Hi there,

I had two thyroid nodules identified 5 years ago and had an indeterminate FNA. In the last year year my largest nodule has grown by 1cm to 2cm and a further FNA was also indeterminate. I saw a consultant yesterday who recommended surgery.

Is this similar to other people's experience? Would you have a second opinion?

Thank you for sharing similar experiences, it really helps x

Hello

This thread is really helpful and reassuring. I'm probably going to have a partial thyroid removal and I'm really worried about the after effects. How does it affect your voice?  I'm a teacher and on top of the anxiety of what they will find, I'm really worried about how my voice will cope (nodule is very close to my voice box).

HI , 

just wondered if anyone had simalar experiance 

I found a lump in my right thyroid around 20 weeks ago now, i was ref to the ENT on an urgent 2ww referall , i was seen and given an FNA ultrasound which came back as no malignant cells seen ? im guessing u2 . consulatnt was happy to leave me however due to the size it was causing dysphiga and it was crushing my windpipe im 3 weeks post op today and still havejt even been told what they have taken out sick note says subtotal thyroidectomy and i signed consent form for right side hemithyroidectomy for compressive symptoms. 

the lump was sent off for testing and i have results and follow up app on monday i have a gut feeling these will come back as cancer i have probably worked my self up though.

any one else had a benign result and once taken out confirmed as cancer ?

Please try not to worry. Even in the absolute worst case scenario, and I reckon it is unlikely, though I haven't had any experience of this, thyroid cancer is usually cured by the removal of your thyroid, so...the odds are that even in the worst case scenario, it simply means you will have to have another operation to remove the rest of your thyroid and that will likely be that. Yeah, that will mean you will have to take medication each day to make up for not having a thyroid, but that's not necessarily a problem either. And it is unlikely it will be cancerous.

I am looking for some advice.  Since the beginning of the year I have been having FNA which have returned as inconclusive, despite several staff observing / undertaking the procedure all agreeing that the samples were good. Anyway, it was graded a 3 so I was given the option of having another FNA or a thyroid lobectomy. Due to the horror someone else I know went through,  I decided to have the surgery (the surgeon said another indeterminate FNA would require removal for a proper biopsy anyway). The nodule was tucked right inside. I also have a grade 2 nodule on the other side.

So, I have many questions... sorry in advance. 

How soon do you feel 'normal'? I have had other surgeries previously and felt good a few days after. This time, I am tired and tbe pain comes and goes (I am only a week after surgery right now). 

Does anyone know if the cells in a nodule can change? I am obviously hoping its not cancer, but my other nodule being 'upgraded' to a 2 concerns me... I know it wouldn't really indicate follow up but the fact it has changed enough does worry me.

What have your experiences of the recovery process been? I have a two week sick line (first ever in my life) but I honestly don't think, at this stage, I could return. I am just so tired.

Has anyone experienced hypothyroidism as a result of having half the thyroid removed? I have read it can take up to a year for the remaining half to completely take over function.

I am fortunate that I was seen fairly quickly and I have a follow up in January to discuss results and next steps. 

I honestly thought this would be as easy as having a tooth removed (they used terms like 'whip it out' and genuinely thought it would be local anaesthesia etc and I'd be back at work the next day.

If anyone does read this ridiculously long post, thank you.

I had my full thyroid removed and a neck dissection, so it's different, but I will say my surgeon said two weeks off work if it were only the thyroid being removed, but a nurse said at least four, so it seems to vary quite a bit.

I felt pretty much OK within the week, but did get tired easily for a couple of weeks afterwards. I took a month off work, mostly because I am a teacher and needed to be able to fully turn my head and to raise my voice (not to shout at students, just to be heard on the yard and stuff).

Also, try not to worry too much about the results. I had thyroid cancer and my experience wasn't really any worse than what you have already experienced. Of course, you don't want to have another operation, but even the worst case scenario is quite manageable.

Thanks so much for this. I am also a teacher and I am worried about how I will manage a day, given how tiring the job is when you feel great. 

I think its just the thought of having to potentially do the surgery again.  I am quite glad I don't have a follow up until January as at least I get to have a Christmas where I don't need to think about it. 

There is just so much information out there and a lot of it is so varied. I always considered myself healthy and can usually run on empty so I am just not used to feeling this way. 

Thanks for your response. I hope you are doing well x

I'm absolutely fine. Had my two year scan there the other week and they haven't given me any bad news anyway!

That is what the nurse pretty much said, about our job. She said the two-week-off advice sort of assumes you are working in an office or something and that it isn't uncommon to need more if you are doing something like teaching.

Hello,

im sorry to read your story. I wanted to share with you my experience. 
 

I had a nodule that I actually hadn't noticed it was my dad who said "what's that lump" when I laughed with my head thrown back in June. So I went to the GP...the. ENT...ultrasound abnormal and biopsy abnormal 5cm nodule. I was offered surgery to remove half thyroid which happened in July, four weeks later in August I had the all clear from my results. 
 

Needless to say two months of worry...to the point of prescribed beta blockers and sleeping pills...(I am a new first time mum and just couldn't cope with the thought of what might happen). What I'm trying to say is I understand how all consuming it can feel. 
 

The operation itself, very straightforward and I was back on mummy duty within a week and back to work a week after that. It is a worrying time and I'm so sorry you are having to deal with it but please know there are positive stories out there....and every reply you have here is someone to tell the tale. 
 

all the best xx

Hello 

how did you get on with your thyroid results? I've only just joined this page.

xx