question about a test

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-25-2004
question about a test
2
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 9:52am
When my primary doc told me he wanted me to go see an endo doc, I have Hashamotos, he said the endo may do an ultrasound of my neck and do a dye test? what is a dye test?

Thanks,

Jen
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 10:17am
Hi Jen - these are two different tests. The first is an ultrsound to check the swelling and "see" what's going on with your thyroid, if there is just a general swelling or if there are nodules, how many and how large. Depending on what the doctor sees on the scan, he may do a thyroid scan which involves drinking or injecting a small amount of radioactive iodine which the thryoid absorbs - because iodine is what the thyroid uses to make thyroid hormone. The nodules are then classified into hot or cold nodules. The ones that take up a lot of the iodine are called warm or hot nodules and they do not carry a significant risk of cancer. Cold nodules that do not take up iodine appear are most often benign and they appear as nonfunctioning areas on the thyroid scan. Only 10 to 15 % of cold nodules can be cancerous. The important thing to remember with all this is that nearly 85% of all nodules are cold, so the chances of having a cancerous nodule either way - hot or cold - is quite small. Most nodules are benign. (This information comes from the book, The Thyroid Solution, by Dr. Ridha Arem and from this website, http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_3X_How_is_thyroid_cancer_diagnosed_43.asp)

I bet if we could get posters here and lurkers to do a poll on how many of us have nodules and how many are benign, you would see that the majority are benign. I have one and had the ultrasound and it was benign.

Your endo may not even do these tests. My new endo, who I waited 6 months to see because he is so good, felt my neck, felt the presence of swelling and said it was due to the hashimoto's. it's very typical with hashi's. It was my old endo who sent me for the ultrasound. So a lot depends on the skill of your doctor, and how it feels to him or her.

I hope this doesn't make you too nervous. Just remember that the swelling is typcial with hashi's and that the majority of nodules - if you even have on - are benign. Cathy

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-16-2004
Tue, 07-27-2004 - 2:28pm
Hey there Jen,

I supposedly have Hashimotos' too. My whole thyroid thing is autoimmune but right now my TSH is normal. I have had the tyroid ultrasound scan. Its easy! You just lay there! I haven't had a RAI-U. The Radioactive iodine uptake scan. I have a multinodular goiter, and all my nodules are teeny tiny. Just like Cathy said they will check to see if your nodules are hot or cold. My coworker had that RAI-U test and she said it was simple. She took a pill, and they did 2 x-rays. I think at 12 and 24 hours.

These two tests are the most common. Don't freak out too much yet, but I hope you do take comfort in learning about what all this is about. When I first was sent for the testing and an endo I jumped online and freaked myself out because I got worked up over maybe having cancer, and why did I feel bad and didn't know why... well I guess its my thyroid, especially because mine is autoimmune.

Good luck, if there is anything else you need help with feel free to ask. We all try to do all we can to help out. --Lisa