Follow up on Thyroid ultrasound in one year?!

Posted by sjorgie @sjorgie, Sep 2 5:20pm

Background (all in 2025) August 18th PET scan from neck to mid thighs for an incidental lung nodule found in ER visit from July 25.

Lung nodule had mild uptake BUT another incidental finding was that my thyroid lit up
The left side has a 1.7cm nodule measurement.
Thyroid Ultrasound on 8/25 - ACR TI-RADS risk category: TR4 (4-6 points and the same risk assessment on left.
These results came in on the 29th.

My primary Dr said the Endocrinologist recommended to wait one year and then rescan. No other info given. I replied to my Dr that I wasn’t comfortable waiting and that more than one study (I sent link) suggested that thyroid nodules over 1 cm should have a biopsy. When the PET scan results are included, the suggestion for biopsy was unequivocally to biopsy.

The endocrinologist has been sent my request again so here I wait. I am scared and frustrated with the situation. I belong to Northern CA Kaiser and have done my share of advocating for myself and family members. I know I’m not a Dr, but I saw absolutely nothing that indicated this is an Active Surveillance condition.

Feed back? Research that maybe shows something I’m not finding?
Thank you

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coffeeplease | @coffeeplease | Oct 13 11:04pm

I agree with you. Be pushy advocate for your health. This may mean that you have to start using the patient portal to message your both your primary and the endrocrinologist a targeted message requesting follow-up with biopsy.
Sometimes the problem is that you do not have a referral endrocrinologist in your network - only the consult from the ER visit.
So ask - what do you need to do? Do you need to get a referral to Endrocrinologist to do eval and consult? If so then this should be a PRIORITY / URGENT appointment referencing the ER and imaging.
If you can - look at the reviews and backgrounds of the Endrocrinologists in your network and choose one that YOU think would be good fit. Yes you can ALWAYS ask for a particular specialist.
Hoping this helps

coffeeplease | @coffeeplease | Oct 13 11:14pm

Just additional thought-
So your primary is just reading the ER report from the consulting ER endrocrinologist? Meaning you never met this Doctor - he just reviewed your imaging and issued a report?
Then you can ask for a SECOND OPINION eval and consult from a other endrocrinologist.
Here in CA I think there now a guideline or even law that gives you the right to a second opinion - and it must be authorized and scheduled within - 3 weeks? Maybe less

Now that doesn't mean the Endrocrinologist will be available as soon as that but you will be scheduled for appointment

mmm123 | @mmm123 | Oct 14 9:11am

Because you may not be able to get a timely appointment with the endocrinologist you select, most have nurse practitioners that you can see sooner. The NP can order a thyroid ultrasound for you and then fast track the results to get a quick appointment with the endocrinologist you select. That’s how my husband got fast tracked to his endocrinologist.