Is it really a thyroid nodule

[krex]

so.....During routine examination my PCP felt my thyroid was enlarged.  He sent me for an ultra sound. Result... 10mm solid nodule. Next was a nuclear scan. Result...Cold. Today was supposed to be the fine needle biopsy, I braught all of my films and reports to the place I was going to... The radiologist would not do it because he was not sure if there really was a nodule.  He measured what he thought was a shadow at 9mm.  Is it possible that it really was just a shadow. How could my thyroid scan be read as a cold nodule if there is no nodule.  Also all thyroid blood work is normal except the peroxidase ab very slightly elevated

[krex]

Thank You for all the advice!  I will ask my new doctor to test for theese things.  I do also have low vitamin d and had extremely low b12. I was getting injections for a year   Also borderline anemic. My brother and mother are both hypo and my mother has hashimotos   So I am hoping after years of feeling like garbage I may finally get some answers

[gimel]

As I read your post, it occurred to me that you could use some insight as to what testing you need.  So here goes.  You should make sure that the doctor tests you for the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Free T4 (not the same as Total T3 and Total T4), along with TSH that they always want to test.    If the doctor resists, then you should insist on it and don't take no for an answer.  Remember that you are the customer.

FT3 is the most important because it largely regulates metabolism and many other body functions.  Scientific studies have also shown that FT3 correlated best with hypo symptoms, while FT4 and TSH did not correlate very well at all.  Other tests that should be done in the near future are Vitamin A, D, B12, zinc, iron/ferritin, and selenium.  Patients who are hypo frequently have low levels of these, so it is good to make sure.

When you say that you have been symptomatic for several years, but no signs in blood tests, that could be because TSH is inadequate as a diagnostic for thyroid.  At best it is an indicator to be considered along with more important indicators such as symptoms and also levels of FT3 and FT4.  If the doctor went beyond TSH and did test for FT3 and FT4, but used "Reference Range Endocrinology", then you could have had tests that were in the low end of the ranges, and the doctor decided that was adequate.  That is incorrect for many hypo patients.  the reference ranges are too broad.  Many of our members report that symptom relief for them required that FT3 was adjusted into the upper part of the range and FT4 adjusted to at least midpoint of its range.  

A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting FT3 and FT4 as necessary to relieve symptoms without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  If your doctor is unwilling to treat you clinically, then sooner or later you are going to need a good thyroid doctor that will do so.

[krex]

Yes he did use ultrasound at biopsy appointment and wasn't sure if it wad even a nodule. He said it could've been a cyst that shrunk since the first biopsy which doesn't make sense because it was read as being solid or what he was measuring as 9mm could've been a shadow from all the blood vessels surrounding it which also doesn't make sense because how could a shadow come up in a nuclear scan and be read as cold. Funny thing is .... I've been symptamatic of hypo for several years now but no signs in blood. I've got an appointment in a few days with an endo for a second opinion

[laura1967]

I would imagine that the radiologist might not have felt good about trying to biopsy a 9mm size nodule since it is considered small, but I would question the same thing you have as well. Did he try to find it with an ultrasound at the biopsy visit??
Sounds like you have the beginning of hashimoto's autoimmune thyroid disease if your antibody count is elevated. Time to start keeping an eye on your thyroid levels to make sure you don't go hypo and become symptomatic.