# Selenium for thyroid pain?



## kat92 (Apr 22, 2013)

My nodule has gone down quite a bit since I started synthroid a little over a week ago. (something has happened anyway....I don't know if the nodule has shrunk, or my whole thyroid has?)...but either way, I can't feel it NEAR as much as I could before synthroid..

My problem that is still scaring me, is how bad my neck hurts. It feels like someone punched me in the throat. Not a constant hurt, it increases during the day. I wake up, feeling GREAT!!...no pain, can barely feel the lump..its awesome! But by the middle or end of the day, my neck is sore, and the lump is a little easier to feel.

It sounds crazy. I know.

So at night I sit with ice on my throat cause I don't know what else to do. I've read selenium can help. But I tried to find a supplement at walmart, but couldn't find anything.

Anyone know where I could get it, or what would be causing this neck pain. (I did have a biopsy a few weeks ago. If i touch anywhere around there, it's still sore, so I'm also wondering if it's not still kinda bruised inside too?) Or is it possible something could have bled a little...which might be causing this?

**Edited to add...... I never had ANY throat pain before all this started a month or so ago. None!! I found the lump when I just happened to touch my throat one day. No pain at all. This pain didn't start until they started messing with me. Ultrasound, biopsy, a few office visits....etc. I'm just tired of feeling like someone punched me in the throat!!!


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## ives6797 (Apr 23, 2013)

Hi Kat, I have no advice but I hope you get some relief soon!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

kat92 said:


> My nodule has gone down quite a bit since I started synthroid a little over a week ago. (something has happened anyway....I don't know if the nodule has shrunk, or my whole thyroid has?)...but either way, I can't feel it NEAR as much as I could before synthroid..
> 
> My problem that is still scaring me, is how bad my neck hurts. It feels like someone punched me in the throat. Not a constant hurt, it increases during the day. I wake up, feeling GREAT!!...no pain, can barely feel the lump..its awesome! But by the middle or end of the day, my neck is sore, and the lump is a little easier to feel.
> 
> ...


What were the results of your ultra-sound and biopsy? We get our Selenium at Vitamin Shoppe. Not sure it's a good idea to start it though until you get diagnosed.

This is a new thread so I don't have info about your medical history.


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## ives6797 (Apr 23, 2013)

I'm sure kat will fill you in more later, but for now... she was suspicious for follicular neoplasms but was found to have Hashi's. http://www.thyroidboards.com/showthread.php?t=8335


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## kat92 (Apr 22, 2013)

ultrasound showed multiple nodules. The largest being 1.3cm. That was on the left side. The largest on the right was, 1.1cm. So no "huge" nodules at least. Then I have multiple smaller ones on each side.

The biopsy came back as follicular neoplasm. Which obviously says nothing. Can't say it's benign, can't say it's cancer. My first ENT said they are "follicular adenomas". and he's "90% sure" about that, and told me to come back in 6 months. Wasn't good enough for me....so I got a second opinion.

Next ENT was WAY more attentive. Didn't brush me off like the first. He started me on synthroid 88mcg. My TSH was 2.5 (highest it's ever been in like 3 years). Free T4 was 1.33, and Free T3 was 272. I have all the hypo symptoms...hair loss, weight gain, cold intolerance. You name it, I've got it.

So I've been on the synthroid a week and a half or so now. And the nodule that I could actually feel myself (that started this whole fiasco), has shrunk a LOT. It's still there, but I have to work to find it. It's not just a huge lump anymore. So something is working....

But I'm SOOOOOO tired of my neck/thyroid hurting. It's NEVER hurt before all this. This has all been since the doctors have been poking and prodding me. Ultrasounds, biopsies (8 needle sticks about 3 weeks ago. OW!!) But I had no pain when I found the initial lump. Had I not had an itch on my neck I'd have never even known it was there. Its all been in just the last couple/few weeks that this pain came about!

And it's making me MAD!!! So I read that selenium sometimes help calm down a thyroid. Thought it'd be worth a shot!


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## kat92 (Apr 22, 2013)

ives6797 said:


> I'm sure kat will fill you in more later, but for now... she was suspicious for follicular neoplasms but was found to have Hashi's. http://www.thyroidboards.com/showthread.php?t=8335


Yes. That. :winking0001:

HOWEVER.....no doctor has actually said to me.."you have hashimotos". He's treating me for hypothyroidism. But he did throw that hashimotos word in there. But never ran any other antibody tests to confirm.

I did though, Have a positive ANA test. So maybe he's just assuming from that, my symptoms, and my thyroid levels, it is hashimotos. I don't know??

Regardless, he put me on synthroid. Which I think was a GREAT move!

Now, I just need this da*n pain to go away. Its irritating me. Not debilitating....but irritating me. Feels like I got puched in the throat.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

The positive ANA test can be a red flag for other autoimmune issues. Be sure to follow up on this with your doc(s). You've probably seen it while cruising around the forums here, but autoimmune diseases are like Pringles... and we all know how that goes!


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## kat92 (Apr 22, 2013)

The internal medicine doctor ran some more tests after the positive ANA. The only thing that came back as a "maybe" (that they ran tests for anyway)...was Sjoggren's. And they were baffled at that. Cause like they said, I have NO SYMPTOMS for that whatsoever!

so really, not even my doctors can figure me out. When I was in there and he was looking through all my stuff, he said "you are so confusing"! I laughed. cause I am!!!! haha!!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

ives6797 said:


> I'm sure kat will fill you in more later, but for now... she was suspicious for follicular neoplasms but was found to have Hashi's. http://www.thyroidboards.com/showthread.php?t=8335


That was very kind of you, thank you! I wonder why they did not indentify the Hurthle cells for as you already know there are Hurthle Cells indigenous to cancer and those that are indigenous to Hashimoto's.

Hashimoto's is diagnosed by FNA. If certain Hurthle Cells indigenous to Hashi's are present, then you have Hashi's.

Histologic diagnosis of Hashimoto's
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/120937-diagnosis

Hashimoto's Hurthle cells
http://www.pathconsultddx.com/pathCon/diagnosis?pii=S1559-8675(06)71549-2

Cancer Hurthle Cells
http://www.thyroidmanager.org/Chapter21/ch01s12.html

Cancer
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hurthle-cell-cancer/DS00660

I thought you might like some of my references and I do want to thank you for all your help on this board. You have been just wonderful.


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## kat92 (Apr 22, 2013)

Andros said:


> That was very kind of you, thank you! I wonder why they did not indentify the Hurthle cells for as you already know there are Hurthle Cells indigenous to cancer and those that are indigenous to Hashimoto's.
> 
> Hashimoto's is diagnosed by FNA. If certain Hurthle Cells indigenous to Hashi's are present, then you have Hashi's.
> 
> ...


Not sure what the hurthle cell finding is all about in terms of my biopsy result. The only thing it said was ...."the direct smears contain minimal colloid and aggregates of follicle cells. Some with microfollicle formation and hurthle cell change. Morphologic features of papillary carcinoma are not identified. The cell block contains blood and rare follicle cells".

That was for the nodule on the right. (the one I didn't even know existed!) It was/is 1.1cm. There's 4 other tiny nodules on that right side also.

The left nodule, (that I can feel which led me to the dr. in the first place) had basically the same diagnosis, but didn't say anything about hurthle cells. Just a follicular neoplasm.

FINAL DIAGNOSIS said...

Right lobe of thyroid, fine needle aspiration:
Follicular neoplasm

Left lobe of thyroid, fine needle aspiration
Suspicious for a follicular neoplasm

And the left one, that was so big, has now shrunk down about 75-80% of what it was then. So I don't know if it's the synthroid or what?

But in that biopsy report....the word Hashimotos was NO WHERE on there! So not sure if they just didn't put it, I don't have it, or they don't even know!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

kat92 said:


> ultrasound showed multiple nodules. The largest being 1.3cm. That was on the left side. The largest on the right was, 1.1cm. So no "huge" nodules at least. Then I have multiple smaller ones on each side.
> 
> The biopsy came back as follicular neoplasm. Which obviously says nothing. Can't say it's benign, can't say it's cancer. My first ENT said they are "follicular adenomas". and he's "90% sure" about that, and told me to come back in 6 months. Wasn't good enough for me....so I got a second opinion.
> 
> ...


Thank you for refreshing my memory. Did you know we have over 20,000 members? Thankfully they are not all posting at the same time. ROLF!!!

Dear one..................you need to find someone to take that gland out. I hate this for you. It does not make sense for you to be suffering so much and they can see everything that the pathologist will see when he/she has your gland on under the microscope.


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## kat92 (Apr 22, 2013)

20,000. If we all posted at the same time, that'd be a MESS!! haha! :winking0001:

The last GOOD ENT I went and saw, does recommend surgery! But he also agreed that with my results, and no "definite" diagnosis of cancer, and now on synthroid to calm things down... I am ok to wait on surgery until September. (this is the ONLY busy time of the year where I work....gotta be here!!...any other time of the year I could be gone for a month and they wouldn't even miss me!)  So it will be coming out, just waiting a few months!

I guess I'm just somewhat relieved that the one nodule is shrinking. Or something is going on. Just a few weeks ago, other people could see it...just looking at me cause it was so big! Now I have trouble even finding it myself cause its shrunk so much!! So either the nodule itself has shrunk, or my thyroid was just that inflamed that it made the nodule appear bigger than it was (from the outside)

I'm just wishing my neck didn't hurt. It never did before the ultrasound and biopsy! So I don't know if all the needles messed things up in there or what!


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