Nervous with a question
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| Tue, 01-11-2005 - 9:21am |
Hi all
I've posted on here before about my suspicions of having a thyroid problem. I FINALLY got a doctor to listen to me and my symptoms and do some testing. She told me that a doctor can't diagnose you just by looking at bloodwork numbers which everyone else was doing. She said my numbers have been steadily increasing over 4 years and while they may in the 'normal' range it may not be optimal for me.
I'm experiencing memory loss, hair loss, peeling nails, always cold, low body temperature, etc. She ran an antibody test and a sonogram. Both came back ok but she said the sonogram showed a 'spot' on what looked like my throat. She said that thyroid tissue can sometimes grow outside the thyroid and now wants a CAT scan on that area.
Has anyone ever heard of this or know what it could be?
TIA


Hi Christine - are you seeing an endochrinologist? Because you can diagnose hypothyroidism with just a blood test in most cases. I understand what she's saying about looking at the increase in your TSH over time and you're lucky to have that information. But what about people who don't? They rely on the blood test and the knowledge that their doctor has about interpreting the results. So ... with that said, I think it would be important for you to get the actual numbers of your test if you can, and there's no reason why the office won't give them to you.
If you have a spot on your throat, I don't know what that means. If you have something on your thyroid, like swelling or a nodule, that will show up in your sonogram.
My gut instinct on this is that you should get a second opinion from another doctor or an endo if this one isn't, before you go any further. A CAT scan costs a fortune, by the way, and I've never heard of anyone needing one for their thyroid. I'm not a doctor or an expert but I've read quite a bit and never heard of that. I could be wrong, of course! But ... a second opinion couldn't hurt and it might point you in a better direction than this doctor is leading you. What do you think? Cathy
This is my second opinion with an endo.