Need your opinion on treatment

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-26-2003
Need your opinion on treatment
1
Fri, 09-24-2004 - 4:08pm
Hi,

I am 23-years-old and was diagnosed as hypo. when I was about 15. Since then I have have had 4 biopsies (2 FNA & 2 CNA). How things are going right now, I am averaging a biopsy about every year and a half.

My thyroid sometimes will go crazy and have multiple nodule and internal bleeding and then it will get smaller and more normal. Once it got so big that it displaced my trachea, but did not get surgery for it. I should have.

Right now I am frustrated because I was supposed to see the doc last week, but have now been reschedule for the end of October and I feel like crap. I feel like I look like a bull frog and I have pain in my thyroid.

I am thinking of telling the doc to just take out the right side of my thyroid (the left is "normal"). I do not see the point of getting a biopsy every other year anymore. I am going to have to take meds for the rest of my life weather I have the thyroid or not. What do all of you think? I just want them to take it out. I am feeling this because I am frustrated and do not feel well. I only have a $500.00 deductible through my health insurance, so that can go towards the ultrasound and biopsy forever or getting surgery and having it be over with. It makes more sense to me emotionally and economically to just have the surgery. What do you think?


Also, this may be a silly question: What does diabetes have anything to do with endocrinology? Do people with thyroid problems also have diabetes? Please forgive my ignorance, but I always see the two words together and just wondered about that (i.e. Diabetes and Endocrinology Center). Thanks!


iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Fri, 09-24-2004 - 10:25pm
Hi and welcome - I'm sorry it took me so long to get to you! I've been running around like crazy today! I can understand your frustration. I think you need to sit down with your doctor and raise all of these issues with him or her. Only your doctor can really tell you all the risks involved or even the advantages. Your doctor can tell what the long term prognosis is for you - will you be going on like forever or will things change for you? Are there other ways to treat this besides going for surgery. Right now, it sounds like he's just "watching" it but are you receiving any ither treatments. If you don't feel this doctor is capable of having this conversation with you, then start looking around for another doctor that can. This is too important for you to decide on your own!! And no one here can really tell you what to do in this case because it's so dependent on what your doctor thinks. So that's my best advice on that.

The endocrine system contains the pancreas, where insulin is produced. The reason why diabetes is always included in major endocrine centers is because it is an autoimmune disease where too little insulin is manufactured or the body isn't able to use it properly. I'm not sure if diabetes is the number one disease in this country but thyroid conditions are probably a close second and might even be first if all the people who had it were diagnosed properly. Anyway ... it's my own humble opinion that the reason why we who have thyroid conditions have so much trouble with our doctors is because they are far better trained in diabetes care than thyroid care!! Maybe that will change one day but in the meantime, we have to be assertive about our care and seek out doctors who truly care. That's why I gave you the advice I gave you - because you need a doctor you can trust to help you!! I hope this helps. Let us know what happens. Cathy :)