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Residual thymic tissue

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sharyejane
sharyejane

I had a CT on my chest w/contrast. My GP said I needed to get an echocardiogram ( which I had at the ER already too and they said it was fine) none the less, he seemed mildly concerned with the following statement from my CT scan. Anyone have any input? 

‘Mild hazy soft tissue density within the anterior mediastinum, favored to represent residual thymic tissue without a discrete mass appreciated. No axillary or supraclavicular adenopathy.’ 

0 likes, 17 replies

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  • jordan64432
    jordan64432 sharyejane

    Edited

    I had the same thing noted after a ct scan on my neck, though it only showed to top of the mediastinum but notes the same as yours. I have no idea what it means but since 2010 after an episode where o thought I was having a heart attack, suddenly my left side anterior jugular vein and the upper subclavian vein that runs behind my clavicle engorges in and out as I breath and if I bend over it looks like it's going to explode. None of the doctors seem concerned but I know something is wrong. I have lost faith in the medical doctors. If you don't have something easy to figure out, then it's all in your head in your crazy. So tired of it.

    • sharyejane
      sharyejane jordan64432

      Posted

      They have recommended me to a cardiologist for an echocardiogram. Said it could be nothing, or possibly thymic tissue that came back. He explained to me that you are born with that tissue in your heart and it goes away as we get older. My doctor said he has had patients with thymoma issues and if it got bad they had the tissue removed. I asked him if fatal and he said no.  Look up thymoma to see if you’re having any symptoms. I wasn’t really having a lot of the symptoms myself. I’m mainly going to cardiologist because I have a high resting heart rate and even when I just go up the stairs walking my rate shoots to 175 and I get out of breath, I’m only 29 and not out of shape - so this is not right and needs to be addresssed for sure. I showed my nurse friend the note and she said she has seen it on X-rays before too and said the same as doctor, it’s either or something or totally nothing. I would talk to your doctor again about it. Sometimes thymic issues don’t even show up until someone has an X-ray or ct scan for something else, and found by accident, which was the case for me. I’ve had an ekg, ct scan and X-rays and they claimed my heart was good at the ER but my new GP is playing it safe by sending me to an actual cardiologist. 
    • sharyejane
      sharyejane jordan64432

      Posted

      Also, go to another GP, I have gone through 3 this year. This 3rd new one actually seems to give a s**t about finding what’s wrong with me. It’s tiring and costly, but what’s more important than your health...
    • jordan64432
      jordan64432 sharyejane

      Posted

      I have also been to cardiologists and get regular echocardiograms and EKGs. I get palpitations, short of breath, my heart rate jumps when I get up from laying down and when I climb stairs about 30 or 40 beats per minute up. My heart also beats too hard, it pounds. It all just happened one day in a minute and I can remember everything. I've had a CT angiogram and my heart arteries are clear. I hope you get some answers soon and everything works out for you.

    • sharyejane
      sharyejane jordan64432

      Posted

      That is really crazy, and yes everything happened to me practically overnight too, ongoing for 2 1/2 weeks. I do have some other issues going on, but the heart rate is one of the worst ones. Hopefully we both get to the bottom of it eventually. 
    • jordan64432
      jordan64432 sharyejane

      Posted

      I'm going to look that up and see if I have the symptoms that go along with that. I wonder if that extra tissue could be pushing on a vein of mine and causing it to engorge up farther up my neck. I've been dealing with this for 8 years and now I'm just labeled as a crazy hypercondriac and I'm really not getting any help. I'm still walking around and I'm not dead so they think that there's nothing wrong with me but it has affected my life in every way. I hope you and I get answers too. I was only 4 years old when this happened and in Good health but I did overexert myself during cross-country skiing in which my heart was pounding way too hard and I wonder if I did something to myself cuz after that I developed a kinked artery in my left side of my neck. I'm not going to stop fighting until I find out what's wrong.

    • jordan64432
      jordan64432

      Posted

      Correction. I was 40 years old when it happened. Darn talk to text.
    • Michael56889u78
      Michael56889u78 jordan64432

      Edited

      I am currently experiencing something very similar, when I do just about anything my heart rate shoots up about 30-40 bpm and my resting heart rate is abnormally high a lot of the time. This all started while I was working out I was pushing myself and I started to feel week so I stopped. Later that day my heart started pounding and I was short of breathe so I went in the ER and they said I was having a panic attack. They have done countless tests to no avail. The one thing that stands out to me is the one note from my ct scan. Small residual thymic tissue in the anterior mediastinum. I have no idea if this is related but I know it has been 7 months of suffering and I'm desperate for help all my doctors think its anxiety.

    • shweta12345
      shweta12345 Michael56889u78

      Posted

      I got the same in my CT also i have pain in my neck with mucus and pain in left side which comes and go.. not sure what it is but i am stressed..

    • Kfld32
      Kfld32 Michael56889u78

      Posted

      did you ever get any answers? Your symptoms are very much like mine.

  • Becominglola
    Becominglola sharyejane

    Posted

    Hey! Did you get any answers? I recently had a similar issue where my heart rate increased to 160 walking up stairs despite previously being a healthy and active 34 year old woman. Went to the ER where they diagnosed me with POTS. I looked at my CT chest results and also saw I have soft tissue in the anterior mediastinum, possibly residual thymic tissue. I have had other issues myself, including proximal muscle weakness (worse after rest, improves with activity), muscle soreness, and then some signs of autonomic dysfunction - constipation, occasional slightly slurred speech in the morning only, and then a positive ANA and anti dsdna. On a mission to find out what is going on, though I am expecting a lupus diagnosis in a way but also concerned for thymoma and associated LEMS. Curious to see if your story sounds similar and what you found out!!

    • kathryn0103
      kathryn0103 Becominglola

      Posted

      Hi!!! I'm having the same symptoms and had same ct results too. tested positive for ANA too. Any updates on your end? thank you.

    • Becominglola
      Becominglola kathryn0103

      Posted

      I had a repeat CT and the tissue was completely gone. Diagnosed with autonomic dysfunction and Sjogren's. Sorry couldn't be more help!!

    • Kfld32
      Kfld32 Becominglola

      Posted

      did you ever get any answers? your symptoms are also like mine. ive fallen down the rabbit hole of trying to understand what it could possibly mean.

    • Becominglola
      Becominglola Kfld32

      Posted

      No further answers. Just that the tissue was no longer seen on imaging. I still have dysautonomia and profound weakness in the morning though. Best of luck in your search, it can certainly be scary and frustrating.

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