Hypo symptoms on Levo with normal labs

If money is no issue I'd go to a Naturopathy or an Integrative Medice Doctor. They won't take insurance but will run every test imaginable. I've heard nothing but good things. If money is an issue then I'd find a good ENT or Endocronologist. Beforehand I'd buy a few books on thyroid issues and research online like you're doing to learn the blood tests that can be ran, the types of things it could be, how a thyroid works, etc and find a good support group. I'd demand every thyroid test known to man be ran including a cortisol test. The doctor works for you, not the other way around. Get a diagnosis before contemplating surgery. If the nodule is just that bad and there's no chance meds can shrink it then I'd opt for surgery in the end but get a diagnosis and a game plan beforehand. Once you have your thyroid removed there's no going back. Mentally prepare yourself for the long road ahead after having it removed. I wasn't prepared but I've been proactive so I've been able to mitigate the damage to a certain degree. But start with reading up on it and thenfinding a good doctor and getting those blood tests ran.

Hello, all good suggestions. Everything I've heard from other people is to avoid radiation and surgery at all costs because the meds never work the same no matter what. Best to try and salvage whatever part if your thyroid that's still healthy. 

I have a cyst/ goiter on one side of my thyroid. It got quite large while I was on the levo. Previously had not changed in size in 15 years. Once I got off the levo, I was able to shrink it down substantially with acupuncture and herbs. I was able to use a Boron supplement combined with acupuncture to break down the hard/calcified portion of the cyst.

It is very likely that the cyst was at least precancerous, if not malignant. It was growing a lot while I was on the levo. Obviously, the levo didn't work. I waited until after the cyst started shrinking to have a new biopsy done. It's ok now, but it swells up if my meds are too low.

Even after all my issues and non cancer diagnosis I still would never advise against surgery in the event it turns out to be cancer for someone. I would feel awful if they took my advise and didn't have surgery and it turned out to be cancer that got worse. In my case an ultrasound and other blood work wasn't a good indication of cancer. There was a very good chance it was; I simply lucked out thankfully. So sometimes it would behoove someone to have it surgically removed for that reason. I would leave that up to the doctors to decide.

There are many cases where thyroid's are removed for reasons other than cancer, as doctor's believe it is 'easier' to take it out and 'fix' hypothyroidism by taking a pill (thyroxine). My experience of not having a thyroid is not good. It has taken me 34 years to get my levels in range and this only happened when I switched to NDT.

However, this advice becomes irrelevant if your thyroid has got cancer - then there is no option but to have it removed and I agree with you Jen. However I agree with MtViewCatherine that if it's not cancerous, think twice before having it removed as hypothyroidism is not fun. The only proviso I would add is that my neighbour had nodules on her thyroid and had them biopsied - which came back negative for cancer. However she decided to have the nodules removed and in doing so the surgeon found the nodules had been hiding cancer. So as you can see, it's not a simple decision and each case has to be decided on its own evidence.

The problem is it's not always easy to diagnose cancer without removing it. There have been plenty of cases where aspiration was incorrect. It's not an exact procedure for determining cancer. I will say avoid removing it if you can but not at the risk of your own health.

Also I would rely on the doctors advice to a certain extent. I didn't and listened to non professionals on a forum (not this one) and didn't trust my doctor. I was hyper for weeks before I finally gave in and took his advice to lower the thyroid dosage. In the end that didn't work either but being hyper and over medicated for so many weeks because I wouldn't listen to his medical advice is what I believe damaged my liver and kidneys and kept me off work for several extra weeks. So I would say it's a fine line. As is deciding to have sugary. You risk it turning out to not be cancer and living the rest of your life without a thyroid. Or get cancer misdiagnosed and do nothing and have it turn out to be cancer after it does the damage. Educate yourself. Get a second opinion. Weigh the risks and make an educated decision.

At one point, the cyst on my thyroid was growing very rapidly and I strongly suspected it was at the very least least precancerous. I didn't get any biopsies done during that time, because I knew the chemo/surgery/radiation route wasn't right for me. I don't believe in any of these cancer treatments, as most are contraindicated to the disease, the equivalent of bringing an A-bomb to a knife fight. You take out the entire immune system, when you should be strengthening it. 

I don't know what I'd have done then with a cancer diagnosis, though now, I would treat it naturally, holistically. What I did to halt and reverse the progression of the thyroid cyst growth, was a combination, thyroid meds, of diet, herbs, supplements, cleansing, and acupuncture. I will tell you that the levothyroxin worsened the condition. For now, my thyroid is in better shape, the cysts have stopped growing and are smaller in size and the OTC natural Meds seems to be the best so far. Im still dealing with the fallout from having gained 40 pounds, and my immune system has been extremely down, fibro mialia symptoms, etc. The levo was extremely damaging as well, and I feel it will take years to recover from that.

If your thyroid is sick, your whole body is sick. Thyroid disease is incredibly difficult. No matter what action you take, you need support and love to help you through it. If you think surgery is an easy fix, it isn't. It isn't that easy. The conditions in the whole body that cause thyroid disease have to be addressed. They have to be addressed quickly, which is impossible, as the thyroid has a slow acting response, taking three months to react to changes to get well. Keep in mind, it took a really long time for your thyroid to become sick. It will take a long time to get well.

I'm really glad it's worked out for you catherine