Thyroidectomy

Hi jjren, Allow me to bring a few members into this discussion who have had a thyroidectomy, such as @kellyann @jmk1 @thyroidectomyhe @marydwyer51 and @stefanie. You can read more about them in these related discussions:

- Thyroidectomy: Robotic Thyroid Surgery https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/robotic-thyroid-surgery/
- Life after total thyroidectomy after papillary cancer https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/life-after-total-thyroidectomy-after-papillary-cancer/

Jjren, what is the reason from the thyroidectomy? What symptoms are you most concerned about?

Good morning. I have a question too. Ny thyroid doctor said that the biopsy had to go out for thyroseque because the results came out indeterminate..prior to that my recent ultrasound results said that 2 of my nodules were ti-rad 3. They were solid..they grew.and I think it was hypereochoic(dont quote me) I know it was 3 points on the guideline or chart. Can you explain these categories for me. The doctor said it was category 3 risk on the chart. Or table. How many people with this category have a thyroidectomy. My thyroid has been a problem since I was 19 and I am now 50. Is it premature to have it taken out..should I go for a 2nd opinion? Any help would be appreciated.

Still waiting on the results for thyroseque test.

@vivib, please note that I removed the test results that you uploaded. I did this because they contained personal identifying information about you. Connect is a public site and we take your security seriously. If you would like to repost the test results, please feel free to do, but take care to remove full names, patient numbers, addresses of both yourself and the care provider.

Viv, you are asking all the right questions about the findings of your diagnostic tests. These are questions best answered by your doctor, as she/he can talk specifically about what they mean for you. It is not uncommon for the results of a biospy to be "indeterminant". An indeterminate lesion means that the cells do not look normal and more investigation is needed. That's why your doctor order the ThyroSeq Genomic Classifier test for you. You can read more about this test here:

- ThyroSeq test helps patients avoid unnecessary diagnostic thyroid surgery, study shows https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-11-thyroseq-patients-unnecessary-diagnostic-thyroid.html

Additionally, here's some information about the term hypoechoic
- What Does a Hypoechoic Nodule on My Thyroid Mean?https://www.healthline.com/health/hypoechoic-nodule

Once your doctor has all the information from all the tests, then you both will have a clearer of what is going on and what's next. When will you see your doctor next to discuss the completed results?

I have Hashimoto's Disease and had several nodules in my Thyroid. My Mayo surgeon Dr. Casler told me it was just as invasive to do a biopsy as it was to remove the organ so I opted to remove it for numerous reasons. The biggest reason being that I was having a nightmare of a time regulating my Thyroid medication. I was sick for nearly 7 years before I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease and there was enough damage done throughout my entire body fro it running wild that my next natural step was to remove the organ. The pathology came back that I had Stage One Papillary Thyroid Cancer that we had no idea existed even though I had several PET Scans before deciding to have the Thyroidectomy. It took my body about 6 months to settle in to the new formulary existence no longer having the natural Thyroid and instead having the replacement medication Tirosint, which is the closest replacement to the natural Thyroid. The majority of my symptoms significantly subsided. I am 2 1/2 years out of surgery and I do no regret removing my Thyroid at all. The scar is not noticeable to anyone unless I tell them it exists. I highly recommend Dr. Casler at Mayo in Jacksonville for anyone with a Throidectomy on the horizon.

@blulilbaby did you have to have any other treatment following surgery once they discovered the stage 1 papillary thyroid cancer?

I will be on Tirosint for the rest of my life but there hasn't been any uptake in my Tumor marker bloodwork or in any PET Scan since. If you KNOW something is wrong even if they tell you it all seems okay, find a doctor that will listen to you. Once I got the referral to Mayo I told the surgeon day one of the consult that I wanted my Thyroid removed because it was absolutely unmanageable since my Hashimoto's diagnosis and luckily I had enough history medically documented that it was automatically a viable option for me and we scheduled the surgery immediately.