[winvens]

Originally Posted by diamondsmiles ↗

Thank you, cataplexia! I stand corrected. I was thinking of the pituitary gland.

I'm sorry to hear bout your medical issue. Thanks for sharing with us.

I hope it isn't causing you any pain and you get your wish to have it removed.

Is that a good thing to do?

It's best avoided unless the thing becomes cancerous; for some reason (this occured more often in the past), when surgeons tinker with the thyroid it can spew out far too much thyroxine, the hormone that controls the body's metabolic rate. Blood pressure, heart rate, temperature and other vital signs skyrocket and one can die. (It can happen in people with Grave's disease, but that's rarer thank goodness.) I have a friend who had a good chunk of her thyroid removed due to cancer at 17; she's in her mid-60's now.

This can also occur when someone hypothyroid like myself takes a large overdose of their levothyroxine.

[winvens]

Originally Posted by cataplexia ↗

Much bigger. It sits across the front of the throat, probably about the size of a butterfly (coincidentally, that's also what it's shaped like).

I have Hashimoto's disease and my body's autoimmune response to my thyroid gland gets pretty aggressive sometimes. I have lumps in there that I need to have monitored in case they turn cancerous.

It's also a hassle having to have my hormone levels continually monitored via blood test... can't they just cut the damn gland out already and save everyone's time? Haha!

Yeah, having blood every 3 months or less to check your TSH and free T3/T4 can be a pain, especially when your T4 seems all over the place. (99% sure I developed Orb's thyroiditis as a little girl. My ol' butterfly gland didn't go out in a blaze of glory like with Hashimoto's.)

[McGuinness]

Had thyroid cancer (late stage) when I was 17 - now I'm 22. Tumour was frigging massive - went that big it nearly closed over round my voice box. Remission, 250mg levothyroxine daily, 2 new lumps closely monitored for cancerous development.

Nice gory pic of my post-op. Bleurgh.

[winvens]

Cool sutures and drainage tubes, very Frankensteinesque. I hope the malignant shit never returns.

[McGuinness]

Luckily was glued neatly instead of staples/sutures. Drainage tubes were removed fully awake/no numbing - could feel them slithering round my neck whilst they were tugged out. Have a boss ass scar from ear to ear now. Thanks Anom!

[Flapmon]

Originally Posted by cataplexia ↗

Much bigger. It sits across the front of the throat, probably about the size of a butterfly (coincidentally, that's also what it's shaped like).

I have Hashimoto's disease and my body's autoimmune response to my thyroid gland gets pretty aggressive sometimes. I have lumps in there that I need to have monitored in case they turn cancerous.

It's also a hassle having to have my hormone levels continually monitored via blood test... can't they just cut the damn gland out already and save everyone's time? Haha!

Got diagnosed with Hashimoto's a few years ago and never really experienced the bumpy/enlarged throat thing although the doctor did say if it bothered me so much there was the option to get it removed? I quietly declined, I'm already on enough drugs as is. oo

[Flapmon]

Originally Posted by diamondsmiles ↗

Thank you, cataplexia! I stand corrected. I was thinking of the pituitary gland.

I'm sorry to hear bout your medical issue. Thanks for sharing with us.

I hope it isn't causing you any pain and you get your wish to have it removed.

Is that a good thing to do?

They tend to want to leave the gland inside and let it release as much as it can, eventually it will no longer work and symptoms are different for everyone but like I kinda said in the post above this (so soz 4 spam) they enjoy upping the dosage after every blood test comes along so removing it would mean you're relying on the chemical/pill version of what you're not getting and if you miss one tablet in the morning it screws you over a little.