THYROID DISEASE

Read and learn more about enlarged thyroid symptoms. For more, visit the Thyroid Disease website ThyroidDiseaseWiki.com.

Q: what are the signs or symptoms of an enlarged thyroid? what are the treatments?

A: I think you may be referring to low/high thyroid levels. I have given several links below to read & perhaps you can read through & understand the different thyroid symptoms & problems.
Here is some information about myself, plus some symptoms since you seemed to be interested:
I have low thyroid. I’ve had it for 10 years. I got it after I had my second child at about the age of 25. If you have low thyroid…here’s a great question to answer: Can you see the floor of your house? That was what was asked of me at one point, and to my amazement, the answer was no!
My signs are: messy house, no desire to do anything…go anywhere, spend time with my kids or my guy, sleep a lot, hard to keep my eyes open at times, HUGE weight gain that over the past years have not found an easy way to take off…so I give up a lot, I have terribly dry hair & don’t wash it a lot so it stays strong, I have bumps on my face…not like pimples, but I think it’s from dry skin, and perhaps some others that I can’t remember at this time…that’s another symptom–forgetfullness.
Here are the “GENERAL” signs for most people: fatigue and lack of energy. Women suffering from underactive thyroid experience heavier menstrual periods. Sluggishness and forgetfulness are symptoms of underactive thyroid problem. Other symptoms of this thyroid disorder are dry skin and hair and constipation.
If you have high thyroid, or an overactive one, the signs are: increased body metabolism. This is followed by weight loss and excessive warmth and sweating. Persons suffering from overactive thyroid experience trembling hands, irritability and rapid heartbeat or palpitations. Women with overactive thyroid or hyperthyroidism may experience shorter or lighter menstrual periods.
I take medication, and sadly will have to take 1 pill everyday for the rest of my life. There’s a blood check that they will do to see if you have low or high. I hope i’ve helped you!!

Q: I have an enlarged thyroid, and feel lethargic, short of breath, and just plain terrible, are they symptoms?
are these symptoms of the thyroid

A: Yes, these are symptoms of Hypo thyroid, although they are also symptoms of other things as well. Have your doc. do some lab work. TSH test. etc.

Good Luck.

Q: Would a sore throat make my thyroid enlarged?
I was at the dr yesterday with a sore throat and I got sent for blood work because my thyroid is enlarged. I had it checked when I was 18 and now 5 years later here I am again. I seem to have some of the symptoms for having an enlarged thyroid. I think I fall under the hypothermia category.

A: Hypothermia means you’re cold. Your body temperature has gone lower than it should. With the thyroid you could have a goiter. If it’s a goiter, you will see it protruding in your neck. If your Dr suspected anything worse I would hope he’s ordered more tests. For now, relax and wait and see if it get bigger. If it does, call that Dr right away. Hope you’re OK. Blessings

Q: what is an enlarged thyroid, and what are the symptoms?
Are there treatment options? what causes this condition I was just diagnosed!! Help Please!!!

A: Check Webmd for hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism for symptoms. Yes there are treatment options. Medication can control it if you are of child bearing age. A “radioactive cocktail” if you are passed that age. In some cases, such as my own, it needs to be removed. The important thing is to get an excellent endocrinologist (specializes in thyroid disease and diabetes, which are not related). Going to any other specialist or you family doctor would be taking a big chance, and the thyroid effects everything in your body, from skin, hair and fingernails to heart, fertility and mental/emotional condition. Good luck, don’t be afraid, just educate yourself about the thyroid as much as you can. Become the expert!!

Q: are these symptoms of thyroid problems or something else?
recently ive been veryyy hungry and veryy thirsty all the time (therefore going to the bathroom often) and also for some reason, even though im eating a lot more…im loosing weight. when i had my period it was so light, basically nothing except for the first day. im tired all the time, taking naps constantly. i have an enlarged thyroid and they told me if i was having problems with my period i should see them again..but i dont know if this is a thyroid problem or something else. please help me!

A: Very much sounds like hyperthyroidism.

Q: What are causes of an enlarged thyroid besides cancer or hyper/ hypo thyroidsim?
I’m a 23 year old female. I was told my two different doctors that I have an enlarged thyroid. The both gave me the thc test and it came back normal. Neither doctor went any further with it and I’m worried. I have all the symptoms of hypothyroidism.

A: That is called a goiter, and it has no other causes. If you have all of the other symptoms of hypothyroidism too, in addition to the goiter, you need to get treatment for your hypothyroidism.

Get your ducks in a row first though. You had a TSH blood test. Thyroid stimulating hormone. You didn’t have a blood test for pot. It’s really hard to get a doctor to take you seriously when you have a thyroid condition in the first place (as you found out). You have to do your research before you go in, know more than the doctor, and know what tests to demand. If you do things like get he names of the tests wrong, you’ll never get treatment.

That being said, TSH is a useless test. All it means is that you need further testing. Every Dr. will use it for diagnosis, but it can’t be used for diagnosis. It is an indirect test, so it’s ridiculous to diagnose based on it. You need a direct test of your thyroid. That is Free T3 and Free T4. See how those come out. They are the definitive tests for a thyroid problem.

It took me until my 3rd doctor to get a diagnosis of my thyroid problem, and until my 6th doctor before I could get some help with my symptoms. So I know what you are going through. Hang in there. Find a new doctor. If that one can’t help you, find another one.

Q: Enlarged thyroid but labs were normal?
I’m 26, one child, and healthy aside from some symptoms of underactive thyroid….. Only reason I suspected thyroid is my mom and both her sisters are on meds for underactive thyroid….. I have been experiencing huge fluxuations in weight, I’m cold all the time, thinning hair, fatigue despite a healthy diet and regular exercise, irregular period and occasional mild depression. Went to the doctor, he said my thyroid is enlarged but bloodwork was normal. IAnyone ever experienced this?

A: sometimes when you have a “borderline thyroid problem” the doc brushes it off not realizing that even borderlin thyroid problems can cause major symptoms. your doc should be treating your symptoms and not just looking at your bloodwork numbers. Also, I have heard the time of day you get your bloodwork done can affect the outcome. Try getting tested again early in the morning. If your thyroid is enlarged that means you have a thyroid problem plain and simple. My doc did a blood test on my for thyroid, it came back borderline-low, then he ordered an ultrasound on my neck to see if my thyroid is swollen, if the results come back that it’s swollen, im going to ask him to put me on a low dose of meds so my symptoms can finally go away.

Q: What else, besides Hypo/Hyperthyroidism, would cause your thyroid to be enlarged?
Two doctors have tested me for hypothyroidism because they noticed that my thyroid is enlarged. I have some symptoms of it, but my first test was negative and I’m waiting results for the second one. (by an endocrinologist)

A: Graves’ disease, which is associated with hyperthyroidism and goiter. HYPOthyroidism is associated with atrophy of the thyroid gland rather than enlargement.

Q: What causes an enlarged thyroid and how to avoid it?
What are the symptoms?

A: The thyroid gland can be enlarged for the following reasons:
1) Enlargement due to iodine deficiency. Rare in developed nations. The gland gets bigger to try and compensate for decreased thyroid hormone production due to nutritional deficiency of iodine.
2) Enlarged because it is inflamed. Can happen with both underactive and overactive thyroid, so the symptoms would vary. With overactive thyroid such as in Graves Disease, there would be fast heart rate, weight loss, feeling hot all the time. With underactive thyroid, there would be fatigue, feeling cold, gaining weight.
3) Enlarged due to benign nodules. Called a multinodular goitre, this is usually without symptoms. Ultrasound can confirm the diagnosis and also ensure that none of the nodules look like they need biopsy.
4) Enlargement due to a cyst or multiple cysts. Can be drained by the physician, but would be prudent to look with ultrasound and perhaps biopsy.
5) Enlarged due to cancerous growth. Rather rare, but your physician can decide whether the thyroid needs a biopsy.

Q: What are some possible symptoms of thyroid cancer (or even any kind of cancer)?
I am a 23 year old female, I have quite a large goiter (enlarged thyroid gland) and I am worried that it may be cancerous. Please help if you can, any information would be truly useful and most appreciated.

A: I am 27 and was just diagnosed with Papillary Thyroid Cancer. 80% of all masses (nodules) on the thyroid are benign. I actually didn’t notice anything. How they found it was I became diabetic with both my pregnancies and the endocrinologist found it in an ultrasound. Then they did blood tests which came back inconclusive. The next step was a radoactive iodine to determine that it was a cold nodule and not a goiter like you have. The final step was an FNA (fine needle aspiration) to determine if it was cancerous. It was so I had a total thyroidectomy. I’m in week 3 without my thyroid. Waiting until 6 weeks so I can start the radiation treatment. Then I’ll be on synthroid the rest of my life. Good news is that I feel good except for the off menstrual cycle and the tiredness. The scar is not large either. I really wish you well and hope that this is just a goiter. Most times medicine helps it or they’ll just remove it. That is for a doctor to decide. Here is a website that I found most informitive when I was diagnosed.

Q: Is there any connection with a slightly enlarged thyroid and a head cold?
I noticed this week for the first time that my lower neck was slightly swollen (where my neck meets my collar bone). Soon after I developed a sore throat and symptoms of a head cold. Just wondering if these two things might be connected. I plan on seeing a doctor if the swelling continues in what I assume to be my thyroid gland (uniform swelling, very slight).
Actually, the thyroid is in front of and on the sides of the trachea. And, the swelling is in my lower front neck, not my lymph nodes or tonsils…

A: Yes there could be a connection. If you neck area is enlarged then it is very possible that you have an enlarged thyroid, or goiter. Often, a goiter is associated with thyroiditis which can not only cause your thyroid hormones to fluctuate, but cause a fever as well. The “cold like” symptoms can be an inflammatory response to the inflamed thyroid. If you are having other thyroid symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, tenderness in neck, increased/decreased energy, insomnia, heart palpitations, dry hair and skin, increased arthritic pains, or weight gain or loss…then it is very possible that there is a thyroid issue and you should see your doc. Hope this helps.

Q: I Have An Enlarged Thyroid, How Can I Treat It?
A couple years ago my mom and dad noticed I had an Enlarged Thyroid and went to get tests to make sure nothing was wrong, everything came out A-OK, but I still noticed it everyday in the mirror and didn’t think it look normal, so one day I decided to look up symptoms of an Enlarged Thyroid and noticed I had a lot of them, like: Feeling cold, heavier periods, irritability, trouble swallowing, fatigue and mental dullness (difficulty thinking/concentrating). My dad and I started talking about it today and he said maybe we could go see specialist about it, but told me to look up ways to treat it before we did, but I can’t find a single site that explains any type of treatment for it. Help me out please?

A: Between your goiter, and your other symptoms, it sounds like you have hypothyroidism. The treatment is synthroid.

Q: Multiple Symptoms of thyroid disease but all test were normal?
I have been going through several signs of Hypothyroid for about a 1 1/2 and have had several test and US and they all have come back normal except multiple cyst on both sides of my thyroid as well as it is enlarged. The symptoms have ranged from excessive weight gain, fatigue, heart palpitations, coarse hair and my skin around my nails have gotten thick and crack, sores in my mouth and I could go on on. Went to several Endo’s and they have said that my thyroid is very enlarged with bilateral cyst. But there is one symptom that is getting worse. I feel like there is something in my throat and cant swallow or that I’m being choked and at times it gets very bad like I cant breath and if I try having a conversation I will lose my voice almost immediately and then it will all subside. Oh and some soreness or pain in my neck. Looking for anyone who has gone through the same thing and can offer some insight or advice. I have been try to read everything I can and the Endo I have now is good so far, willing to listen and that is a first. It is frustrating to have all this and have all the test come back normal when you are already trying to tell your self that you are not crazy.

A: Well, the first thing to do is to get your labs and go over them yourself. For one thing, the lab values that are being considered hypothyroid have changed dramatically in the last few years. I had my thyroid checked and my doc said it was fine, but being a nurse, I want to look at every test, so I looked them up myself and found out that they were using an outdated scale. I was well into the range of hypothyroidism. That’s number one. Also, physicians are now starting to recognize subclinical hypothyroidism, which is where you have all the symptoms, but your labs are normal. I went to a new physician after the thing with the labs and she insisted on checking my lab values again, so she drew blood for them that day and as I was leaving she handed me a prescription for thyroid medicine. And I’m sitting there like, um, I can’t believe she just took my word for it. So I asked and she said that she could tell my thyroid was low just based on my body temperature. I run about 97.0. She said that anything below 98.0 is highly suggestive of thyroid dysfunction.

The second thing you need to look into is the fact that something else may be at work here. I personally have celiac disease, which is an autoimmune disease caused by gluten intolerance, that among other things destroys your thyroid. I had the symptoms of hypothyroidism long before my labs dipped below the cut off for a hypo diagnosis. Since I started on the gluten free diet my thyroid levels have actually gone back to normal. It can cause all of those symptoms too even if your thyroid isn’t the cause. I have an enlarged thyroid with cysts too. You can speak to your doctor about this, although with that many symptoms, you might be able to try a gluten free diet on your own to see if it relieves your symptoms. Here are a few links about celiac disease and it’s link to thyroid problems:

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/latestresearch/a/celiac.htm
http://www.celiac.com/categories/Celiac-Disease-Research:-Associated-Diseases-and-Disorders/Obesity,-Overweight-&-Celiac-Disease/
http://www.csaceliacs.org/celiac_symptoms.php
http://www.celiac.com/articles/1106/1/Celiac-Disease-Symptoms/Page1.html

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/

I’m a nurse and I accept private messages if you have any questions

Q: Enlarged spleen, thyroid nodules, swollen lymph nodes in neck?
I just found out that my spleen is swollen, and that is what is causing the pain in my upper left abdomen. I’ve had thyroid nodules for years, but recently they are much larger, and the nodes near them are swollen now. I am waiting for results of CBC, Hepatic Panel, and mono spot, and have a thyroid ultra-sound scheduled for tonight. Does anyone else have similar symptoms? What could be causing all this?

A: First off, you have ALL the classic signs and symptoms of Mono, so I’m glad they are doing a mono spot!

Enlarge spleen is a condition that normally happens when you have mono due to the fact its a ‘filtering’ organ and trying to remove the infection. Same with the enlarged lymph nodes in your neck. I’m curious to know if you have a sore throat or have been weak for the last couple of days!

As for thyroid nodules, experts know that thyroid nodules run in families. This means you are more likely to have a thyroid nodule if one of your parents has had a thyroid nodule. Or they can form when a person has been exposed to to much radiation.

Hope this helps!

Q: What is thyroid ? What are the symptoms ? If untreated could it yield to enlarge of the heart or heart attack?
Six years ago, I was diagnosed to have toxic thyroid. My doctor gave me medicine and when my thyroid is in normal level, my doctor recommend a radioactive treatment. But I never undergo a radioactive treatment. Just this afternoon, I happen to met a long highschool friend who is now a successful doctor. He told me to have a medical check up immediately because my heart might start to enlarge due to non treatment of thyroid. Is there any doctor out there who can share us ?

A: The thyroid is the gland found in front of your throat or trachea. It produces hormones that are necessary for metabolism of your body. Your thyroid can be hyperfunctioning (hyperthyroid) meaning it produces more than what is needed, hypofuntioning (hypothyroid) when it produces less than what hormon is needed or it can be euthyroid, it means you have enough. there is also a small gland located in the brain that stimulates or control your thyroid, so even if basically your thyroid is ok, if the pituitary gland is abnormal, it can cause your thyroid to either produce more or produce less hormones. The more hormones it produce, the larger the gland gets.
You had toxic thyroid, it means thay you have a hyperfunctioning gland. the problem with this is that the hormones produced cause faster metabolism, therefore you can have increased heart rate, increase metabolism of the body so weight loss, poor tolerance to heat and cold, tremors, etc. eye problems can also manifest, like proptosis or protruberance of the eyeballs.
You have to have your hormone levels check to see if its normal, whether you need supplements or anti-thyroid hormones. Your heart enlarges because the greater/faster metabolism exerts a higher toll in your body, increase HR, so the muscles in the heart are overdeveloped (just like when you do weight lifting, if you keep exercising the muscle, it grows bigger!)