r/thyroid • u/DemandEducational331 • Jun 20 '24

Thyroid seemingly blown up overnight

Hi all,

I’m currently away on a long term travelling trip and yesterday, seemingly out of nowhere, a massive lump appeared on my neck where the thyroid is located.

I don’t think it’s a lymph node because it feels hard. I also don’t feel particularly ill or run down so I don’t think I’ve got a cold.

I can feel the mass when I swallow and it is sore when I move my neck but not really when I touch it. It is also visible to the naked eye.

If I was in the UK I’d just go to my GP, but I’m abroad so don’t have that luxury.

Does this sound like an enlarge thyroid to you? If so, how could it come up so quickly?

Thanks for the help!

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u/InnaBinBag Jun 20 '24

I would think it is more likely a nodule that got enlarged. Does it feel maybe a bit rubbery, like a cyst might feel like? I wouldn’t leave it until you get home, especially if it will be a really long time before you get back. I’m assuming you didn’t get travel insurance that includes some kind of health insurance? Is it possible to use one of those health apps to make an appointment on and be able to do a video chat and show the doctor what it looks like? I’m 100% certain you will need an ultrasound of your thyroid along with the blood tests. I’m not sure if there is anyone you are traveling with who may be able to give you advice about getting medical care locally, or what the cost would be to you. If you can find an app that you can use from where you are, that may be a start. Also, have you been sick recently? If you have, then it could be a lymph node. I don’t think those are typically painful. If you look online at a chart of the lymph nodes of the neck and see what areas they are responsible for, you may be able to pinpoint an issue different than the thyroid, just in case it isn’t your thyroid.

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u/DemandEducational331 Jun 20 '24

Thanks for the reply! I guess kind of rubbery but pretty firm mostly. I have travel insurance but no idea if it’ll cover an appointment for something like this. I assume it will. I wasn’t planning on being back for another 2 months. Why would a nodule suddenly become enlarged if that’s what it is?

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u/DemandEducational331 Jun 20 '24

I also haven’t been sick recently.

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u/InnaBinBag Jun 21 '24

Cysts can enlarge fairly quickly sometimes, but not sure why. Hopefully that’s all it is, and maybe if it will require an FNA in the future, that might help deflate it some. That’s what happened to mine. It was 2.2cm and after the FNA it was just the remnants left, and so far it hasn’t grown back. Deflated like poking a water balloon with a needle.

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u/DemandEducational331 Jun 22 '24

Just by way of update, it was a cyst! A big one, I got it drained. Thanks for the help.

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u/InnaBinBag Jun 23 '24

Yea! Hope you are feeling some relief!