# New here...help with my scan



## patience37 (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi everyone!! I'm a newbie and just need some help with my scan I had yesterday.

To start off, I have always thought I had a thyroid issue. My labs are always normal so I was ALWAYS blown off. Well by chance last november I was in the er with chest pain. Lab showed possible clot so they did a scan. Totally normal except the dr noticed a goiter on my thyroid. So I followed up with my family dr and again my labs are normal but they felt the goiter. Had ultrasound done. It measured 1.8. So I had to go to another dr for a biopsy. He did his own ultrasound to find it. Here's the weird thing. Goiter was felt on my right but my left is bigger. So he didn't want to do the biopsy that day and scheduled a nuclear uptake scan. It was scheduled for 12/26 but the hospital canceled because they were out of the pill till 1/3. I was fed up. Fast forward to last week. Dr called and asked if I had it done. I said no they canceled and I never rescheduled. So my best friend has been telling me to get it done. So I made the appt and got it done.

Scan shows 18.5% uptake @ 24h 287 microcuries /123po. What does that mean?

In the dr's report (not my dr, dr at hospital who reviewed it)
Images obtained of the thyroid show suggeston of cold defect involving the lower pole of the left lobe.

pollible cold nodule involving the lower pole of the left lobe of the thyroid. follow up ultrasound is suggested.

Can anyone explain this to me please?:scared0011:

Thank you so much!!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

patience37 said:


> Hi everyone!! I'm a newbie and just need some help with my scan I had yesterday.
> 
> To start off, I have always thought I had a thyroid issue. My labs are always normal so I was ALWAYS blown off. Well by chance last november I was in the er with chest pain. Lab showed possible clot so they did a scan. Totally normal except the dr noticed a goiter on my thyroid. So I followed up with my family dr and again my labs are normal but they felt the goiter. Had ultrasound done. It measured 1.8. So I had to go to another dr for a biopsy. He did his own ultrasound to find it. Here's the weird thing. Goiter was felt on my right but my left is bigger. So he didn't want to do the biopsy that day and scheduled a nuclear uptake scan. It was scheduled for 12/26 but the hospital canceled because they were out of the pill till 1/3. I was fed up. Fast forward to last week. Dr called and asked if I had it done. I said no they canceled and I never rescheduled. So my best friend has been telling me to get it done. So I made the appt and got it done.
> 
> ...












Cold nodules do not uptake. So, you do need to schedule FNA or go straight on to ENT to see what he/she has to say about this.

Thyroid cancer, cold nodules, uptake etc.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/2003/0201/p559.html

. An area of decreased radionuclide uptake may be called a cold nodule or "cold spot." This finding indicates that a particular area of the thyroid gland is underactive or low-functioning. A variety of conditions, including cysts, localized inflammation, or cancer may produce a cold spot.
http://www.enotes.com/thyroid-radionuclide-scan-reference/thyroid-radionuclide-scan

I am glad your friend is supportive of you and please try not to be scared. We are here for you and many who post here have had similar experiences and are doing very very well now.

Has your doctor run any antibodies' tests? Maybe you should get at least the Thyroglobulin and Thyroglobulin Ab?

Understanding Thyroglobulin Ab.
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/thyroglobulin/test.html


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## patience37 (Mar 15, 2013)

I'm even more confused. . What do you mean a cold nodule doesn't uptake? 
My Endo is the one who ordered the scan. This is all very new to me.

My blood work was ths rx on abnormal to free t4 result. 3.460 (0.450-4.500)
Thyroid peroxidase <6 (0-34) range
Anti thyroglobulin ab <20 (0-40)

The endo will hopefully call Monday.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

In a normal functioning thyroid, the thyroid will "uptake," or absorb, the radioactive iodine in a relatively uniform way.

People can have "hot" nodules. Those are hyperactive nodles that uptake (absorb) at a higher rate than the surrounding tissue. Those nodules usually produce too much thyroid hormone and can cause hyperthyroid.

People can also have "cold" nodules that don't uptake the iodine (or do so very slowly). Cold nodules are underactive, don't produce enough thyroid hormone and can cause hypothyroid.

Both hot and cold nodules can be cancerous and both types could be benign, but you see a much higher rate of cancer in cold nodules


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## patience37 (Mar 15, 2013)

Is it odd that my blood work is normal? I have read the symptoms of hypo and I gave quite a few but because my blood work looks normal I was always blown off. I guess it's a good thing I was in the er a few months ago otherwise I would not have known.


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