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Just an FYI for everyone ~ I’ve corresponded with capebite by e-mail, but I wanted to post a response so you’d know we didn’t leave her out in the cold.
” title=”Very Happy” />Bottom line, nodules are not common for Graves’ Disease, so it’s likely that there’s something else going on. Blood tests and scans are typically very simple methods for confirming a GD diagnosis ~ the difficult part is getting the doctors to think that it MIGHT be Graves’ Disease. If you’ve run those tests and your levels come back in the normal range, then it’s possible you’re dealing with something else entirely. Hyperthyroidism can be present without having Graves’ Disease, and nodules CAN produce hyperthyroidism, so it’s still something to pursue if you feel that’s what’s going on. Try not to focus entirely on this being THE diagnosis, because it’s possible that you’re dealing with something else. Just keep looking until you figure it out FOR SURE, because you do not have to continue feeling the way you do right now.
One quick caveat ~ if you had thyroid hormone levels done prior to this (when you were WELL), you could compare those results against these to see if, perhaps, the new results fall within the normal ranges, but appear to show a significant change since your HEALTHY levels. That would be something to discuss with the doctor.
Bottom line, if your doctor is unwilling to do research and find out what you’re dealing with, then you need a new doctor. The initial diagnosis of many conditions can be made by several doctors ~ general practice, ob/gyn, internal medicine ~ and they can point you to a specialist once you’ve figured it out. The trick is finding a doctor who is willing to work with you through the process. You can ask friends for recommendations, you can call the doctor’s offices and speak with the front office staff (typically VERY much willing to help you sort out your preferences against the doctors they work for), and you can also make an appointment for a consultation *without* filling out all the forms required by a "new patient." That way you can figure out which doctor you like best, THEN do the "new patient" paperwork just one time.
If you feel you need to see an endocrinologist, I would do that research first and get an appointment ~ without conclusive test results indicating that you are now actively hyperthyroid, it’s not likely they’ll put you on the list as a priority patient, so their next available appointment may be FAR far away. Making that appointment now will give you time in between when you can be doing research on other doctors and perhaps even finding your answer, but at least you’ll have that appointment waiting for you in the event you discover that you DO need an endocrinologist. They are, bar none, the busiest doctors out there.
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