I was diagnosed with a Substernal Goiter, Im supposed to have surgery soon?

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I was diagnosed with a Substernal Goiter, Im supposed to have surgery soon within the next couple of days I want to know if surgery is the only option and if I need to remove both my glands since only the left one is enlarged, is there a treatment to avoid my right gland to swell as well? I just dont want to remove a healthy gland for no reason except it will possibly grow in the future
A Sub-sternal goiter is when a thyroid will grow downward rather than up and out within the neck. When this happens, the thyroid will grow down the trachea into the chest. This can become an even bigger problem since the chest is surrounded by a very rigid bone structure (the chest cavity). The top of the chest cavity is made up of the spinal column in the back, the first and second ribs on the sides, and the collar bones (clavicles) and breast bone (sternum) in the front. When a thyroid gets enlarged within this rigid bony structure, it will compress those structures which are soft such as the trachea, lungs, and blood vessels (the bones will not give way). This is what makes sub-sternal thyroids a special case which deserve special attention. I had my thyroid removed 5 years ago and am doing very well on synthroid. If your doctor feels that it is better to remove the entire gland then I would not argue.  (+ info)

Is it possible to have a substernal goiter that you -?

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-cant see visually. I seem to have the symtons of a substernal goiter, but don't notice any real thyroid swelling?
absolutely- if it's substernal, you won't be able to see it because it's hidden under your breastbone- that's your sternum. you may have symptoms such as difficulty breathing (from the mass inmpinging on your windpipe) or difficulty swallowing (impingement on esophagus) or even low blood pressure from the mass impeding cardiac output.  (+ info)

How long does it take to develop a goiter?

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I was recently diagnosed with an autoimmune disease which resulted in a goiter (Hashimoto's Disease). Does anyone know how long it would have taken for it to develop after being infected with an autoimmune disorder? My thyroid is 2-3 times larger than the normal size. How long has my goiter been developing? Months? Years?
Please, help. Thanks to everyone who answers.

I would reallllllllyyyyyyyyyyy like to know!
I had a goiter for about 5 years,from what i remembered my neck started swelling uop from nowhere when i was out with my friend and then it went down on its own again. However before the swelling i noticed major changes in my mood and craving for alot of food. I thought nothing of it...and a couple of weeks later the goiter finally formed and it was huge.long story short i controlled it with medicine and radioactiive but neither worked as my body threw out the radioactive. so ten days ago i finally decided to have surgery and removed my entire thyroid because i simply could not control it with mediciation anymore and taking herbs and natural remedies did not work for me either. i feel great after the surgery,my heart is not longer pounding,no more breaking out in hives etc. I found an excellent surgeon who did not destroy my voice and my calcium levels were a little low after the operation but its back to normal now. however if u get save ur thyroid n radioactive works for u,then great,surgery should be your last option for graves disease.  (+ info)

What are the risks if a woman having an active toxic goiter will undergo a Cesarean operation?

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my wife is having an active toxic goiter and she is on her 5th month of her pregnancy now. Her doctor told her she has to undergo cesarean delivery because of her goiter. On the other hand, the doctor told her that her recovery after the operation will be difficult also due to the same condition.
Nobody should go through pregnancy with an "active toxic goiter". So your question is moot. Get your wife treatment for her health problems! She need to be on PTU, pronto.
  (+ info)

How can I prevent goiter or hypothyroidism if I have an iodine allergy?

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I suffered two anaphylactic shocks in the past 13 months due to consumption of foods that contained iodine. I don't want to develop a large neck (due to goiter or hypothyroidism), so how can I stay healthy with an iodine allergy?
That is a question that you should take to your Physician, or go to the Health Food store and ask for their recommendation. There are also Nutritionist that should be able to direct you, to what may be available for you instead the Iodine. I am just trying to be helpful, and wonder if you are aware that there is a white
iodine, and that perhaps you may be able to tolerate, better that the regular brown iodine. I wish you the best, by finding a specialist that treats Thyroid disease  (+ info)

What kind of treatment can I get for a Goiter when I am allergic to iodine and donot want surgery?

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OK... I was just (5 minutes ago) diagnosed with Goiter (enlarged thyroid). I have had the blood work and ultrasound so it is definitly the problem. I have read up on it when I was warned it may be problem but I cannot find anything about treatment for someone who is ALLERGIC to IODINE. I can have it in very small amounts (I can eat seafood a couple times a month spread out) but if I have large doses or even cook with it daily my throat swells, I get hives and have breathing difficulties. Once I passed out after I ate too much seafood and my airways were blocked because of the reaction and and I had to be admitted to the hospital because of it. I would prefer a natural remedy but I am open to all suggestions and information. Thank You.
I was told by a nurse from the clinic I went to. I have no insurance at my job, so I have been refered to the local Charity Hospital Surgery Center and they can take a month or more to get back to me. I have a friend that used to work there and it is not the place I would want to be. They have been known to perform proceedures that were unnecessary.
I am a registered nurse, that knows of a natural supplment for thyroid disorder. It REALLY works. contact me [email protected]  (+ info)

Can a goiter grow back after being removed?

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I had one side of my thyroid surgically removed along with the goiter growing on that side. How likely is the other thyroid to develop a goiter now that it is working all by itself? How can I prevent a goiter from recurring?
The most common cause for goitre in the world is iodine deficiency (E01); this condition is commonly called endemic goitre. It is curable by mass food-supplementation with iodine (in the form of iodide or iodate), and today remains a problem only in the least affluent countries which lack economic resources to fortify foods with iodine as part of public health programs.

You must identify how and why you got a Goitre

A "diffuse goitre" is a goitre that has spread through all of the thyroid (and is contrasted with a "simple goitre", "single thyroid nodule" and "multinodular goitre").
"Toxic goitre" refers to goitre with hyperthyroidism. These are derived from inflammation, neoplasm, and some kinds of activating autoimmune disease (Graves' disease).
"Nontoxic goitre" (associated with normal or low thyroid levels) refers to all other types (such as that caused by lithium or certain other autoimmune diseases).

Other causes are:

Hashimoto's thyroiditis
Graves-Basedow disease
Juvenile goitre due to congenital hypothyroidism
Neoplasm of the thyroid
Thyroiditis (acute, chronic)
Side-effects of pharmacological therapy

Iodine is necessary for the synthesis of the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine and thyroxine (T3 and T4). In conditions producing endemic goitre, when iodine is not available, these hormones cannot be made. In response to low thyroid hormones, the pituitary gland releases thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Thyroid stimulating hormone acts to increase synthesis of T3 and T4, but in excess it also causes the thyroid gland to grow in size as a type of compensation.

Goitre is more common among women, but this includes the many types of goitre caused by autoimmune problems, and not only those caused by simple lack of iodine.  (+ info)

Because of a goiter I cannot eat much fish,iodine is the problem. What food fish has the lowest iodine level?

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Because I have a goiter I became ill after eating salmon. I am trying to find out what food fish has the lowest iodine level so I can see about adding it to my now fat and sodium restricted diet. Had a severe attack of pancreatic disease with level higher than anyone at my local hospital had ever seen. Also, could use help designing a fat reduced diet. Janet
YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO EAT ANY FISH FOR A LOW IODINE DIET
BECAUSE THE LEVELS ARE NOT KNOWN...
http://216.109.125.130/search/cache?p=FISH+WITH+LOW+IODINE+LEVELS&prssweb=Search&ei=UTF-8&fr=sbc-web&x=wrt&u=www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/patient_education/pepubs/lowio.pdf&w=fish+low+iodine+levels&d=NdmLZUaqMy3Y&icp=1&.intl=us  (+ info)

How can I tell if I am growing a goiter?

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A nurse friend of mine said the swelling on my neck looks like that of a goiter growing. How can I tell? What are the usual signs? I will go to the doctor soon but does anyone have any thoughts on this?
The thyroid neck check self exam advised by AACE(2002) can be helpful to detect the goiter. In short, if you have mass on the neck which is prominent when you tilt your head back and is moving up when you are swallowing, then the thyroid swelling is indicated and this needs to be evaluated by the doctor  (+ info)

how can goiter affects a fetus or a baby inside a pregnant mother with goiter?

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how can goiter affects a fetus or a baby inside a pregnant mother with goiter?

I'm a nursing student.. i have to research on the present and past illness and related illness of my patient!

help me!
i developed a goiter during pregnancy. at 2mths pregnant. no doc ever checked my neck or my thyroid. during my whole pregnancy i had graves disease. my son came out completely healthy. but, i could of passed the graves to him. Hyperthyroid. now im 7 wks pregnant and hypo cause of the Radioactive treatment i received a yr ago. my goiter is almost completely gone. but, you can be hypo and have a goiter like my sis in law. with hypothyroid, you can have the meds regulated everytime you go to the doc by a blood test. with hyperthyroid however, you can be checked out, but really cant do much because the meds can go to the fetus. but my goiter didnt affect my pregnancy or my son. but in nc, where he was born, its required my law to get the newborns thyroid levels checked. so immediately after being born, he was tested. but, if the goiter is affecting the mother, rarely, but could happen, they will remove the goiter while pregnant. hope that helped.  (+ info)

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