# Could it be thyroid cancer?



## rubyg38 (Aug 15, 2013)

Hello! I first want to start off and say I am so sorry for all of you that are fighting this battle against cancer. Please don't be offended that I am posting this here, but I am just wondering your thoughts. About a year ago I felt a little hard lump on the bottom of my throat area a little off centered to the right. I don't have a regular doctor so I mentioned it to my son's allergist when I was at his appointment. He felt my neck and proceeded to tell me that it was the bottom of my throat and that you can feel it because I am thin. I thought this was odd since my left side didn't feel like this. I was also embarrassed that I had mistaken my throat for a tumor and didn't think too much about it. I had routine blood work done by my ob doc in December and thyroid panel came back completely normal. In March she felt my neck as part of my yearly routine check but didn't say anything. I didn't mention it as I wasn't that concerned about it and thinking it was my throat. I have been having hair loss since November and was told in March by a dermatologist that I have telogen effluvium and that it should resolve itself. I am still having the hair loss. Fast forward to a few weeks ago my sister said it looks like you have an Adam's apple as my neck was turned a certain way. I then started feeling around again and told her it feels like a hard lump. She agreed as well as my mother who checked it out. When my neck is in the normal position you cant see or feel it but when I look up at the ceiling you can definitely feel it as well as see it. It moves up and down with my throat when I swallow and is a little bigger than a marble. I have no lump in the throat feeling or trouble swallowing and my neck is not sore. I also have no hoarse voice. I am wondering if this could be just part of my throat anatomy or if this is where the thyroid is located? My left part definitely doesn't have this bump and I thought the throat was symmetrical. Certainly 2 doctors wouldn't have missed this would they? Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for taking the time to read this


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Well, anything is possible but I wouldn't pull the alarm quite yet. 

Could two doctors miss something? Sure. But right now it might not even be your thyroid.

If it is your thyroid, many, many people have lumpy thyroids, but the vast majority of nodules are benign. Is there anyway to get in with someone for a third opinion? I would also see about getting copies of your blood work to post. Some times it's not about being in the normal range, but about optimizing your values.


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## rubyg38 (Aug 15, 2013)

Thanks for your quick response! I made an appointment with a family doctor yesterday. (figured insurance would make me have a referral) He said I have a thyroid nodule and scheduled me for an ultrasound and biopsy in a week. I am now really worried as this has been a growing nodule for about a year and I dismissed it to being part of my throat, since that is what the allergist told me. Ugh!! Do you know if the ultrasound can tell if it looks suspicious and maybe I won't need the biopsy?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

They can't tell cancer vs no cancer from the ultrasound, but it can show suspicious characteristics, like being solid, vascular, having calcifications or uneven edges. Also, most doctors will not biopsy unless the nodules is 1cm or larger, so they'll take measurements.


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## rubyg38 (Aug 15, 2013)

Thanks again for taking the time to respond and the information I will wait and see what the results say. They didn't draw blood yesterday, so I was unable to post my lab results.


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