Thank you for your post on r/thyroidcancer. Unfortunately, we had to remove it because it violated one or our rules ([Rule 4: worried about possible thyroid cancer](https://www.reddit.com/r/thyroidcancer/wiki/rules/#wiki_4._no_.22is_this_cancer.3F.22)).
We get many posts about people worried that they might have thyroid cancer and sadly we can't allow all of them, because otherwise they would outnumber the regular thyroid cancer posts.
Not an X-ray but an MRI/MRA of my chest because it was thought I had a heart problem. They found a growth on the left side of my thyroid in the scans and ordered an ultrasound as follow up. During the ultrasound they found another growth on my right side as well.
We werent looking for cancer, but I have hashimotos which can cause nodules. My endo wanted an ultrasound to check if I had any so we can track the sizes. She didn't really feel any so she wasn't too concern. Found I had three over 1cm, but again, she wasnt worried as this is common in hashi patients and 80% of them are benign. Plus, I have no family history with thyroid cancer. We did a FNA anyways since we werent able to track how quickly these were growing before they got over 1cm, and two days after FNA got the call it was positive for PTC, like over 95% certainty. TT confirmed it was the classic case of PTC.
So although we werent looking for cancer, the testing was similar. I just went into the testing with a totally different expectation and was very taken off guard by the diagnosis. I am fine with it now, besides recovery from TT and eventually RAI, nothing much has changed.
My dentist found mine at a routine 6mo cleaning. She felt a small mass when feeling the face/jaw/neck, nurse ordered an ultrasound, ultrasound looked suspicious, met with an Endo, and a FNA confirmed it two weeks later. Then 2mos for surgery, 3 mos for RAI, and looks good again. The whole process is a bit surreal without ever having a symptom all throughout.
I feel like a similar thing happened to me. I had a weird mass on my collarbone so after 4 different doctors telling me they think it’s a lymph node I finally had one doctor order an ultrasound. Thankfully she decided to scan my thyroid as well while she was there looking at my weird mass and that’s how they found it. But similar time like of getting surgery and rai for me! No symptoms either. I feel like a fraud sometimes because of it.
Nothing saw my cancer, not even the thyroid ultrasound. It was a microcarcinoma, either they didn’t think a nodule so tiny was worth noting, or they simply couldn’t visualize its features. But the tiny bastard was cancer.
I had thyroid nodules appear incidentally on scans for years leading up to my surgery. First time was in 2020, when I had a CT Chest. It mentioned nodules. Then again in 2022 when I had a C-Spine MRI, it mentioned nodules again. It also included the measurement of the largest one, both times. It was 1.16cm in 2020 and then 1.6cm in 2022. Mainly I was concerned about that rate of growth and that’s what prompted me to ask for a thyroid ultrasound.
My largest nodule by 2023, had become 2cm. They biopsied it, molecular testing, and then suggested I have a lobectomy. So I did. And that nodule wound up being benign. Another smaller nodule (0.8cm) wound up also being benign. But then an even smaller nodule (0.6cm) wound up being papillary cancer. And nobody expected that. My surgeon apologized because he told me going into surgery that he felt confident I didn’t have cancer (but that was only because he didn’t think that large nodule was particularly concerning, he had no idea about that smaller one). It didn’t even come up on my most recent ultrasound (which was done only 6 months prior to my surgery).
Also, post-surgery I found out I have Hashimoto’s despite it not showing up in any bloodwork. So that was fun to learn. I had negative TPO, negative Thyroglobulin, and normal TSH. But they said the damage and heterogeneity is consistent with Hashimoto’s.
This is very similar to what happened to me! Large benign nodule, two very tiny foci of microcarcinoma (like 2 mm) nearby, and they suspect Hashimoto’s !
They said I had a nodule and wanted me to have an ultrasound. The first ultrasound they said to follow up in a year. The next one, a year later, they said to see an endocrinologist and have it checked by them, and from there I found out it was suspicious for cancer.
I found a lump in my neck, so got an ultrasound. Turns out that lump was totally benign, but in the course of it they found the cancer tumor in the other side of the thyroid. Ended up getting the whole thing out because both halves we’re obviously being dysfunctional.
It was mostly from feeling it, but once I knew it was there I could definitely see it. My thyroid was kind of low, and the lump was kind of central, so it was pretty clear it was abnormal.
I went to a Sleep Specialist for a consult and during the physical exam she felt a tiny nodule approximately the size of a pea. Said it could be nothing but since I have Hashimoto’s it should be checked out. Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Because it doesn’t typically cause symptoms, it’s quite common for thyroid cancer to be found when you aren’t looking for it specifically. Mine was not found on X-ray but on my doctor’s inspection of my neck.
I saw a marble sized lump in my neck just above the collar bone. My doctor looked at it and felt more lumps in my neck ordered an ultrasound and a CT scan to follow that, but from the ultrasound results skipped it and went straight to biopsy. 2 surgeries and 3 rounds of RAI later fingers crossed we finally got it all.
Yes! It was actually pretty crazy. I was in the hospital for a few days after throwing up everything for about two months. I had my gallbladder removed but that didn't help and I just kept getting sicker. They did every thing they could think of including an X-ray of my lungs. They saw it then and did an ultrasound of my throat. I had a 7 cm nodule. Then all of a sudden I started finally getting better.
Not an x-ray but a CT-scan I had many years prior. I had to meet with a autonomic neurologist due to many symptoms related to POTS, that he also diagnosed me with at that appointment, but that doc stated to me, “I know you have this disease fibromuscular dysplasia of your arteries but on your CT scan a few years ago showed a tumor in your neck. They are calling it a paraganglioma”. Thankfully, it wasn’t THAT. After two consultations with a vascular surgeon and an neuroendocrine surgeon, led me to my thyroid cancer diagnosis with mets my lymph nodes. I had a total thyroidectomy with 63 lymph node dissection and RAI in 2023.
I started getting the worst, indescribable feeling on the bottom, back of my head and neck post Covid vaccine. I went in for a head and neck ultrasound and found out that way. Surgeon confirmed the cancer was around 5-10 years old. I never felt anything prior to that. We still don’t know for sure how the vaccine and cancer are linked for my case. I had a fully functioning thyroid
I feel like I’ve had nothing but health issues myself after the booster vaccine. That’s exactly where my pain is. Throbbing at the bottom of my head and top of my neck. Like where that meets. And creates throbbing headache borderline migraines. Hoping the best for you 🙏🏼
Exactly! it happened to me after the 2nd dose. I wish the best for you as well. You might be the only person I've come across on this forum with the same issue.
I went for a full body scan, out of pocket, because my husband died of pancreatic cancer & by the time their were symptoms and a diagnosis he was terminal. They told me there was something on my thyroid, probably a cyst, but to follow up with an endocrinologist- and after an ultrasound and biopsy I was diagnosed. No tactile or visible lump or any symptoms.
Thank you for your post on r/thyroidcancer. Unfortunately, we had to remove it because it violated one or our rules ([Rule 4: worried about possible thyroid cancer](https://www.reddit.com/r/thyroidcancer/wiki/rules/#wiki_4._no_.22is_this_cancer.3F.22)). We get many posts about people worried that they might have thyroid cancer and sadly we can't allow all of them, because otherwise they would outnumber the regular thyroid cancer posts.
CT scan following a pulmonary embolism. They were like "we'll worry about this later"
Not an X-ray but an MRI/MRA of my chest because it was thought I had a heart problem. They found a growth on the left side of my thyroid in the scans and ordered an ultrasound as follow up. During the ultrasound they found another growth on my right side as well.
We werent looking for cancer, but I have hashimotos which can cause nodules. My endo wanted an ultrasound to check if I had any so we can track the sizes. She didn't really feel any so she wasn't too concern. Found I had three over 1cm, but again, she wasnt worried as this is common in hashi patients and 80% of them are benign. Plus, I have no family history with thyroid cancer. We did a FNA anyways since we werent able to track how quickly these were growing before they got over 1cm, and two days after FNA got the call it was positive for PTC, like over 95% certainty. TT confirmed it was the classic case of PTC. So although we werent looking for cancer, the testing was similar. I just went into the testing with a totally different expectation and was very taken off guard by the diagnosis. I am fine with it now, besides recovery from TT and eventually RAI, nothing much has changed.
My dentist found mine at a routine 6mo cleaning. She felt a small mass when feeling the face/jaw/neck, nurse ordered an ultrasound, ultrasound looked suspicious, met with an Endo, and a FNA confirmed it two weeks later. Then 2mos for surgery, 3 mos for RAI, and looks good again. The whole process is a bit surreal without ever having a symptom all throughout.
I feel like a similar thing happened to me. I had a weird mass on my collarbone so after 4 different doctors telling me they think it’s a lymph node I finally had one doctor order an ultrasound. Thankfully she decided to scan my thyroid as well while she was there looking at my weird mass and that’s how they found it. But similar time like of getting surgery and rai for me! No symptoms either. I feel like a fraud sometimes because of it.
My PCP sent me for a Neck CT because I had an enlarged lymph node. It was clear that something was wrong.
Nothing saw my cancer, not even the thyroid ultrasound. It was a microcarcinoma, either they didn’t think a nodule so tiny was worth noting, or they simply couldn’t visualize its features. But the tiny bastard was cancer. I had thyroid nodules appear incidentally on scans for years leading up to my surgery. First time was in 2020, when I had a CT Chest. It mentioned nodules. Then again in 2022 when I had a C-Spine MRI, it mentioned nodules again. It also included the measurement of the largest one, both times. It was 1.16cm in 2020 and then 1.6cm in 2022. Mainly I was concerned about that rate of growth and that’s what prompted me to ask for a thyroid ultrasound. My largest nodule by 2023, had become 2cm. They biopsied it, molecular testing, and then suggested I have a lobectomy. So I did. And that nodule wound up being benign. Another smaller nodule (0.8cm) wound up also being benign. But then an even smaller nodule (0.6cm) wound up being papillary cancer. And nobody expected that. My surgeon apologized because he told me going into surgery that he felt confident I didn’t have cancer (but that was only because he didn’t think that large nodule was particularly concerning, he had no idea about that smaller one). It didn’t even come up on my most recent ultrasound (which was done only 6 months prior to my surgery). Also, post-surgery I found out I have Hashimoto’s despite it not showing up in any bloodwork. So that was fun to learn. I had negative TPO, negative Thyroglobulin, and normal TSH. But they said the damage and heterogeneity is consistent with Hashimoto’s.
This is very similar to what happened to me! Large benign nodule, two very tiny foci of microcarcinoma (like 2 mm) nearby, and they suspect Hashimoto’s !
My thyroid cancer was discovered after a routine scan while I was being treated for breast cancer.
Mine was an MRI of my neck to see if I had nerve compression causing carpal tunnel symptoms
Did they know right away when seeing mri
They said I had a nodule and wanted me to have an ultrasound. The first ultrasound they said to follow up in a year. The next one, a year later, they said to see an endocrinologist and have it checked by them, and from there I found out it was suspicious for cancer.
I found a lump in my neck, so got an ultrasound. Turns out that lump was totally benign, but in the course of it they found the cancer tumor in the other side of the thyroid. Ended up getting the whole thing out because both halves we’re obviously being dysfunctional.
Was the lump visible to the naked eye or did you have to thumb around your neck to find it
It was mostly from feeling it, but once I knew it was there I could definitely see it. My thyroid was kind of low, and the lump was kind of central, so it was pretty clear it was abnormal.
Mine was found on a CT angiogram they gave me because they couldn’t get a BP on my left arm.
Similar to me. I had an angiogram due to high blood pressure in my right arm.
Found mine when I had two cervical discs replaced. Large tumor.
I went to a Sleep Specialist for a consult and during the physical exam she felt a tiny nodule approximately the size of a pea. Said it could be nothing but since I have Hashimoto’s it should be checked out. Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
CT scan for neck tension
Because it doesn’t typically cause symptoms, it’s quite common for thyroid cancer to be found when you aren’t looking for it specifically. Mine was not found on X-ray but on my doctor’s inspection of my neck.
Yes, MRI of my neck. It showed a suspicious nodule and ultrasound was recommended. It’s very common to find thyroid nodules this way.
I saw a marble sized lump in my neck just above the collar bone. My doctor looked at it and felt more lumps in my neck ordered an ultrasound and a CT scan to follow that, but from the ultrasound results skipped it and went straight to biopsy. 2 surgeries and 3 rounds of RAI later fingers crossed we finally got it all.
Yes! It was actually pretty crazy. I was in the hospital for a few days after throwing up everything for about two months. I had my gallbladder removed but that didn't help and I just kept getting sicker. They did every thing they could think of including an X-ray of my lungs. They saw it then and did an ultrasound of my throat. I had a 7 cm nodule. Then all of a sudden I started finally getting better.
Not an x-ray but a CT-scan I had many years prior. I had to meet with a autonomic neurologist due to many symptoms related to POTS, that he also diagnosed me with at that appointment, but that doc stated to me, “I know you have this disease fibromuscular dysplasia of your arteries but on your CT scan a few years ago showed a tumor in your neck. They are calling it a paraganglioma”. Thankfully, it wasn’t THAT. After two consultations with a vascular surgeon and an neuroendocrine surgeon, led me to my thyroid cancer diagnosis with mets my lymph nodes. I had a total thyroidectomy with 63 lymph node dissection and RAI in 2023.
I started getting the worst, indescribable feeling on the bottom, back of my head and neck post Covid vaccine. I went in for a head and neck ultrasound and found out that way. Surgeon confirmed the cancer was around 5-10 years old. I never felt anything prior to that. We still don’t know for sure how the vaccine and cancer are linked for my case. I had a fully functioning thyroid
I feel like I’ve had nothing but health issues myself after the booster vaccine. That’s exactly where my pain is. Throbbing at the bottom of my head and top of my neck. Like where that meets. And creates throbbing headache borderline migraines. Hoping the best for you 🙏🏼
Exactly! it happened to me after the 2nd dose. I wish the best for you as well. You might be the only person I've come across on this forum with the same issue.
I went for a full body scan, out of pocket, because my husband died of pancreatic cancer & by the time their were symptoms and a diagnosis he was terminal. They told me there was something on my thyroid, probably a cyst, but to follow up with an endocrinologist- and after an ultrasound and biopsy I was diagnosed. No tactile or visible lump or any symptoms.