has gotten to the point where no one really takes her seriously anymore. When she calls or texts about some disastrous symptoms she is having and what it could possibly mean, everyone just kinda rolls their eyes. I imagine her GP is the same way. Her husband has made it clear that he thinks she is ridiculous with this, but still encourages her to get whatever it is checked out to ease her mind. What else can you do? Let her literally worry herself to death? Either way it's not good for her. If she does have some serious illness one day,I wonder if she will be devastated or relieved to finally be proven right. And that's sad to me.

Dr. Google is the worst thing to happen to modern medicine.

The endocrinologist says he wants to wait 6 months and do another ultrasound to see if it's grown and then go from there.

I hope I don’t come across as being flippant, but, there‘s your answer. And I think you really, truly know that.

(Btw, my sister had TC and I have nodules on my thyroid. I’ve also battled anxiety.)

Sammy, I don't think you are flippant but I'm curious what your reasoning is that waiting is the best option.

I know my doctor is basing his opinion on statistics and studies, as he told me that very few people with my nodule profile end up having cancer so it's not reasonable to biopsy everyone without documented change in the nodule. However, I have to be my own advocate just in case I'm the rare one in the group.

It's exhausting, amylou. And I realize how illogical it all is but I don't know how to stop it. I am starting a new therapy this week and hoping it will help. I have a good life and I can't really enjoy it because of constant fear.

When I am done having babies I'm going back on meds.

Also this doctor forbade me from Googling anymore. :) My ultrasound report said there were renal lesions on my thyroid and I googled it last night and started panicking because the only thing I could find were rare cases where renal cancer metastasized to the thyroid. And when he got to that point in the report he started laughing and said these reports are dictated and it was clearly a mistake. All that worry for nothing.

About 10 years ago a CT found nodules in my thyroid. I had the ultrasound and biopsy but the biopsy was inconclusive so I ended up having surgery to remove 1/2 of my thyroid. Further tests on the nodules determined they were benign. I have a nice scar on the front of my neck to show for it.

I think you should have the biopsy to ease your mind if nothing else.

Inconclusive? No second or third opinion? So sorry you went through this.

Eld6161 - IIRC at least one of them was suspiciously like the Anaplastic type. While this type of thyroid cancer is rare it is also aggressive so we opted for the partial thyroidectomy to be on the safe side. I can't remember the details on why the biopsy was unable to determine with certainty if the nodules were benign of malignant.

Oh I read about the anaplastic one. Rare and very scary! So glad you didn't have it. Have you had any issues with half a thyroid? My doctor said even a quarter thyroid is sufficient for what the body needs.

Chi - no I haven't had any problems with only having half of my thyroid. No thyroid hormone replacement therapy required. The only post surgery issue I had was that the incision area was very numb and tingly for a couple months but eventually that subsided.

You should have it done stat. The worrying will ruin the next six months. I've had them done and they are easy peasy. They numb you, you feel no pain, a tiny bit of pressure and takes less than a few minutes if that.

I go back 10/1 for the new blood and ultrasound results so I'm going to try to schedule it then. I am going to assume of he finds something troubling he will bring me in earlier so I'm trying to relax!

I have one on each side of my thyroid. I do a sonogram every 6 months and they aren’t growing. They also were found while doing another test.

I know how difficult it is to wait 6 more months but I'm not qualified to tell you whether you should or should not have the biopsy. Did you discuss your fears and anxieties with your endocrinologist and does he know that you want to become pregnant next year? Since you mentioned that your GP has helped you deal with these issues it might help if you discuss this with her too. That might help you make this decision.

I did mention the anxiety and that's when he said we can biopsy if I want to if it would make me feel better. I forgot to mention the pregnancy but will definitely do so next time I see him. It would be nice to make sure everything is okay before starting that chapter of my life and I really don't have the time to keep pushing it back.

Lone Jack, thanks for answering me. Seems odd to hit the like button when reading these type of discussions.

Make sure you have your thyroid levels properly checked, when I was in college (>30 years ago) we knew that the TSH test was junk and useless, unfortunately there are physicians that still use it. Here is some basic info on what is important to check:

https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/recommended-labwork/

Low thyroid hormone levels will make it very difficult to get and stay pregnant so encase there is an issue, I would recommend starting on this now since the levels are tricky to get balanced.

If you suffer from such anxiety, then I would definitely have the biopsy! Why put yourself through the stress of not knowing for six months - that will take a terrible toll on your physical and mental health.

My docs found nodules on my thyroid close to 10 years ago, but they are quite a bit smaller. I had ultrasounds every 6 months for a few years, and now I get them every 5 years. Seems like they’re pretty common, but knowing that doesn’t alleviate the anxiety.

DH had 2 nodules that were needle biopsied. His biopsies came back clear, but because both nodules had enlarged within a year, they wanted to do surgery.

Both nodules were benign, but removing them meant he was left with one third of his thyroid gland. That meant he has to take thyroid medication from then on, which doesn't bother him at all.

Just get the biopsy, to avoid the 6 months of anxiety. I actually have 5 nodules! They were found 34 years ago when I was pregnant with my first child. They've never grown, and simple needle biopsies every 5 years have still been clear. Doctors don't want to bother with any surgery risk, since my thyroid has always functioned normally, despite the nodules.

Thanks Raye. They did the T3 and T4 and TSH, sodium, vit D, etc. They took 6 more vials from me yesterday for more tests so hopefully I'll be covered.

Amicus, I'm surprised he has to take meds with 1/3 left!

I am heartened to see how common this seems to be, and with overwhelmingly benign results.

Thanks everyone for your input.

If it will make you feel better, do it. Having said that, I've had 2 nodules. 1 in 1991 that was removed, leaving me 1/3 of the right lobe. The second was almost 4 years ago, and I had all of the left lobe removed with that one. Both were benign. I am now taking 90 mg of Armour Thyro 6 days a week, with no issues. I just saw my endo this morning. All my blood work was great. She will schedule me for an ultrasound in January, just to keep track of things. Please try not to worry about it, though I do know how hard that is to do. Keeping you in my thoughts.

I have my follow up appointment tomorrow morning to go over the extended blood work and 2nd ultrasound so I'm nervous/eager for that. I'll try to schedule a biopsy then too. Hopefully he won't make me wait too long - when I scheduled my follow up appointment, she said he was booked through December.

Best wishes Chi.

Sending positive thoughts

Well, I just got back from the doctors. I'm trying hard not to freak out. I got my blood work and 2nd ultrasound back. This doctor found FIVE more nodules than the first ultrascan. Also my thyroglobulin came back high.

I'm trying not to Google the thyroglobulin as I see they use it as a tumor marker :( I also see it's not a reliable indication for cancer diagnosis.

He thinks I might have hyperthyroidism but tests for Hashimotos and Graves came back negative so I guess that's good.

Next step is a nuclear uptake and scan and from there we will see where we should biopsy. I have that scheduled for the 15th and 16th.

I started freaking out in the office and asked him if I should worry and he was very firm in saying no, that while medicine is not 100% he's very confident there's nothing to worry about and they just need to follow up. I asked if it's possible that all these new ones popped up from the last scan and he said no, that I've probably had them for 10 years. And I asked if it's bad that there are so many and he said it's actually a good thing because it could indicate they are just cysts.

I know he's the expert and I should trust him but my anxiety is making me wonder if he's just lying to calm me down. :( But I know that's not rational. I keep telling myself that I never would have know there was a problem without this CT so at least if it's bad, we will catch it early. :(

Trying so hard not to panic. We have our 5th anniversary cruise on Friday so I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully I can release these worries and enjoy.

Chi, sorry you are going through this and I wish you weren't so anxious, but that is how you are. If you are confident with this doctor, then trust he knows what he is doing and enjoy the cruise.

Chi, so sorry to hear this. When I was going through my health issues, I gave myself PERMISSION to not think about them until the designated time. You are scheduled for a followup, there is nothing else you can do, you are doing everything you can.

Enjoy the cruise. When you start to worry, pull yourself back into the moment. Become fully present in what you are participating in and what is around you. You can do this.

Keep us posted.

((((HUGS))))

I'm sorry to hear this, but it's still too early to be very concerned.

One of the best antidotes to panic is to be open to and accept what is happening. You are on a path...not one you would've chosen, but a path nonetheless. You can't rush it, you can't stop it. Just as you wouldn't step off the pier on your cruise before the boat gets there, don't jump onto the panic wagon when you don't have all the information. Simply take the path one step at a time. By doing so, you can keep better perspective on where you are at *today*....where you are at *right now*. Right in this very moment, you need nothing. You are complete and whole and safe and sated for all your needs. Trust in that. Trust in that in the next moment as well, and the next, and the next. Be where you are right now.

Don't borrow trouble. The emotional roller coaster ride accomplishes nothing, except to make yourself stressed and the stress is going to aggravate *whatever* is going on. But the way to counteract it is not to try to force it down or push it aside as the more you fight it, the more energy those feelings have. Instead, simply sit with what you are feeling. Accept it, explore it minutely...where in your body do you feel the stress? What does it feel like exactly? How exactly? Sit and explore it and as you do, it will dissipate.

I recommend Meditation Oasis guided mediations...they are free podcasts available on line at https://www.meditationoasis.com/podcast ...they are topical and there are some directed toward anxiety, healing, stress and so on. Just listening to them can help a lot.

Sending you thoughts of strength, courage and comfort.

Thanks everyone. I am feeling a bit better. I am several steps away from anything terrible and there's a good chance it's nothing.

I am wondering if my IVF cycle last month might have thrown off my thyroid temporarily as my TSH levels are pretty different than they were in July and that seems fast for a real change. Who knows.

I just chopped off a foot of my (previously long) hair as a distraction haha. Feels much lighter and will be easier to maintain on my trip.

Don't rely on TSH levels they vary greatly day-to-day and are highly inaccurate. That has been know since before I was in the medical profession starting in the 80's and yet doctors still want to rely on that one poor test when there are much more accurate ones to used.

There's more than a good chance, there is a very high chance that these nodules are normal for you and not indicative of an disease.

I know it is difficult not to think the worst. But just do not. The info the doc gave you makes sense. I learned at least 20 years ago that I have 6 nodules and subclinical hyperthyroidism. I see an endocrinologist who monitors the thyroid levels, size of the nodules, and medication. I am fine.

When I feel anxious or overwhelmed about anything, I tell myself that I am fine -over and over - and think of something else like how I need to water the garden, my to do list, or redecorating the living room, packing for a trip.

Eld has given you good advice.

You will be okay. A cruise for your 5th wedding anniversary sounds wonderful.

Aah, to be so young! Lucky you!

Edited to add that Ava, Raye, Eld, and Annie are wise people.

Chi, you have friends here.

I am very grateful for all of your support and encouragement! Such wise words and I will do my best to remember them.

Happy, it sounds like we are in similar situations since I have 7 nodules. I am glad and reassured to hear you have been well for 20+ years.

I just read something interesting about how CT contrast can cause temporary hyperthyroidism for a few months. I just had contrast with my CT last month. Hmm something to consider.

Chi - I can attest to a contrast agent affecting thyroid. My endo said for as long as 6 months. I allowed contrast one time - if ever again it would need to be pretty darned important in reaching a critical diagnosis. Otherwise, my answer is always No. Make sure your doctor knows you've been administered the contrast agent.

I'm surprised he didn't ask me since a CT is what found the nodule originally. I didn't think to mention it. It makes sense - I've had my thyroid levels tested multiple times in the last year (before the contrast) and only this one last week had an abnormality.

And I know hyperthyroidism is often caused by Graves, which luckily was negative, so there's no real reason identified yet.

Let's hope it's just a temporary thing! Did you eventually feel back to normal, morz?

Meditation is a great practice for helping reduce anxiety. If you take up Annie's suggestion, do try to give yourself some time to see results. You wouldn't take up a new exercise and expect to see results before a few weeks. Same with meditation. It takes some time to get into the swing of it.

Chi, shortly after that scan I was seeing an endo and under treatment. I had undiagnosed Graves that primary care was missing....the CT with contrast was him looking for something behind my eyes to make them look odd, dry, be swollen in the mornings. Proptosis, Graves.

Yes, the contrast agent effect did go away. I took a thyroid hormone blocking agent until Graves went into remission, tablet to regulate my heartbeat temporarily, prednisone for a while for my eyes. So it wasn't overnight but wasn't permanent! I wish there was something I could do to take away your worry over the nodules (they are somewhat common) and hope you feel better soon.

Chi, I posted earlier about the 5 benign nodules I've had for 34 years. I knew my sister has multiple nodules (diagnosed at age 32, two years after me) but couldn't remember how many, so I asked her today. She's always had 7! So between us, we have 12 thyroid nodules, all still benign, 34 and 36 years after diagnosis. Mine were found while pregnant with my firstborn and my sister's nodules were found between her 1st and 2nd child. Try not to worry, and enjoy your cruise!

amicus, do they biopsy all of yours every 5 years? I guess that's why I'm a little worried because I would rather just biopsy the 7 then to do this nuclear medicine test and then biopsy any concerning ones. I want to know the status of all of them.

I suspect he ordered the test to try to figure out why my levels indicate hyperthyroidism but the auto-immune tests were negative.

Chi, if your endocrinologist read the CT report, he knows that there was contrast used.

Also, for future reference, there is absolutely no way that an ultrasound of any body part can tell the origin of a lesion. All it can do is detect the presence of a lesion or abnormality (such as a clot in a vein). That is why your MD knew immediately that it was an error.

Enjoy your trip!

I don't think he read the CT report, raee. I just told him it was an incidental finding that lead to an ultrasound, and that's the report that he read. I wonder if I should call the office and ask him but I imagine he will want to do the test anyway since I have so many nodules.

Update: I called to schedule my follow-up after the test, and left a message asking if it's possible my increased values were due to the contrast, so we'll see.