The small, butterfly-shaped thyroid gland shoulders a lot of responsibility when it comes to keeping your body functioning properly. Located in your neck, the thyroid gland makes hormones that regulate metabolism and affect heart and digestive function, mood, weight gain or loss, and body temperature.
Considering the thyroid gland essentially affects the entire body, it’s no wonder that the list of thyroid disease symptoms is long and varied. Hyperthyroidism (excess thyroid hormone) can cause weight loss, anxiety/nervousness, sleep problems, heat sensitivity, muscle weakness, vision problems, hand tremors, and irregular menstrual cycles in women. On the other hand, hypothyroidism (insufficient thyroid hormone) causes symptoms including fatigue, constipation, dry skin and hair, depression, weight gain, sensitivity to cold, and a slow heart rate.
Because symptoms of thyroid problems are so wide-ranging and can mimic those of many other health issues, it’s important to have a doctor check your thyroid hormone levels if you are experiencing unusual symptoms.
While hyper- and hypothyroidism can often be managed through medication, some thyroid problems may require surgical intervention. An enlarged thyroid, called goiter, can cause visible swelling, coughing, throat tightness, and difficulty swallowing or breathing. Some people; however, experience no goiter symptoms at all. Goiter itself can be a symptom of either excess or insufficient thyroid hormone, so it may lessen or even disappear once the hormone is properly balanced. In some cases, the enlarged gland restricts breathing, which means all or part of the thyroid needs to be surgically removed.
Non-cancerous lumps on the thyroid gland are called thyroid nodules. Some people with nodules are asymptomatic. Other patients report a neck lump, neck pain, tickling in the throat, a voice change, and even trouble swallowing or breathing. Thyroid nodules can cause excess thyroid hormone, in which case hyperthyroidism symptoms may occur. If these nodules cause no major problems, a watch-and-wait approach may work. However, if they impede swallowing or breathing, they may need to be removed.
A malignant nodule (much less common than benign) results in a thyroid cancer diagnosis and usually requires partial or total removal of the thyroid gland, sometimes along with lymph nodes. There may be few or no symptoms, although some people do report some or all of the following symptoms: a lump on the neck, hoarseness, neck and throat pain, swollen lymph nodes, difficulty swallowing or breathing, and a persistent cough.
Very few people understand how critical their thyroid really is until it stops working well. Dr. Uecker has extensive thyroid surgery experience. He is an expert at addressing the surgical needs of thyroid disease.
Source: https://www.thyroid.org/media-main/press-room
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John M Uecker, M.D. has been in practice in Austin since 2003. His practice focuses on the surgical treatment of hernias, gallstones, GERD, hiatal hernias and thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal tumors. He started and leads the robotic surgery program at Dell Seton Medical Center. Dr. Uecker is the Division Chief of minimally invasive surgery and an Associate Professor at the University of Texas Dell Medical School where he enjoys teaching medical students and residents.
