Thyroid Surgeons And Doctors At The Surgical Clinic
If you and your doctor decide that surgery is the treatment you need. Come visit The Surgical Clinic. We have many providers in Tennessee who can give you the care you need. All of our board-certified surgeons are highly trained individuals and have many years of experience.
356 24th Ave. North | Suite 400 | Nashville, TN 37203TEL 615.329.7887 FAX 615.340.4537
FOOT & ANKLE SPECIALISTS OF NASHVILLE4230 Harding Pike | Suite 202 | Nashville, TN 37205TEL 615.662.6676 FAX 615.662.8371
300 20th Ave. North | Suite 301 | Nashville, TN 37203TEL 615.284.2400 FAX 615.284.4644
4230 Harding Pike | Suite 525 | Nashville, TN 37205TEL 615.385.1547 FAX 615.297.9161
3443 Dickerson Pike | Suite 600 | Nashville, TN 37207TEL 615.865.0700 FAX 615.865.0701
4322 Harding Pike | Suite 326 | Nashville, TN 37205TEL 615.620.7800 FAX 615.620.7805
397 Wallace Rd. | Suite 301 | Nashville, TN 37211TEL 615.425.0550 FAX 615.833.8287
4535 Harding Pike | Suite 304 | Nashville, TN 37205TEL 615.269.9007 FAX 615.269.3448
356 24th Ave. North | Suite 300 | Nashville, TN 37203TEL 615.301.5264 FAX 615.340.4537
85 White Bridge Rd | 2nd Floor | Nashville, TN 37205TEL 615.938.7545 FAX 615.938.7546
When To See A Doctor
If youre taking levothyroxine and begin to experience the symptoms of a Hashimotos flare-up, make an appointment with your doctor. They may need to adjust your dosage.
Your doctor can test your levels of thyroid hormone to make sure youre getting what you need from your current dosage of levothyroxine. They can then use the test results to decide if they need to adjust your dosage.
Sometimes you may be taking the proper dose of levothyroxine but still experiencing symptoms. In this case, something else may be causing your symptoms. Your doctor can work with you to determine what this may be.
Take Your Thyroid Replacement Medication Consistently
Thyroid hormone replacement medication helps most people with an underactive thyroid feel less fatigued. Even those with severe cases of hypothyroidism usually get some relief from symptoms within six months of starting treatment, according to Dr. Hoffman. Its important to take your thyroid medication as prescribed. That means taking it at the same time and in the same way every day. You should take your medication on an empty stomach and wait at least 30 minutes to one hour before eating. According to the American Thyroid Association, the best time to take your medication is first thing in the morning. If you take other prescriptions or supplements, talk to your doctor about how to time these with your thyroid medication.
If you happen to be among the group that continues to feel fatigued despite meeting TSH goals, Hoffman suggests adjustments to include both the T3 and T4 hormones in your medication plan. “This is a practice thats increasingly accepted,” he says. Talk with your primary care doctor or endocrinologist about trying this approach if you haven’t been getting good results from your current medication plan.
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Lab Testing For Your Thyroid
Looking at your thyroid gland via imaging doesn’t usually give you any information about the FUNCTION of the thyroid gland.
The function of your thyroid gland is very important because it relates to how well your thyroid is able to produce thyroid hormone.
Any change to the ability of your gland to produce thyroid hormone will result in very specific symptoms that are too big to be ignored and these symptoms will often drive people into the Doctors office for evaluation.
Fortunately, many conditions that result in thyroid gland enlargement usually do not interfere with thyroid hormone production.
Some conditions, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, cause both thyroid gland enlargement AND thyroid hormone issues.
Because of this each and every patient with a known or suspected thyroid gland issue should undergo thyroid function testing with blood tests.
To test your thyroid function you will need the following tests:
- TSH – This will help you understand if your brain is talking to your thyroid gland.
- Free T3 – This is the most important thyroid hormone in your body and is responsible for the majority of thyroid cellular activity/
- Free T4 – This is the most abundant thyroid hormone in your body and is important because it acts as a reservoir for T3 thyroid hormone.
- Thyroid Antibodies – The presence or absence of thyroid antibodies can help you understand if you have an autoimmune disease or if your body is attacking your own thyroid gland.
How Can I Check My Thyroid At Home
How to Take the Thyroid Neck CheckHold a handheld mirror in your hand, focusing on the lower front area of your neck, above the collarbones, and below the voice box . While focusing on this area in the mirror, tilt your head back.Take a drink of water while tilting your head back and swallow.More itemsApr 16, 2015
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Signs Your Thyroid Isnt Working Right
by The Surgical Clinic |
The thyroid gland is an important part of the endocrine system. This butterfly-shaped organ regulates important hormones that influence many functions in your body. These hormones also influence how well your body performs physically and mentally. So, if youre feeling unwell with no other explanation, your body might be giving you signs that your thyroid is off.
Keep in mind, your body is a complicated and intricate system that operates on many levels of performance. However, over time many factors can build up and disrupt the balance of your body. Specifically, your systems can become overactive or underactive in order to compensate or respond to these factors.
Thyroid function problems, in particular, occur when the thyroid either becomes under or overused. These conditions are called hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism, respectively. Both of these conditions can cause several problems. In order to explore twenty signs of thyroid problems, our Nashville, TN surgeons have divided them into ten signs for each of these separate conditions.
How Are Hashimotos Flare
Hashimotos thyroiditis that causes hypothyroidism is treated with a medication called levothyroxine. This is a synthetic version of thyroid hormone that helps replace the hormones that your thyroid isnt producing.
The proper dose of levothyroxine is different for everyone. If youre taking the correct dose of levothyroxine, you shouldnt experience a flare-up.
Since a variety of factors can impact your thyroid as well as the effectiveness of levothyroxine, its important to have your thyroid levels checked regularly. These factors include:
- diet
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Sensitive Skin And Skin Discoloration
Thyroid hormones also influence the quality of your skin in a variety of ways. With hyperthyroidism, you may notice itchy and dry patches of skin.
Your face may feel softer and swollen. You may even notice swelling around your fingertips. Other symptoms include darkening of the skin, rashes, lumps, and reddish spots.
Imaging And Evaluating Your Thyroid
One of the best ways to look at your thyroid gland is by imaging it or looking at it via ultrasound .
Ultrasound is a nearly painless procedure which allows radiologists to look at the size, shape, texture and other characteristics of your thyroid gland.
Because the thyroid gland is near to the surface of your skin it can easily be assessed with this type of imaging.
Doctors are often taught that the only way to hurt someone with an ultrasound is by throwing the machine at them.
Ultrasound is very important if you have an enlarged thyroid because it can further help to diagnose what exactly you are dealing with.
For instance:
If you have a single large thyroid nodule, ultrasound can pick up that nodule and give information regarding the size, shape, and consistency of the nodule.
This information can help to determine if the nodule is benign ) or potentially cancerous and also help determine if you need a biopsy.
Other conditions which cause thyroid enlargement may be consistent and make your thyroid look “irregularly inconsistent” throughout the entire gland.
Conditions which cause this type of pattern tend to result in inflammation of the entire gland or may be caused by nutrient deficiencies such as iodine deficiency.
In addition to ultrasound testing, there are other ways to check your thyroid gland such as uptake tests or CT scans .
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Seeing A Healthcare Provider For Fatigue
When your chief complaint is fatigue, cancer isn’t likely to be the first thing on your healthcare provider’s mind. Fatigue is related to many other conditions, and your healthcare provider will want to rule out the most common causes first.
This will be accomplished through a physical and routine blood work. Your healthcare provider will likely order a few different blood tests, especially tests to check on your thyroid function.
During your visit, your healthcare provider may ask several questions relating to your quality of life and what factors may contribute to your fatigue. Possible questions include:
- How many hours do you work? Are you stressed at work?
- Have you had any major life changes, such as marriage, birth, or death?
- How often do you exercise?
- Do you sleep well? How much sleep do you get?
- How is your diet?
- Do you have a family history of thyroid disease?
It is important to remember that fatigue is not exclusive to cancer. If you are experiencing fatigue, it may be related to a less serious condition or have a lifestyle cause.
Feeling Chilly Or Overheated
Blood pressure is directly linked to circulation. Low circulation will result in feelings of being chilled. You might find that you are reaching for a sweater when others are feeling just fine. If you are always cold or notice that your hands and feet become particularly chilled when uncovered, you may be experiencing a symptom of hypothyroidism.
Hyperthyroidism might present in the opposite way. This could cause you to feel hot flashes or experience excessive sweating.
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Causes Of An Enlarged Thyroid
Knowing that your thyroid is enlarged is not a diagnosis by itself.
It’s more helpful to think of an enlarged thyroid gland as an observation or as a description of what is happening.
This is because there are actually many different conditions which result in thyroid gland enlargement.
These conditions range from infections, inflammation of the gland, nutrient deficiencies, cancer and even autoimmune disease.
An important part of treating an enlarged thyroid gland is correctly identifying and diagnosing what is happening.
This important step can be done through blood testing and imaging .
The range of medical conditions which can cause thyroid gland enlargement include:
- Thyroid nodules and thyroid cysts
- Thyroiditis caused by inflammation, infection or autoimmune disease
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- Iodine deficiency
These diseases can be differentiated based on how they present , how they affect the size of your thyroid gland , how they look on ultrasound imaging and how they affect thyroid hormone production.
Other Causes Of Hypothyroidism
In some cases, hypothyroidism results from a problem with the pituitary gland, which is at the base of the brain. This gland produces thyroid-stimulating hormone , which tells the thyroid to do its job. If your pituitary gland does not produce enough TSH, levels of thyroid hormones will fall. Other causes of hypothyroidism include temporary inflammation of the thyroid or medications that affect thyroid function.
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Other Causes Of Hyperthyroidism
Hyperthyroidism can also result from thyroid nodules. These are lumps that develop inside the thyroid and sometimes begin producing thyroid hormones. Large lumps may create a noticeable goiter. Smaller lumps can be detected with ultrasound. A thyroid uptake and scan can tell if the lump is producing too much thyroid hormone.
Rachel Hill Thyroid Patient Advocate
Rachel Hill is the highly ranked and multi-award winning thyroid patient advocate, writer, speaker and author behind The Invisible Hypothyroidism. Her thyroid advocacy work includes writing articles, authoring books, producing her Thyroid Family email newsletters and speaking on podcasts, as well as being a founding board member for the American College of Thyroidology. She is well-recognised as a crucial and influential contributor to the thyroid community and has a large social media presence. Her books include “Be Your Own Thyroid Advocate” and “You, Me and Hypothyroidism”.
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Thyroid Nodule Symptom # : A Lump In The Neck That You Can See Or Other People Can See
- What to do about it?
Thyroid nodules that the patient can see, or somebody else can see should almost always be examined by an ultrasound test. Depending on the characteristics of the nodule , the nodule may need a needle biopsy. Almost all thyroid nodules that can be seen should have a FNA thyroid needle biopsy.
Early Warning Signs Of Thyroid Issues
January 11, 2021 by Alissa McMillan
Thyroid issues can be difficult to diagnose on their own. This is due to the fact that they can be mistaken for other health issues such as menopause or cognitive problems. On the other hand, there are early warning signs of thyroid issues that you should be aware of.
7 early warning signs of thyroid issues include:
- Fatigue
- Sensitivity to heat
- Sensitivity to cold
While these symptoms may point to a problem with your thyroid, only a medical professional will be able to confirm it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Our team of board certified physicians are here to help diagnose your thyroid disease and develop a treatment plan that will help restore your health.
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Thyroid Nodule Symptom # : A Lump In The Neck That You Can Feel
- What to do about it?
Thyroid nodules that the patient can feel under the skin, which is confirmed by a doctor should almost always be examined by an ultrasound test. Depending on the characteristics of the nodule , the nodule may need a needle biopsy. We have an entire section of this website on thyroid needle biopsies.
Thyroid Nodule Symptom # : A Sense That You Need To Swallow Something
- What to do about it?
Like all thyroid nodules that cause symptoms, these patients need a thyroid ultrasound to look at the size, location, and characteristics of the thyroid, how many nodules are present, and where they are located. Often thyroid glands that are big won’t have any ultrasound characteristics that are worrisome for cancer, so most of theses do not need a FNA thyroid needle biopsy. Thus big thyroids comprised of lots of nodules often don’t need a biopsy, which is in direct contrast to nodules that are single, or those that can be seen or felt . However, if a thyroid is big enough that it is causing the patient to be aware of it, and it is causing symptoms of something stuck in the throat, then surgery is probably necessary. Remember, thyroid surgery isn’t just for nodules that we think may be thyroid cancer, surgery is often necessary for benign, non-cancerous thyroid glands which are large and causing the patient symptoms. This situation is quite common. It is also important to know that large thyroid goiters, and nodules that are on the back side of the thyroid are often required to have a CAT scan, since these bigger thyroid glands are not seen as well with ultrasound. This is why you need a good endocrinologist who know which scan to order and which scans are not necessary. Remember, a large thyroid is called a goiter and we have an entire page on thyroid goiters.
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Does An Enlarged Thyroid Cause Symptoms
Anatomical changes to your thyroid, such as changes to the size or shape of your thyroid, are most often found incidentally.
Patients are often quite surprised that they even have a thyroid issue until they are notified by their physician during a routine exam.
Problems which cause changes in the shape and size of thyroid usually do NOT cause problems with the production of thyroid hormone.
This is important because the symptoms associated with dysregulated thyroid hormone production are often profound and easy to identify.
Instead, disorders to the shape and size usually are asymptomatic.
What this means is that they do NOT cause any symptoms.
Now, this isn’t true for all disorders because there are always exceptions.
These issues might present as problems swallowing, changes to your vocal cords or a change in your voice, or a bulge that is noticeable in your neck.
Occasionally, if your enlarged thyroid is due to swelling or inflammation, then you might also experience pain when touching your neck.
Some conditions which result in an enlargement of your thyroid gland are reversible and may go away on their own while others may persist and cause permanent thyroid damage .
Hopefully, you’re beginning to understand that in order to really understand what is happening with your thyroid gland you will need further evaluation.
Relief Is Here At Last
As expected, Ginas Free T3 was one of the lowest levels I had ever seen. Her diagnosis was untreated thyroid disease. When I showed her the results on her lab test, she began to crytears of anger that no one over the course of five years had figured out her problemand tears of relief that finally she could feel better.
We started Gina on a low dose of Armour Thyroid while further evaluating probable causes of low thyroid function. Within the first month her energy improved, and she no longer needed to wear a wool coat to keep warm. Eventually, her brain worked better, and she was even able to go back to school for retraining. Gina knew that she would enjoy her retirement.
If you are experiencing unusual fatigue, coldness or have unexpected weight changes no matter how hard you try to eat properly, you may need a proper thyroid evaluation by a Thyroid Specialist at the Sklar Center. Give us a call today at 562-596-5196 to request a consultation.
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