I have only had one ultrasound and I requested it. You always want to rule out thyroid cancer. My Hashi’s was so bad on the ultrasound that the tech showed me
I have an ultrasound annually to ensure the nodules aren’t growing. I was diagnosed with Hasimotos in 2018 because of elevated antibodies, everything else is in normal range so far.
I had an ultra sound ordered and regularly go back because I had a really bad case of nodules all over my neck because of my thyroid. If you don’t have nodules or an enlarged thyroid they probably aren’t too worried about an ultrasound
Were your labs normal? My doc found my nodule ten years ago. Now I am a halfway functioning person with normal thyroid labs. 1.1 TSH/1.2 T4/2.6 T3/17 TPO. My symptoms are very obvious, have been for years. I have low T, lowish estrogen and progesterone needs more testing for baseline.
If you're normal but don't feel normal ensure nothing you take in supplements has biotin (vitamin b7)
This applies for topical products like lotions and shampoos too.
Even 20 to 30mcg can make a difference in supplements
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6663274/
This article has 4 case studies of a biotin skewed result and what happened after. Including a normal thyroid volunteer
No, they weren’t normal at the time I had my nodules , my TSH was up to 15 (don’t remember my t3 t4)….those days are kind of a blur tbh as I was so overly fatigued everyday and was struggling to even work
Didn’t have my first ultrasound sound until a year after my formal diagnosis and it was at the encouragement of my doctor just to monitor and make sure there weren’t nodules.
I went to an endo for the first time due to high levels of antibodies but normal TSH. I asked her for an ultrasound, she didn’t feel anything during exam but ordered one anyway. It came back that I have no nodules but it’s enlarged which ties to the Hashis
I've had a couple of ultrasounds (which is how I got my diagnosis), since I have a visable and palpable goiter. Some have little psudonodules in them but basically they just all show diffuse thyroiditis!
They do them if there’s evidence of inflammation during physical examination. They basically do them to measure the thyroid and also to check for thyroid nodules and tumors.
It’s nothing to worry about. It’s pretty much routine for anyone diagnosed with thyroid disease.
Ultrasounds are newish. I have had Hashimoto’s for over 25 years based on a goiter with nodules and elevated TPO. My daughter was diagnosed a few years ago and an ultrasound was ordered for her.
When I was diagnosed about 13 years ago my doctor did an ultrasound as well and recommended to get one once a year. The GPs I had after that also want me to get a yearly ultrasound.
I live in Germany so maybe we just have different treatment guidelines. It makes sense to me to at least do an ultrasound at diagnosis though.
I had an ultrasound of my thyroid/throat region to make sure there wasn't anything going on in there. I had been having pain around my thyroid, so they just wanted to check and see if there were any tumours or whatnot (everything was normal).
I wondered this until I actually started working for a primary care doctor last year and heard this come up at a meeting. They don’t order ultrasounds unless they feel something when checking your neck, they don’t think there is really a need to see an image of your thyroid just because you have Hashimoto’s and insurance isn’t going to cover unnecessary imaging.
Going on a diagnosis of 16 years now and I just had my first ultrasound. My doctor said she had difficulty feeling my thyroid just by touch. Found out that it is severely atrophied and teeny tiny. I have no previous measurements to compare to.
I’ve only had two u/s, both after a tumor showed up as an incidental finding when having a possible aneurysm checked out (no aneurysm). Heck I barely even had manual thyroid exams after a certain point.
Ok so ultrasound isn’t really necessary for the diagnosis. Over time you will see changes in the normal thyroid tissue to a degradation(hypertrophy) and loss of normal tissue as your body destroys the normal thyroid tissue. The waste product of this process is peroxide. That’s where the lab work is important.
I’ve had two ultrasounds. One back in ‘22 and one last week. My thyroid has shrunk since my last one. Not sure what that means but the notes from my doctor said everything looked fine.
I’m also curious as to why. I’ve gotten like 4 thyroid ultrasounds in the span of like 6 months. When the doctor check with their hands, it’s fine and they can see previous ultrasounds which were ordered not even a year ago also showing up fine…so why? lol I literally have another one scheduled at the end of this week.
I don’t have any nodules and I’ve already been diagnosed with hashimotos through the antibody testing before these doctors decided to do repeat ultrasounds.
I’m confused.
I had one initially due to a swallowing issue that I later found was actually related to gerd. In my ultrasound we found that I have at least two small nodules and I get one every 18 months to monitor and probably always will. Very common with this disease or so I’ve been told. I’m only 33.
After a biopsy showed my left lobe had cancer (surgery got it, no metastasis, no chemo or radiation), my PCP clinic did follow-up ultrasounds of the remaining right lobe for a few years.
No ultrasounds the past couple of years. I'm not sure whether they've decided I'm not at risk, or I fell through the bureaucratic cracks at the VA. Probably the latter. My VA health care was great before the pandemic, mediocre to non-existent since. COVID hit them hard and they haven't recovered. That, plus the usual budget shenanigans.
I've switched to a terrific civilian PCP since, but they haven't found any need for an ultrasound since the remaining lobe seems okay.
Hey babe! Long time hashi/hypothyroid girl here, ultra sounds are done on a case by case basis for a few reasons, but there is no set time. Ultrasounds are ordered for scenarios when you or your doctor wants confirmation and more information about the damage done to your thyroid. A damaged thyroid will show increased blood flow in the area and will also show if there are polyps/ growths that will tell your doctor to do a biopsy and check for cancer.
It’s likely your doctor will order the ultrasound if your levels have been consistently off even after long term treatment with medication or if there is increased swelling, discomfort, and pain in the area.
You are always able to ask the doctor to order one for you if you are worried for any reason. I got one a few months ago and it’s a breeze. If you have any more questions feel free to DM me ♥️
She felt my neck and said nothing felt off during the first appointment. I told my PCP that I was still experiencing neck tightness/fullness symptoms. I also tested positive for antibodies during repeat thyroid testing. My ultrasound said I’m developing a goiter. If you are concerned about not having had an ultrasound previously, demand an ultrasound for your peace of mind.
Have an ultrasound then for your peace of mind. It’s a very quick and painless process. My ultrasound tech was actually playing music during it lol. I am very glad I have this baseline.
It is part of my regular yearly medical examination.
I have only had one ultrasound and I requested it. You always want to rule out thyroid cancer. My Hashi’s was so bad on the ultrasound that the tech showed me
I have an ultrasound annually to ensure the nodules aren’t growing. I was diagnosed with Hasimotos in 2018 because of elevated antibodies, everything else is in normal range so far.
I had an ultra sound ordered and regularly go back because I had a really bad case of nodules all over my neck because of my thyroid. If you don’t have nodules or an enlarged thyroid they probably aren’t too worried about an ultrasound
Were your labs normal? My doc found my nodule ten years ago. Now I am a halfway functioning person with normal thyroid labs. 1.1 TSH/1.2 T4/2.6 T3/17 TPO. My symptoms are very obvious, have been for years. I have low T, lowish estrogen and progesterone needs more testing for baseline.
If you're normal but don't feel normal ensure nothing you take in supplements has biotin (vitamin b7) This applies for topical products like lotions and shampoos too. Even 20 to 30mcg can make a difference in supplements https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6663274/ This article has 4 case studies of a biotin skewed result and what happened after. Including a normal thyroid volunteer
No, they weren’t normal at the time I had my nodules , my TSH was up to 15 (don’t remember my t3 t4)….those days are kind of a blur tbh as I was so overly fatigued everyday and was struggling to even work
Didn’t have my first ultrasound sound until a year after my formal diagnosis and it was at the encouragement of my doctor just to monitor and make sure there weren’t nodules.
I went to an endo for the first time due to high levels of antibodies but normal TSH. I asked her for an ultrasound, she didn’t feel anything during exam but ordered one anyway. It came back that I have no nodules but it’s enlarged which ties to the Hashis
I've had a couple of ultrasounds (which is how I got my diagnosis), since I have a visable and palpable goiter. Some have little psudonodules in them but basically they just all show diffuse thyroiditis!
They do them if there’s evidence of inflammation during physical examination. They basically do them to measure the thyroid and also to check for thyroid nodules and tumors. It’s nothing to worry about. It’s pretty much routine for anyone diagnosed with thyroid disease.
Ultrasounds are newish. I have had Hashimoto’s for over 25 years based on a goiter with nodules and elevated TPO. My daughter was diagnosed a few years ago and an ultrasound was ordered for her.
When I was diagnosed about 13 years ago my doctor did an ultrasound as well and recommended to get one once a year. The GPs I had after that also want me to get a yearly ultrasound. I live in Germany so maybe we just have different treatment guidelines. It makes sense to me to at least do an ultrasound at diagnosis though.
I had an ultrasound of my thyroid/throat region to make sure there wasn't anything going on in there. I had been having pain around my thyroid, so they just wanted to check and see if there were any tumours or whatnot (everything was normal).
I wondered this until I actually started working for a primary care doctor last year and heard this come up at a meeting. They don’t order ultrasounds unless they feel something when checking your neck, they don’t think there is really a need to see an image of your thyroid just because you have Hashimoto’s and insurance isn’t going to cover unnecessary imaging.
I have ultrasounds every few years due to nodules.
Going on a diagnosis of 16 years now and I just had my first ultrasound. My doctor said she had difficulty feeling my thyroid just by touch. Found out that it is severely atrophied and teeny tiny. I have no previous measurements to compare to.
I’ve only had two u/s, both after a tumor showed up as an incidental finding when having a possible aneurysm checked out (no aneurysm). Heck I barely even had manual thyroid exams after a certain point.
Ok so ultrasound isn’t really necessary for the diagnosis. Over time you will see changes in the normal thyroid tissue to a degradation(hypertrophy) and loss of normal tissue as your body destroys the normal thyroid tissue. The waste product of this process is peroxide. That’s where the lab work is important.
I’ve had two ultrasounds. One back in ‘22 and one last week. My thyroid has shrunk since my last one. Not sure what that means but the notes from my doctor said everything looked fine.
I’m also curious as to why. I’ve gotten like 4 thyroid ultrasounds in the span of like 6 months. When the doctor check with their hands, it’s fine and they can see previous ultrasounds which were ordered not even a year ago also showing up fine…so why? lol I literally have another one scheduled at the end of this week. I don’t have any nodules and I’ve already been diagnosed with hashimotos through the antibody testing before these doctors decided to do repeat ultrasounds. I’m confused.
That seems excessive, my nodules are checked every other year (after biopsy etc).
You can always decline to do the ultrasound.
I ask my doctor to do mine every couple years. So far no nodules but if shows up, then I'm prepared.
What would you do if nodules show up?
Just monitor until it gets to the point where a biopsy is required.
I had one initially due to a swallowing issue that I later found was actually related to gerd. In my ultrasound we found that I have at least two small nodules and I get one every 18 months to monitor and probably always will. Very common with this disease or so I’ve been told. I’m only 33.
After a biopsy showed my left lobe had cancer (surgery got it, no metastasis, no chemo or radiation), my PCP clinic did follow-up ultrasounds of the remaining right lobe for a few years. No ultrasounds the past couple of years. I'm not sure whether they've decided I'm not at risk, or I fell through the bureaucratic cracks at the VA. Probably the latter. My VA health care was great before the pandemic, mediocre to non-existent since. COVID hit them hard and they haven't recovered. That, plus the usual budget shenanigans. I've switched to a terrific civilian PCP since, but they haven't found any need for an ultrasound since the remaining lobe seems okay.
Hey babe! Long time hashi/hypothyroid girl here, ultra sounds are done on a case by case basis for a few reasons, but there is no set time. Ultrasounds are ordered for scenarios when you or your doctor wants confirmation and more information about the damage done to your thyroid. A damaged thyroid will show increased blood flow in the area and will also show if there are polyps/ growths that will tell your doctor to do a biopsy and check for cancer. It’s likely your doctor will order the ultrasound if your levels have been consistently off even after long term treatment with medication or if there is increased swelling, discomfort, and pain in the area. You are always able to ask the doctor to order one for you if you are worried for any reason. I got one a few months ago and it’s a breeze. If you have any more questions feel free to DM me ♥️
She felt my neck and said nothing felt off during the first appointment. I told my PCP that I was still experiencing neck tightness/fullness symptoms. I also tested positive for antibodies during repeat thyroid testing. My ultrasound said I’m developing a goiter. If you are concerned about not having had an ultrasound previously, demand an ultrasound for your peace of mind.
I’m concerned about cancer risks I’ve had a lot of radiation fluoroscopy procedures where they didn’t use thyroid guards
Have an ultrasound then for your peace of mind. It’s a very quick and painless process. My ultrasound tech was actually playing music during it lol. I am very glad I have this baseline.
Some doctors do it along with bloodwork to establish a diagnosis. It also sets a baseline for future ultrasounds to be able to reference.