Thyroid Cyst Treatment

[GFinDC]

Hi all,

I have had a thyroid cyst on the front of my throat for the last 3.5 years. It developed over the course of a month and grew to the size of a small tree frog right smack dab in the middle of my throat where the adam's apple is. I had it biopsied by FNA (fine needle aspiration) and there was no problem, just a fluid filled cyst. My thyroid specialist wanted to do do a thyroidectomy back then but I decided to wait and see if the gluten-free diet would help it. It actually was one of the symptoms that led to my sister figuring out I probably had celiac disease.

My thyroid doctor wanted to remove the whole thyroid due to the cyst on the bridge between the 2 thyroid lobes. I thot that was kind of extreme. Anyhow he said that was the only treatment. My company changed health insurance and so I changed doctors this year.

Well,it hasn't gotten smaller on the gluten-free diet and in fact has grown. Got to be more the size of large toad really. My new doctor, an endocrinologist suggested a different approach. He offered to inject the cyst with alcohol to kill off some of the cells producing fluid. He said this works in about 50% of cases. Anyway, I had that done this week and am waiting to see how it works out.

I thot I would share in case other people have cysts and wanted to know about an alternative to surgery.

[georgie]

You may like to research Iodine and Cysts. I know that many have used Iodine supplements to get rid of ovarian cysts. Iodine is not good for DH, but have a bit of think about it. I use Lugols Iodine, but there are tablets called Iodoral as well. Some use up to 50mg for a start of the treatment. There are yahoo groups that have more info .... Open Original Shared Link and Open Original Shared Link Are your Thyroid levels OK ? The TSH , FREE T4 and FREE T3, and Thyroid Antibodies ?

[harp1]

i have had a related concern with my parathyroid - levels got on the high side. Different organ, organs. I was told by the doc to drink alot of water before taking the blood test again - that would bring the levels down. Also the surgery to remove the nodes appears to not be very effective now. So they're less likely to do surgery. In case some one is interested/ Susam

[GFinDC]

Hi Georgie,

Thanks, that is interesting about the iodine Georgie. I will look into it. I am not anxious to take large amount of iodine, but maybe a small amount extra wouldn't hurt. I did see where the amount of vitamin D that people require has been called into question recently, so maybe the RDA for iodine is low too.

Hi Susan Harp1,

My doc said they usually leave the parathyroid glands when removing the thyroid. He said that was not a problem these days. Seems strange to tell you to drink water before the tests if it affects the results. Maybe they thought you were de-hydrated last time? It seems like they would want you to be in a your normal everyday state for the tests is all. So they could get results from your normal operating state as it were. For myself I try not to take any vitamins or whatnot the day of a blood test so they can see what things are normally like in my system, rather than getting a "juiced" reading ya know!

Well, I guess I will know in about a month if this procedure worked or not. It takes a while for the cyst to fill back up with fluid. If it doesns't work I will probably do the thyroidectomy this year. The darn thing is right on top my carotid artery and that seems like a bad place to put the squeeze on.

[Lovey25]

Hi all,

I have had a thyroid cyst on the front of my throat for the last 3.5 years. It developed over the course of a month and grew to the size of a small tree frog right smack dab in the middle of my throat where the adam's apple is. I had it biopsied by FNA (fine needle aspiration) and there was no problem, just a fluid filled cyst. My thyroid specialist wanted to do do a thyroidectomy back then but I decided to wait and see if the gluten-free diet would help it. It actually was one of the symptoms that led to my sister figuring out I probably had celiac disease.

My thyroid doctor wanted to remove the whole thyroid due to the cyst on the bridge between the 2 thyroid lobes. I thot that was kind of extreme. Anyhow he said that was the only treatment. My company changed health insurance and so I changed doctors this year.

Well,it hasn't gotten smaller on the gluten-free diet and in fact has grown. Got to be more the size of large toad really. My new doctor, an endocrinologist suggested a different approach. He offered to inject the cyst with alcohol to kill off some of the cells producing fluid. He said this works in about 50% of cases. Anyway, I had that done this week and am waiting to see how it works out.

I thot I would share in case other people have cysts and wanted to know about an alternative to surgery.

Hi there!

I have Hashimoto's too (oh how I hate it! ), but no nodule/cyst to date. (Thank God).

I'm just wondering if you do an anti-Candida diet as well as the gluten-free. I see by your signature that you're not eating yeast, but there are many other things to avoid on an anti-Candida diet. I do both diets and they really go hand-in-hand for alot of people with autoimmune disease. I know that alot of natural health advocates who are experts on Candida believe that cancer is caused by Candida, and so I guess, using that same line of thought, perhaps Candida can cause the inflammation of the nodule you have. I'm just thinking out loud here... I'm not saying this is necessarily true, but the overgrowth of yeasts in the system can cause inflammation as well. Since our immune systems are down, yeasts tend to multiply out of control. Don't take this as 100% fact, but I'm just throwing it out there... maybe it will make sense for your situation.

Even if this nodule could never be cured with an anti-Candida diet, it would still do you alot of good to get on it!

[debmidge]

Please clarify: cyst or nodule?

[GFinDC]

Hi there!

I have Hashimoto's too (oh how I hate it! ), but no nodule/cyst to date. (Thank God).

I'm just wondering if you do an anti-Candida diet as well as the gluten-free. I see by your signature that you're not eating yeast, but there are many other things to avoid on an anti-Candida diet. I do both diets and they really go hand-in-hand for alot of people with autoimmune disease. I know that alot of natural health advocates who are experts on Candida believe that cancer is caused by Candida, and so I guess, using that same line of thought, perhaps Candida can cause the inflammation of the nodule you have. I'm just thinking out loud here... I'm not saying this is necessarily true, but the overgrowth of yeasts in the system can cause inflammation as well. Since our immune systems are down, yeasts tend to multiply out of control. Don't take this as 100% fact, but I'm just throwing it out there... maybe it will make sense for your situation.

Even if this nodule could never be cured with an anti-Candida diet, it would still do you alot of good to get on it!

Hi Lovey,

My endo says my thyroid levels are fine as of my most recent tests 5 months ago. So maybe I am ok there. I am not on the candida diet although my sister had a book on it and I read through it some. I am feeling a lot betterr since going on a home made diet of mostly rice, quinoa, veggies, fruit and dead critters. I don't do dairy or wine. Not much sugar or salt or fat except for olive oil too. Regular black tea and not the fruity flowery kinds also, since I have hayfever. Lately I have been making candy since I went home for the holidays and got interested in it. I have a feeling the anti-candida diet wouldn't fit in with making candy... I also eat peanuts and that dreaded peanut butter stuff, which I understand is another no-no. I do think there is something to the candida/yeast idea. And so I try to not eat any sugar for 2 days in a row. I skip at least a day on it. I figure that might help keep the yeastie buggers from getting too engrained if they aren't constantly getting yummy sugar to eat every day. My biggest health improvement lately was getting off the HCTZ hydroclorathiazide I was taking for hypertension. That stuff is nasty! That and cutting out most salt has helped a lot.

[GFinDC]

Please clarify: cyst or nodule?

Hi Debmidge,

I have both a cyst and a nodule. The cyst is on the buttterfly body of the thyroid (isthmus), right in front of the throat where the adam's apple is. I also have a calcified nodule. The alcohol treatment is for the cyst only, not the nodule. At least that's my understanding. I've had MRI with contrast a couple times and am beginning to think that is the cause of the cyst and nodule. So far the treatment seems to be working, as the cyst hasn't grown noticeably in size.

[debmidge]

I had a nodule & dr. said that when biopsy of thyroid is done, they sometimes don't get the diseased tissue & end up biopsying healthy tissue & the patient gets a false negative -- so they just took the half of the throid that had the nodule and now I take thyroid supplements for the rest of my life to reduce chance of growing new nodules.

[GFinDC]

My doc said my nodule was too small to biopsy at the moment. I guess that's a good thing. I hope to avoid the surgery, but if that's the way it ends up I guess I will be taking the thyroid meds too. I'd like to get them to leave some of the thyroid, but the docs are resistant to that idea for some reason. I think they have a big thyroid collecting hobby really. Just kidding! :-)

[Littlem]

Hi Georgie,

Thanks, that is interesting about the iodine Georgie. I will look into it. I am not anxious to take large amount of iodine, but maybe a small amount extra wouldn't hurt. I did see where the amount of vitamin D that people require has been called into question recently, so maybe the RDA for iodine is low too.

Hi Susan Harp1,

My doc said they usually leave the parathyroid glands when removing the thyroid. He said that was not a problem these days. Seems strange to tell you to drink water before the tests if it affects the results. Maybe they thought you were de-hydrated last time? It seems like they would want you to be in a your normal everyday state for the tests is all. So they could get results from your normal operating state as it were. For myself I try not to take any vitamins or whatnot the day of a blood test so they can see what things are normally like in my system, rather than getting a "juiced" reading ya know!

Well, I guess I will know in about a month if this procedure worked or not. It takes a while for the cyst to fill back up with fluid. If it doesns't work I will probably do the thyroidectomy this year. The darn thing is right on top my carotid artery and that seems like a bad place to put the squeeze on.

Hello All,

I am new to this board and issue. Well I have actually been dealing with cysts on my thyroid for over a year now. I had a biopsy done on them and they said they are benign. That is good, but the one on my right side (of my thyroid) is growing right next to my carotid artery (as user above). My thyroid is functioning normally, but my right side of my neck seems like it is getting puffy. I have an appointment to see and endo at the end of the month, but I am wondering if there is anything out there to reduce cysts without having to have my thyroid taken out. All I know is that my anxiety attacks are getting really really bad, and I am so stressed out over all of this. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

[georgie]

Check out www.parathyroid.com re your neck swelling... You will find anxiety is a symptoms of parathyroidism.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs310.ash2/58990_114296981959771_100001384097697_111590_8267737_n.webp

New developments in thyroid and parathyroid surgery are coming up. Ultrasound !!

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Complete thyroid replacement - with TSH to near zero - shut down my thyroid and nodules...

Hello All,

I am new to this board and issue. Well I have actually been dealing with cysts on my thyroid for over a year now. I had a biopsy done on them and they said they are benign. That is good, but the one on my right side (of my thyroid) is growing right next to my carotid artery (as user above). My thyroid is functioning normally, but my right side of my neck seems like it is getting puffy. I have an appointment to see and endo at the end of the month, but I am wondering if there is anything out there to reduce cysts without having to have my thyroid taken out. All I know is that my anxiety attacks are getting really really bad, and I am so stressed out over all of this. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

[GFinDC]

@LittleM

Hey LittleM, anxiety can be caused by lots of things. Hyperthyroidism is one. Too much thyroid hormone running around your system can cause increased heat rate and excitability etc. Sometimes flushed, redness in the face, short temper, nervousness, heart palpitations, all are possible in any combination.

There is a condition known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is another auto-immune disease like celiac is. Hashimoto's is when your body makes anti-bodies to the thyroid gland, and slowly destroys it. That can cause swelling in the throat, and increased thyroid hormone release due to the damage. Eventually if not stopped, the thyroid is completely destroyed and the person ends up hypo-thyroid, low on thyroid hormone.

Hashimoto's is one of the many auto-immune diseases that celiacs get more often than other people do. There is some chance that if you are celiac and go on the gluten free diet, your Hashimoto's symptoms will reduce. But no guarantee.

As far as the cyst goes, I have a fluid filled cyst on my thryoid, as well as a couple of nodules. The cyst was treated with alcohol and is much smaller than before, but hasn't completely gone away.

The nodules are not nessecarily a problem,as over 90% are benign growths, and most people develop them as they get older.