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throid question.

I had a ct scan on my lung.it cault my thriod,shed tahart it was enlarges. Said could develop a goiter but shouldn't excluded be excluded.. also says  correlation with enymes,and if needed is recommended for a ultrasound...said that the whole thyroid wasn't included..what's all this men??  my wife had 1/2 hers took out. Was 2.6 cm nodule she's hypo now thanks  sorry if any bad spelling
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
If your wife is having hypo symptoms, her thyroid hormone levels are not "ok" even if they are in range by the labs. We're all different and we all need different levels, so just because we fall within the labs range, doesn't mean a particular level is good for us.  

The ranges are quite broad, so just being somewhere in the range, isn't good enough.  For instance, rule of thumb (where most of us tend to feel the best) is for FT4 to be about mid range and FT3 to be upper half to upper third of its range.  I need my FT4 right around mid range or a bit higher while others can feel okay with theirs lower than that.  I need my FT3 right around the upper third, while others need theirs higher than that but it's too high for some.  

We all have to have a doctor who is willing to treat according to what our bodies need, not just to get us within a range and tell us "that's good", because that's the doctor who will leave us ill.
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Avatar universal
thanks for that info.. my wife is having hypo symptoms, fatigue. the range she's in is ok by the labs, but she's having a rough time. She sees a endo in jan,,now mine..im 52 got everything. Thanks Barb
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Since your thyroid seems to be enlarged, you should ask your doctor to order thyroid function tests to make sure your thyroid is function at optimal levels.  The thyroid tests you should ask for are thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Free T4, as well as the pituitary hormone, TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone).  

The enzymes mentioned was most likely Thyroid Peroxidase, which is an enzyme used to produce thyroid hormone.

You might also want to have thyroid antibody tests to determine if you have autoimmune thyroid disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis or Graves Disease.  The tests you need for Hashimoto's are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb).  You need them both because either one can confirm Hashimoto's; some of us have one or the other, some have them both.  The definitive test for Graves Disease is Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin. Either of these autoimmune diseases can cause an enlarged thyroid.

With Hashimoto's, the body sees the thyroid as foreign and produces antibodies to destroy it. This, typically, happens over a period of time (often many years) and the patient eventually ends up permanently hypo.  While Hashimoto's is associated with hypo, it's often characterized by periods of hyper, in the beginning stages, alternating with hypo or even normal.  With Hashimoto's, thyroid destruction can begin long before symptoms appear or blood work indicates a problem.  

Graves disease is always associated with hyperthyroidism, in which they thyroid produces too much thyroid hormones.  It often results thyroidectomy or RAI to destroy the thyroid.

Nodules can be present with either Hashimoto's or Graves, so you should ask for an ultrasound, as well as the blood tests.  Many of us have mult-nodular goiter.  Goiter means "swollen/enlarged thyroid".
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649848 tn?1534633700
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