My doctor is telling me I have to get my thyroid gland removed. I was wondering if there was maybe a different way of dealing with this problem. Maybe, I should get a second doctors opinion, because I know if I get the gland remove I will have to be on medication, to replace the horomones the gland produces, for the rest of my life. However, if surgery is a "must", can I get surgery done that will not leave a scar? Can someone answer my question?
126295
I have known a lot of people who have had this surgery. The surgeon always ensures that the line is as small as possible and ideally in a crease line. \nInitially the scar is quite obvious whilst it is still healing. Once it is healed you hardly notice anything. It is very small and faint. Often I have not noticed until people have told me about it.\nOne other thing I would like to mention is that I would take your surgeons advice. S/he would not operate unless it was necessary.\nGood luck.
69760
Your doctor should be listening to you.  If you don't feel right, tell the doctor.  I switched doctors a year ago, was prescribed Armour and Synthroid(previously it was only Synthroid), and now she had added Cytomel(T3).  Find a doctor who will listen to you.  For a list of good doctors who will prescribe Armour......
285597
my friend mom and her sister in law had it done and they would both do it again they both look great but one in having problems in here marriage because she is older but has a lot of energy she didn't have before and hubby doesn't like the change.  on the other hand i was starting to think about it to you have to go on a waiting list and go through counseling and stuff.  well my other best friends brother was suppose to have it done this past Monday and he almost died on the table he didn't even get to have it done and they are gonna try again in a few weeks.  i don't know if i could lay on that table knowing a may never come off of it alive.  it is a hard decision to decide and think about it long and hard you also have to loose so much weight before they do it and if you can loose that maybe you can keep loosing well i hope the best for you good luck in your decision but we are all stranger don't let us decide something that important  i know a lady at are local walmart who had it done and she had a thyroid problem she has lost 110.  but like i already said it is your decision your life don't let any one else make such an important decision .  well she also said there was support groups for it.  maybe you could find one and check it out and see what you think
618501
Please don't rely on Internet opinions for medical matters.\n\nAn enlarged thyroid can be from many causes, including in a worst case scenario, cancer, but thyroid cancer is VERY successfully treated. Please ring your doctor if you are worried about this.\n\nSee http://thyroid.about.com/ for more detailed information and an opportunity to ask others who have been in your position about it.
291794
I wonder what the doctor said..\n\nMaybe you should fine another doctor.  One the specialize in that.\n\nGood luck.
11595
Here is the number one source you will need while learning what to do with your illness.\n\nI was hyper, had Graves. Had it removed at 12, it grew back at 35 and had it removed again due to Hashimotos Thyroiditis and now I have nodules in a growing thyroid. Doc says I am very rare. Thyroids can regenerate and mine has several times! Please think long and hard about how to handle your situation and make sure you have a great Endo Dr. Also, have your IgG levels tested to see if you have an immune disorder as they are common among us Thyroid ill people.\n\nGood luck...stay strong and don't fret.\n\nOh...about forgot...your slow metabolisim will thank you if you eat like you are diabetic. The second link is for diets relating to diabetes. Also, stay away from soy products as it interferes with your thyroxin production. And lastly, drink lots of water to help flush your system.
376446
I also have a pit tumor.I had Cushing's syndrome from it but choose to have my adrenals removed instead.\n\nI wish i knew what symptoms you are having or if the tumor is causing you any trouble.\n\nSeveral people at this site have had it removed. www.cushings-help.com \nMaybe they can help?
236954
Hello!  I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 8 years ago at 24!  My GP diagnosed me and told me that I was slightly outside the normal range.  I went to endocrinologists here and there to be sure everything was being done for me that was possible because I too, had gained weight and that caused me to be depressed.  I was always told if you want to lose weight, it's very simple, eat less or burn more calories.  I felt I was doing all I could.  I educated myself in nutrition and exercise.  I worked out at least 45 min to an hour four to five times a week and ate only whole grains, fresh fruit and veggies.  I cut out all the obvious fats like butter, mayo, salad dressings, creamy soups and sauces.  I quit eating candy, chocolate, pastries and ice cream.  I thought for sure it was just the disease I had and I had to learn to live with being 40 to 50 lbs heavier than I wanted to be.  Then, about two years ago, I separated from my husband and shed several dress sizes and approximately 35 lbs in three weeks from the stress.  By the time my divorce was final, I was down 15 lbs more...I wasn't eating much and when I did, I ate the wrong things.  I had abandoned my healthy lifestyle completely, I wasn't even exercising anymore.  It's been a year since and I have put about 10 to 15 lbs back on but I'm happy and living healthy and have been maintaining.  I went to another endocrinologist recently and he said, "no one ever said why your thyroid failed, we have no reason for it...we are going to find out."  After testing me, he found that there was no cause and believed that I had a "cold" of my thyroid, which I didn't even know was possible.  To be sure, I had to go off of my hormone suppliment and be rechecked.  Did it and he was right!  Your thyroid can get a "cold" and be dysfunctional temporarily.  Be sure your fiance gets checked by a good specialist on a regular basis and make sure she finds one that wants to find out what caused it to fail.  It's possible she has the same problem I had.  Also, have her check how many calories she is taking in per day, keep track and then figure out how much she is burning.  I found out that for my size, I can only take in about 1300 calories a day to maintain my weight because even with exercise, I'm not active enough.  She may think she is doing everything right and she may not be.  There could be another explaination for her weight gain.  I really think mine was because of depression (unhappy marriage).  Here's a link to a website that will allow her to figure out how many calories she burns doing different activities...right down to watching tv and sleeping!  \nhttp://www.healthstatus.com/cbc.html\nHave her go through it and then spend a week recording all of her caloric intake to compare.  Good luck and I hope some of this helped!
653237
Hypothyroid is NOT the way to go!! I would say anything but that! Have you consulted your physician with all the alternatives, as well as the pros & cons of each?\nI have given several links below to read & perhaps you can read through & understand the different thyroid symptoms & problems.\nHere is some information about myself, plus some symptoms in case anyone coming upon your question may be interested:\nI have low thyroid. 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! I would give just about anything up to not have thyroid problems! It sucks, and the time I skip a day or two, I really get knocked out!\nAnyway, the signs are: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.\nIf 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.\nI 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!!
651245
FIRST THING~ If your doctor won't listen to YOU, get a new one! YOU KNOW when your body is good & when it's not! I refuse to listen to someone who won't listen to me...because they think they know it all since they "went to school for the degree". Well, they didn't go to school & study MY BODY! So, get a new doc, and don't feel bad about it. What if something bad happened to you? Would you hesitate to let that doc know at that point? DON"T LET IT GET THERE!\nI have given several links below to read & perhaps you can read through & understand the different thyroid symptoms & problems.\nHere is some information about myself, plus some symptoms since you seemed to be interested:\nI 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!\nMy 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.\nHere 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.\nIf 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.\nI 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!!
100644
My mom is in her mid-to-late 40's and has been in your shoes her entire life.  We have all tried to get her to have a breast reduction but she is scared of losing her nipple (one of the complications of surgery).  Now she has found a wonderful plastic surgeon with a fantastic nurse and is planning on having it done in the next year or so.  The nurse at the doctor's office said the recovery for someone having implants is painful (they have to move the implants a lot) but the recovery for a reduction is almost painless, and she has seen about a thousand go through their office for both surgeries!  I had a coworker that went through the surgery, raved about it afterwards, and when asked about how it affected her nipples, she said they were actually more sensitive now than before!\n\nDon't forget to make sure your surgeon (if you decide to do it) is board certified and has done many surgeries of this kind.  Go see more than one until you find the right one.  Most doctors don't charge for consultations and some even offer free learning seminars at their offices about their procedures where you can ask questions.
275198
I have had a similar problem(my left lobe was 6cm wide).  According to my doctors, the only solution was to have it removed.  My story is below...I hope it gives you some guidance. I am now on .125 mg of Levoxyl daily as I do not have any of my thyroid left(except my parathyroid glands which only control calcium) and was not told of any long term effects.  My understanding is the Levoxyl does everything my thyroid was doing.  The only thing is you have to get it checked periodically(after initial surgery, mine is now checked annually unless there is a problem) to be sure that your levels are not too high or low.\n\n\nI first found out about my enlarged thyroid when I was sick. I went to the doctor for being sick, and she told me my thyroid was enlarged and wanted to run tests. I had felt it, but it wasn't that large at the time, so I just thought it was a swollen gland from infection. I had my thyroid levels checked, and they were normal. I went to an endocrinologist and he checked my levels again...normal. At that time, he told me that my only option was to have it removed because he couldn't treat it with medicine if my levels were fine. It wasn't very noticeable then, and I couldn't bare the thought of having my throat cut(he also told me insurance would not cover it because they would consider it 'cosmetic'). Anyway, over the course of the next 2-3 yrs, it gradually grew bigger and bigger. I had my levels checked several more times and they were always normal. I finally went to a new doctor, and she immediately referred me to a surgeon. The first time I saw him, he said it needed to come out. He said the larger it gets, the more chance there is of getting cancer in it. He measured my thyroid and my left nodule was 6cm wide. In January of last year, I had my entire thyroid removed leaving nothing but my parathyroid glands. My thyroid had grown so large that it wrapped around my esophogus and surgery lasted 6 hrs. I now take thyroid replacement hormones daily. If it does not go down, I would highly recommend seeing a specialist. The scar is barely noticeable. They make the incision so that it fits right in with the wrinkles in your neck. I hope this gave you a little insight. By the way, I was never diagnosed with anything other than a simple 'goiter'.
476304
I think it's D. Whatever it is please educate me on it. I happen to have issues with my thyroid, steming from being insulin resistent. Seems that the thyroid controls many hormones and once they are out of whack there is no telling what can happen. It's been fun to say the least.
329113
Nope ...sorry to say. I was 100 lbs when i was diagnosed with that and I also did the Radioactice iodine. I had a child and since then I was overweight. I weight up to 180 and that was after the baby also. Your thyroid is kinda a tricky little shit and it takes forever to get normal. but some people are different. This was back in 2000 I was 20 years old then. and barely in the summer of 2005 it became normal since they finally found a dosage thats works for me and since then I have lost about 60lbs. But it can take awhile. The radioactive iodine just kills but its the meds that will help you, once they have the right kind for your body. \nI have change to hyper to hypo back to hyper and now im so confused i dont even know what I am anymore, I just take the medicine thats making me lose weight like crazy. Time will pass and soon everything will be fine.
94995
you need to check whether its safe to do so much surgery coz removal also creates wounds on your face which will need time to heal. Check with a dermatologist - that's a skin specialist and get at least two opinions about this, after all this is your face we are talking about!
229865
This isn't something that can be managed without the correct level of hormone that will be decided by the doctor after your TSH test (thyroid stimulating hormone) is read.  You don't really want to start something herbal or over the counter in the meantime either because then when they decide what the correct dosage of Synthroid or Levothyroxine or whatever it that you will end up taking is going to be everything will be out of what because of the herbal suppliment that you were on.  Be patient...it will all get fixed.
326489
That size skin tag is too big to try and remove by yourself. You run the danger of having an unsightly scar let alone the problems of infection or bleeding. Even a small skin tag can bleed like crazy when removed so even the thought of trying to remove one that big makes me cringe. Let the Dr do it and then you won't have to worry about making a mess of it.