Complications With Your Thyroid- Understanding Diagnosis And Treatment Of A Thyroid Nodule

Are you feeling stressed out, run down, or exhausted

? If you are suffering from weight issues, losing hair or feeling down, chances are it could be your thyroid. Your thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland in your neck, just above your collarbone. It is one of your endocrine glands, which make hormones. The thyroid helps set your metabolism-how your body gets energy from the foods you eat. Millions of people in the United States have thyroid diseases, with most being women. If you suffer from thyroid disease, your body utilizes energy more slowly or quickly than it should. There are many causes for thyroid disease, and treatment involves an attempt to reset your body's metabolism to a normal rate.

Diagnosis of a Thyroid Nodule

In some instances you may be able to feel the nodule yourself, or your ENT may discover it during an exam. If your ENT does determine that you have a thyroid nodule, he will usually need to order one or more tests. A thyroid hormone level test is used to check the levels of hormones secreted by the thyroid gland. Most often, the hormone levels are normal despite he presence of nodules. However, there are also times when abnormal hormone levels exist, but are also benign.

Additionally, your ENT may perform a fine-needle biopsy of the thyroid gland to draw a sample of cells from one or more thyroid nodules. The samples are sent to a laboratory once received and typically come back as noncancerous. A thyroid ultrasound can also be used if the presence of nodules is found. This test uses sound waves to determine if a nodule is solid or a fluid-filled cyst.

Treatment Options

Treatment often depends on the type of thyroid nodule that is discovered. Such treatments might include:

*Close monitoring for any changes through frequent checkups

*Thyroid hormone suppression therapy

*Radioactive iodine

*Surgery

Majority of thyroid nodules do not require surgical removal. However, if the nodule is suspicious or cancerous, removal is typically advised. Removing half, most or all of the thyroid gland, depending on the condition and status of the remaining gland, accomplishes this. Patients are typically discharged within 24 hours of the procedure or sometimes the same day.

Additionally, people who develop thyroid nodules after receiving radiation treatment to the head, neck, or chest are more likely to need surgery because their risk for developing thyroid cancer is greater. However, most nodules in people who have had radiation therapy are not cancerous. The most common surgical procedure to remove thyroid nodules is thyroidectomy, which is when part or all of the thyroid gland is removed. During surgery, an incision is made in the skin. The muscle and other tissues are pulled aside to expose the thyroid gland.

After surgery is completed, many people typically leave the hospital a day or two after surgery. How much time you spend in the hospital and how fast you recover depend on your age and general health, the extent of the surgery, and whether cancer is present. Contact your Hackensack ENT for more information on thyroid nodules and to see if you might have one.

by: Gen Wright

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