Painful thyroid nodule with normal T function labs

[mardi54]

I hope you can help me.  I'm a 54-year-old female with a tender "mass" as my PCP is calling it.  She did a
Thyroid panel on me yesterday - that was normal.  This nodule or mass is next to my thyroid, she is not
sure if it is fixed onto the thyroid or is "standing alone".  I'm having a thyroid ultrasound tomorrow.  This really
hurts when I move my head from left to right (it's on the left side).  It hurts when the doctor examines it.

Can you still have thyroid disease if your blood work is normal, but you still have a nodule?  The only other
symptoms I have are dry eyes, dry hair and skin and I'm having trouble losing weight.  Both my parents
had thyroid trouble - my father was hypothyroid and my mother was mixed, she had a goiter.

Please help me figure this out.  I know I have to patient and have the ultrasound tomorrow, but do you have
any ideas?

Thanks

[mardi54]

Hi, I had my thyroid ultrasound last Friday.  My doctor called me yesterday to say that I do, indeed, have a nodule and they need to do a needle biopsy to see if it is benign or otherwise.  It hurts when I swallow, and I told her that.  My TSH is normal, as I stated above.  I wish they had a doctor on this forum, just to give me some scenarios.
They have me on a waitlist for the needle biopsy done by the Endocrinologist in her office.  

Has anyone had anything similar to my situation, and what was the outcome.  

Thanks,
M.

[DJ0807]

I am also a 54 yr old female and started with thyroid tenderness in January. I had a an ultrasound last month....I have several solid nodules...the largest is 1.5 cm. My endo told me that the margins are well-defined and not jagged like they are in thyroid cancer. My T3 and T4 are low normal and my TPO and Thyroglobulin antibodies are negative...pretty much rules out Hashimoto's.

He wants to "watch" the nodules by following them with repeat US every 3 months. If they increase in size are start to look suspicious, I will need a fine needle aspiration (biopsy) to see what they consist of.

I found that Advil helps the pain. I take 2 first thing in the morning and 2 in the evening.

[SURVIVING0512]

It's very hard to patient when you are going through anything like this!  Yes you can have normal blood work and still have a problem with your thyroid.  

Good luck with your ultrasound!  I hope they give you answers soon!

[898]

Also it can be sign of bleeding in the thyroid capsule but ultrasound is needed to evaluate]

[898]

If the mass moves up when you are swallowing, then it is most likely connected to thyroid.