to see about my thyroid. Tests came back normal. Can you get a goiter when your thyroid is normal? He is now going to treat it with prednisone as if it was an infection. If that doesnt go away in two weeeks he will take more tests. Any opinions? Ive had this lump for about 2 months now. IM confused. Help.
2007-02-01 05:08:42 · 3 answers · asked by yournotalone 6 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Other - Diseases
your are right he did say inflammation, not infection. sorry.. thanks for the correction.
2007-02-01 06:05:51 · update #1
Goiter can occur even with normal TSH levels. It is a swelling of the thyroid gland (thyroiditis), which technically IS an infection. That's probably why the doctor's trying prednisone first, to see if the swelling goes down, although in my experience, a goiter can't be cured, it can only be kept from getting bigger.
If the swelling doesn't go down, he'll probably do a thyroid ultrasound, and maybe a thyroid scan to see what the cause of the goiter is. If your doctor isn't an "endocrinologist" I would suggest you ask him to refer you or go to one on your own. The thyroid gland is part of a very complex system and an endocrinologist specializes in this.
2007-02-01 05:27:25 · answer #1 · answered by LolaCorolla 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Goiter just means enlarged thyroid. If you have had blood work, your TSH levels, done and they are normal it is safe to assume it is not enlarged from that. Meantime he has you on prednisone to see if the enlargement is from inflammation or swelling and will go down with this treatment. It could be infected but prednisone is not prescribed for infection but for inflammation. You need to continue with this doctor to resolve this problem.
2007-02-01 05:38:25 · answer #2 · answered by Tulip 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, you can get a goiter (which is an enlarged thyroid) when you have hypo- or hyperthyroidism, or sometimes when your own antibodies fight your own thyroid (called an autoimmune disease). this happens a lot in younger women (it happened to my sister) and is pretty transient (not permanent). other causes of a goiter include a thyroid tumor or an overactive thyroid.
2007-02-01 05:19:54 · answer #3 · answered by frazzlesnap 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋