goiter sergery

Post Reply
cindy28
Posts: 68
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2006 8:39 am

goiter sergery

Post by cindy28 »

I have an enlarged goiter and iam in my firt trimester in pregnancy. All my thyroid blood tests have come back negative. I was just wondering if anyone has had there goiter removed and what am i to expect? Iam worried i have never had sergery!:-6 :thinking: :-3
User avatar
YZGI
Posts: 11527
Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 11:24 am

goiter sergery

Post by YZGI »

I wasnt going to touch this but. If you Goiter have surgery you may as well... I reckon thats enough. I'll shut up.
User avatar
DesignerGal
Posts: 2554
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2005 11:20 am

goiter sergery

Post by DesignerGal »

What the hell is a goiter??






HBIC
User avatar
cherandbuster
Posts: 8594
Joined: Mon May 15, 2006 11:33 am

goiter sergery

Post by cherandbuster »

DesignerGal wrote: What the hell is a goiter??


I'm not sure

but I think it is an enlarged thyroid gland

Is that right? :-3
Live Life with

PASSION
!:guitarist





User avatar
cherandbuster
Posts: 8594
Joined: Mon May 15, 2006 11:33 am

goiter sergery

Post by cherandbuster »

YZGI wrote: If you Goiter have surgery you may as well... I reckon thats enough. I'll shut up.


YZGI

Ouch! :yh_doh
Live Life with

PASSION
!:guitarist





User avatar
DesignerGal
Posts: 2554
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2005 11:20 am

goiter sergery

Post by DesignerGal »

Thats what it is...I had to look it up. It says its almost never cancerous.

Mostly caused by too little iodine in the diet.






HBIC
cindy28
Posts: 68
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2006 8:39 am

goiter sergery

Post by cindy28 »

lol.. yeah it is an enlargement on the thyroid glad.. it makes it hard to breath and swallow. I have looked it up but i was just wondering if anyone has had the sergery done.:-6
cindy28
Posts: 68
Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2006 8:39 am

goiter sergery

Post by cindy28 »

DesignerGal wrote: Thats what it is...I had to look it up. It says its almost never cancerous.

Mostly caused by too little iodine in the diet.


yeah the thing is i got all my tests back and everything was good.. so its an unknow cause... iam just freaked to have an operation!!:(
rainbowsmiles
Posts: 394
Joined: Sun May 29, 2005 6:55 pm

goiter sergery

Post by rainbowsmiles »

I wish I could help Cindy. I never knew a goiter could have an unknown cause, I always thought it was related to a malfunction in the thyroid. My great aunt had her thyroid removed (she had hypothyroidism). Her goiter was so prominent it could be seen by other (her neck being so swollen that is). Yes, she had a difficult time breathing and even had sleep apnia (Here is some information I found on the net that may be helpful.

Hormone level could be high, low or normal

Goiter doesn't necessarily mean your thyroid gland isn't producing hormones normally. Even when enlarged, your thyroid may produce below-normal, normal or above-normal amounts of hormones.

Enlargement of the gland can be uniform (diffuse goiter), or the gland may be enlarged due to one or more nodules (nodular goiter). Nodules are lumps within an otherwise normal thyroid gland.

One cause of goiter is iodine deficiency. In this situation, your thyroid can't make and release enough thyroxine and T-3 — both of which contain iodine — and enlarges in response to excess stimulation from the pituitary.

Many causes of thyroid enlargement exist other than iodine deficiency. Some of the causes are serious, others not. Other causes of goiter include:

Graves' disease. This disease, an autoimmune disorder, is the most common cause of an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism). In Graves' disease, antibodies produced by your immune system stimulate the thyroid to produce too much thyroxine. Normally, your immune system uses antibodies to help protect against viruses, bacteria and other foreign substances that invade the body. In Graves' disease, antibodies mistakenly attack your thyroid gland and occasionally the tissue behind your eyes and the skin of your lower legs. Scientists aren't sure why Graves' disease occurs. The overstimulation of your thyroid in Graves' disease results in uniform and nonpainful swelling of the gland.

Hashimoto's disease. This disease, also called chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, is a common cause of an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). Hashimoto's disease also is an autoimmune disorder and causes inflammation, which impairs your thyroid's ability to produce hormones. Then, your pituitary gland attempts to stimulate your thyroid gland to produce more thyroid hormones, causing your thyroid gland to enlarge.

Multinodular goiter. In this condition, several nodules develop in both sides of your thyroid, resulting in overall enlargement of the gland. Multinodular goiter may occur with normal, low or excessive thyroid hormone production.

Solitary thyroid nodules. A solitary nodule describes a single nodule that can occur in any part of your thyroid gland. Most nodules are noncancerous (benign) and don't lead to cancer.

Thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer is less common than benign thyroid nodules. Cancer of the thyroid often appears as an enlargement on one side of the thyroid.

Pregnancy. A hormone produced during pregnancy, human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), may cause slight uniform enlargement of your thyroid gland.



Inflammation. Thyroiditis is an inflammatory condition of the thyroid. Various types of thyroiditis can result in an enlargement of your thyroid gland. Some may cause thyroid pain, often aggravated by swallowing or pressure. Some types of thyroiditis are associated with hyperthyroidism.

http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00217.html

Cindy,

Note that one of the causes is pregnancy. It may be that your goiter will go away once your not pregnant anymore. I would advise a second opinion, possibly from the OB/GYN or the CNM that is handling your pregnancy because I'm sure they've seen this type of situation before. I'm not a doctor but from what I'm reading on the net here and from what I know about my family history with my aunt, having the surgery isn't something you need to rush into so you most likely have time to explore all your options and get other opinions on this. Don't panic - you'll be fine.
Jcas
Posts: 72
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2006 1:45 am

goiter sergery

Post by Jcas »

Cindy i can understand you being nervous, as any surgery can be scary especially if you have never had any ops before.

I am no expert on this, but i would like to tell you about a friend of mine who had this same surgery with a good outcome.

This person was in his 60's and so afraid of surgery that he had put this off for years, until finally it grew so big that it was causing major concerns. In the end he had no choice he had to have it removed.

It had become so enlarged that a child once asked him if he had swallowed a cricket ball....lo l(childrens simplistic thoughts).

He had his surgery and spent a few days in hospital, and went home wandering why on earth he had put it off for so long. Even though his had got so big, the surgery was easy to recuperate from, and no where as bad as he had imagined.

That was a few years ago, i would expect that they have much better methods now.

I hope this helps you Cindy......:)
Post Reply

Return to “Health and Drug Concerns”