If it's thyroid cancer you are worried about, I've had that and can offer some reassurance. Firstly, thryoid nodules/cysts on the thyroid gland are incredibly common, like 25%-50% of people probably have them and it might even be more. The vast majority are completely harmless and benign. Only something like 5% are cancerous.

And even if it is thryoid cancer, which it probably isn't, it's not what you might be expecting when you hear "cancer". For a start, the most common forms of thyroid cancer have survival rates so high that the term "survival rate" sounds pretty ridiculous. I think among younger people (under about 50), the most common form has a survival rate over 99%. And they rarely use chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Worst case scenario is the removal of your thyroid and some lymph nodes, which...really isn't any worse than I would imagine having say your appendix removed would be.

I had my thyroid and 57 lymph nodes removed in January 2020. I was back at work a month later and that was that. I did have to have radioiodine treatment later on, but that is a one-off and really just a nuisance. It's just a matter of swallowing a capsule and the worst part of it is that you have to isolate for a while afterwards because you are radioactive. The only side effect I had there was a nose bleed about 10 days afterwards.

It doesn't usually cause any symptoms either. A nodule on your thyroid, whether benign or cancerous probably could cause shortness of breath, if it was pressing on your windpipe or something. I think that could happen either way. Or it could be complete coincidence or a result of the stress.

Best of luck with the ultrasound and don't worry if they want a biopsy. The ultrasounds are often inconclusive.

If it's thyroid cancer you are worried about, I've had that and can offer some reassurance. Firstly, thryoid nodules/cysts on the thyroid gland are incredibly common, like 25%-50% of people probably have them and it might even be more. The vast majority are completely harmless and benign. Only something like 5% are cancerous.

And even if it is thryoid cancer, which it probably isn't, it's not what you might be expecting when you hear "cancer". For a start, the most common forms of thyroid cancer have survival rates so high that the term "survival rate" sounds pretty ridiculous. I think among younger people (under about 50), the most common form has a survival rate over 99%. And they rarely use chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Worst case scenario is the removal of your thyroid and some lymph nodes, which...really isn't any worse than I would imagine having say your appendix removed would be.

I had my thyroid and 57 lymph nodes removed in January 2020. I was back at work a month later and that was that. I did have to have radioiodine treatment later on, but that is a one-off and really just a nuisance. It's just a matter of swallowing a capsule and the worst part of it is that you have to isolate for a while afterwards because you are radioactive. The only side effect I had there was a nose bleed about 10 days afterwards.

It doesn't usually cause any symptoms either. A nodule on your thyroid, whether benign or cancerous probably could cause shortness of breath, if it was pressing on your windpipe or something. I think that could happen either way. Or it could be complete coincidence or a result of the stress.

Best of luck with the ultrasound and don't worry if they want a biopsy. The ultrasounds are often inconclusive.