The thyroid gland is among the most radiosensitive organs in the body.

@bluesplashgirl Good for you for asking for thyroid protection during X-rays. I do that too. I wanted you to know there are other reasons for thyroid nodules other than cancer. I have had multiple nodules for many years from Hashimoto's Thyroiditis which is an autoimmune thyroid condition. I have even see them shrinking in size over the years and now I am just borderline for this condition. I did have a needle biopsy of a nodule and it was confirmed to be benign. My environmental medicine doctor thought that my thyroid was affected by the mercury that out gasses from old silver dental amalgam fillings. My blood levels of antibodies against my thyroid were off the charts until I had all the old fillings removed and then it was present in a low range. Not all doctors accept that as a cause. My thyroid is spent because of this and I take thyroid hormones to replace what I need. My doctor's comment about multiple nodules was that most of the time, they are not cancerous, but only a biopsy can confirm that.

I have had a lot of imaging too where my thyroid was not protected because I am a cervical spine surgery patient and it would have prevented getting the needed images. Thanks for bringing this information to light because it is important.

Thank you Jennifer! I appreciate your information. After seeing an endocrinologist, he confirmed that they are simply nodules and "most likely not cancerous". I will watch them as time goes on. take care.

@bluesplashgirl Carolyn, That is very good news! It must put you at ease to hear this. Good for you for advocating for yourself and writing about it here so others can learn from your experiences. Advocacy is so important because you can remind doctors of clues that could have been forgotten otherwise and that may have an important role in a current diagnosis or treatment. Doctors can make mistakes when something crucial is missed.

Another specialist who could be consulted about the thyroid is an ENT (ear, nose, throat). I saw an ENT when I had my thyroid biopsy. He actually tried to do the biopsy himself, and couldn't get it, so he sent me to interventional radiology at the hospital and they were successful. It wasn't bad to go through that. First they injected anesthetic (like a bee sting) and then all I could feel was pressure from the needle biopsy. I left with just a bandaid on my neck. In case you ever need to go through this, I wanted you to know it was a relatively easy procedure to get through.

Have you been able to advocate for yourself with your other specialists too? Are you keeping records on your health conditions so you can stay on top of what ever changes come your way?

I hope I can reassure you as well - we have been "watching" 2 thyroid nodules in my neck for nearly 20 years. They were biopsied when discovered, and again about 9 years ago after an episode of Graves disease and have been benign both times. They have changed in measure slightly, both up and down, over the years, but I am guessing it is due to differences in the skill or technique of the particular ultrasound tech, and the sensitivity of various machines.
Sue

Thanks Jennifer and Sue for your info and care!

@bluesplashgirl Just a little addendum to thyroid care. In 2020 I had a thyroidectomy, (25 years post radiated thyroid for large nodule- dr. suggested to go ahead and remove...I was tired of having biopsies yearly that came back "unsure".) Started on azithromycin, ethambutol, and rifampin in december and just go TSH levels back that were very high. Slowly going up on synthroid dose, my pcp is checking labs every 6 weeks.