Started off my day with a doctor's appointment. Towards the end of 2013, I was diagnose with hyperthyroidism. Which in itself is no big deal. It was initially thought that I had Graves disease but after going around in circles and finally changing doctors, an ultrasound was done and it turned out that I do probably have Graves disease (due to family history) but that I also had nodules on my thyroid. Treatment is still the same. You take the medication for 1.5 years and then you stop and the doctor will then monitor you every 3 months or so to see if the hyperthyroidism recurs. Probability of it recurring when the cause is from the nodules on my thyroid is 50-50.
My hyperthyroidism was managed very easily and was brought under control very early on. So in February this year, I was taken off the meds and today I went back for the follow-up blood tests and since I had the nodules on my thyroid, for an ultrasound as well. I prayed for my hyperthyroidism to still be under control cause if it was back then it meant having to irradiate my thyroid gland, which is not an option I want to explore. Instead the news that I got blindsided me completely. 3 of the bigger nodules have grown in size. One of it actually doubled in size. My doctor was somewhat concern but she didn't think it was necessary to do a biopsy just yet. She wanted to monitor it for awhile longer as she thinks that the earlier ultrasound may have not been completely accurate. You see, not long after I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism it was also discovered that I had a cystic hygroma (for more info, you will have to Google it as I don't think I can accurately explain what it is). So coming back to the nodules, the doctor figured that maybe during the first ultrasound, the cyst was pushing against the nodules causing it to look smaller. So, she scheduled me for another ultrasound 4 months from now and will see if the nodules have grown again. She said if it reaches 3cm she will want to have it removed. Another operation. Sigh. In any event, she will decide on the next course of action 4 months from now. But she has warned me, if my hyperthyroidism recurs, she will want to remove my entire thyroid gland rather than just to irradiate it. Irradiating it will only solve my hyperthyroidism problem but I will still have to deal with the risk of the nodules becoming malignant. Removal of the entire gland will solve both problems for good.
Last year, I finally had the cystic hygroma removed after a series of infection. The last round of infection landed me in the hospital with treatment by antibiotics having to be administered intravenously, which was what finally made me decide to have the cystic hygroma removed. However, there is no guarantee that the removal will be a clean removal as there may still be residues of it left. Cystic hygroma causes a swelling to the area. The swelling gets bigger when it becomes infected. Ever since the operation the swelling has not completely gone down and I am beginning to wonder if the cyst was completely removed. I will have to schedule another appointment with the ENT to follow up on it.
Another complication that I don't need. I thought I had put all my health issues behind me last year. Really didn't expect this. I have always been a healthy girl and all off a sudden all these issues cropped up last year. I was really looking forward to a better 2015. Although my relationship woes continued on in this year, I thought hey, at least my health is ok now. Hopefully it still is. More now than ever I need to have faith that everything will be ok. Have asked my cousin who is also an endocrinologist for his opinion on this. Anxiously awaiting his reply.
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