Worried it's cancer

[Butterflykiss00]

I'm worried about my thyroid and wondered if anyone can be of any help!
I've been feeling tired and put on weight, I've had problems in the past with my thyroid result being too high or too low the last abnormal result was 2 years ago

I had a recent blood test and the tsh came back normal, but during this the nurse felt my thyroid and neck and said I have a goitre and nodules after I mentioned my throats been tight and it's harder than normal to breath and swallow.

I'm worried it could be thyroid cancer, just with having normal bloods but still having a goitre and I've been referred for an ultrasound so I'm just waiting on that but I'm going out of my mind!

Had anyone had anything similar?
Or any experiences with thyroid cancer what whee your symptoms?

Thankyou for reading.

1. It is very rare to have thyroid cancer unless older.
2. It is almost 100% curable.

My DH did. He had a throat swelling-fluid with lump, very tired, sweating through the sheets at night. No weight gain. He was diagnosed in hospital within 6 hours of going to the GP-so it must have been very obvious.

Oh and he had a cough.
Slight difficulty with swallowing.

@BlackElephant thankyou, I know it could be anything but I'm just worried, I'm only 28 so that's a good thing, I have difficulty swallowing and narrow breathing too. I have asthma so always have a cough anyway but now it's quite high pitched

I have a goitre and a condition called hashimotos... autoimmune thyroiditis, so this could be another reason for thyroid swelling? Hope all is ok op

@CherryLeaf my bloods were fine, thankyou I do too!

I had a goitre. Bloods were normal, ultrasound was normal, but the needle biopsies were inconclusive (I had 2), so the surgeon recommended removing the thyroid.

I was given the option of taking half or the whole thing, but warned that if I opted for the first and it was cancer, I would have to have another operation to remove the other half. I chose to have the total thyroidectomy, and it was not cancer, but the doctor said that it was very likely that the goitre would continue to grow and end up pressing against my trachea making it hard to breathe and/or swallow, and I might have had to remove it anyway eventually.

to you, OP, I know how worrying it can be - fingers crossed it’s nothing serious.

My mum had a tumour on her thyroid and I also know two other people who had the same- little op to remove and minimal scarring. All were benign- I think that Thyroid cancer is quite rare and the benign tumours are quite common.

@tywysoges thankyou that was very informative, it's scary to be Honest, I honestly can't find an explanation that wouldn't involve surgery or biopsy.
I'm only young so its concerning

@KnottyKnitting thankyou

@Butterflykiss00 if they are happy with the ultrasound you might not need a biopsy, but if you need the needle one, it is pretty straightforward. The consultant just did it as part of the appointment, no special preparation or anything - obviously that might be different on different hospitals/doctors, but it’s not painful, I drove myself to and from the hospital, just had to wait 15 minutes or so after to make sure I was ok.

Do you know if anyone in your family has goitre? Apparently it can be genetic.

If you go on the General Health forum they have a Cancer thread, for all types of cancer, the people on there are lovely .Im sure someone of there will have knowledge

Hopefully I get my appointment through soon, and I can move on from this worry

@Butterflykiss00
I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last year. My symptoms were a constant cough, difficulty swallowing and a tiny lump.
I had a few nodules on my thyroid which were of no concern and one cancerous.
Thyroid cancer is rare. A lot of thyroid cancer is cured with surgery. Mine had spread so I needed radioactive iodine treatment which meant been isolated for a week.
It's easier said than done but try not to worry. No-one ever wants to hear that they have cancer, I don't think I will ever get over hearing those words.

@rosieposie01 I just don't know if I'm over reacting thinking about it, nothing online suggests anything other than cancer (I know I shouldn't be googling) normal blood range but nodules and a goitre, fatigue, swollen throat and neck and a slightly narrow breathing feeling.
I'm sure it's less likely though especially since I'm only 28

Hi op, I had thyroid cancer almost 30 years ago. I was 14 at diagnosis and am now 43. My symptoms were getting lumps in my neck. Waiting to find out what is going on is terrifying but thyroid cancer is very treatable and the treatment is very effective. If you can, try not to panic as it’s is a waste of energy ( I know that’s easier said than done!) and hopefully you won’t have cancer. Big hugs and I’ve got everything crossed for you. xx

@glasgowLil thankyou I hope it isn't too; I will update this thread when I get any news

Still waiting for an appointment, hopefully not long now

My DH had your exact symptoms. Had a chunk of it removed. All benign.

@Iwantcauliflowercheese that's reassuring thankyou

Hi OP, I hope it's not cancer, could it be worth looking up something called globus too, it's an anxiety disorder which makes swallowing feel hard and what feels like a lump in your throat, I have had it in the past and it really scared me and I'd never heard of it, just a thought x

Do you know what your TSH actually was? And have got ever been tested for anti thyroid antibodies? Hypothyroidism is generally an autoimmune issue (Hashimoto's), and results in the early stages can sometimes swing between hyper and hypo with normal times in between.

I also think we still use quite a wide reference range in this country, so people can have symptoms and still test as normal. I have autoimmune hypothyroidism, and my TSH was just in range for quite a while so I was told my thyroid was fine, although I had lots of the typical hypo symptoms.

I eventually asked for the antibody test and had high levels, I was told I was likely to become hypo eventually, and the GP suggested I try and time my next TSH test for when I was feeling at my worst. I did, and finally tested as hypo.

I have multi-nodular goitre. Diagnosed about 10 years ago when I was early 30s due to lump in neck. In both of my pregnancies the increased hormones caused the nodules to grow faster than normal so I had needle biopsies to check for cancerous cells. All fine thankfully. After my 2nd pregnancy I developed post partum over active thyroid syndrome which resolved itself within 12 months (side effect was losing baby weight in 6 weeks! But the hyperactivity on top of bf Newborn was awful). As the nodules continue to grow I've been told I will need surgery in the future before there starts to be issues with my vocal chords and swallowing etc.

Hello again, I have low vitamin d levels now so I'm on some medication. Just to update you all, I'm still awaiting my scan.

@Utini I have been tested for autoimmune thyroid and my levels where 78 (reference range is under 59) my last tsh results where 0.54 (range of 0.35-23.0)

Thinking of you. Hope you get your scan soon. Xx