Thyroxin for benign nodule on thyroid (goiter) ??????

Question

My swelling is on the right side of neck on the front ,it is for almost 6 months .Upon scanning the image interpretation found was " scan shows thyroid gland in its normal anatomical position .Left lobe appers normal in size with homogenous tracer uptake .A COLD NODULE IS SEEN INVOLVING RIGHT LOBE OF THE THYROID ".... so doctor asked for FNAC of thyroid which resulted in "BENIGN PATHOLOGY SUGGESTIVE OF GOITRE".

My T4 = 1.26 ng/dl and normal range (0.89 --- 1.79)
My T3 = 1.69 ng/ml and normal range (1.62 ---- 3.77)
My TSH = 3.48 uIU/ml and normal range(0.17 --- 4.05)
All of these are well within the limit

Obviously i m a patient of goiter, here one of the doctor is asking me to take thyroxin and the other one is advising me to get it operated , so is it advisable to take thyroxin as my t4, t3 and tsh is well within the limit .Plz advise i would become (hyper/hypo)-thyroidism ,and do u think nodules get shrink by using thyroxin
?, kinldy advice or share ur experience

Answer 1

That TSH is high. The experts are now recommending below 2.5.

Some things to consider.

A cold benign does have a higher chance of becoming malignant. So surgery might help.

Surgery is an option...usually your last option. If you have the option to do other things to try to fix the problem, take that option first.

Here is a link to a site that shows other ways to help manage thyroid conditions along with medication.

Answer 2

TSH is what causes a thyroid gland to grow. In your case, the TSH is high, even though its within the normal range, so that's likely the cause for the goiter. Normally, when the thyroid glands increases in size, it also increases the output of T3 & T4, but in your case, the size of the gland is not affecting production. Given this situation, what needs to be done is to reduce TSH so the thyroid stops growing. High levels of T3 inhibit release of TSH. So, you need to increase levels of T3, which will be done by taking thyroxin.

Removing the excess gland tissue only has cosmetic effects (unless you have trouble swallowing or talking), and you would probably need to take thyroxin to inhibit TSH production. With surgical removal only, the TSH problem would still exist, and the goiter would eventually grow back. The thyroid probably won't shrink for the thyroxin. Surgery is needed if the size of the goiter is causing a problem or if the docs believe the goiter creates a risk of tumors.