Thyroid
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Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates
Otolaryngology located in Lawrence, KS & Ottawa, KS
Thyroid lumps or nodules are very common and, rarely, can be cancerous. Our physicians at Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates understand the stress and anxiety that can come with being told you have a lump. That’s why we are experts in not only treating thyroid and parathyroid disorders but also in helping ease your emotional distress during such a trying time. Dr. Reussner and Dr. Martinez are two of the few “high volume” thyroid surgeons in the area; high volume surgeons have been shown to have fewer complications with their surgery. We are dedicated to compassionately serving the Lawrence and Ottawa areas. Call us to schedule your thyroid exam and request an appointment.
Thyroid Q & A
What is the thyroid?
Your thyroid is a gland in your neck, just below your voice box. It produces hormones that regulate your metabolism and control the way your body uses energy.
When your thyroid functions correctly, it creates and circulates the hormones your system needs to run its most crucial operations. These include your:
- Heart rate
- Muscle strength
- Body temperature
- Menstrual cycles (if you're a woman)
- Nerve function
Your primary care provider or an endocrinologist can help diagnose and treat conditions in which your thyroid isn’t working right.
What about lumps or nodules of the thyroid?
If there’s a growth on your thyroid, it could be one of three types:
- Nodules: These are growths or cysts on the thyroid that can occur by themselves or as groups of lumps.
- Goiter: This is an overall enlargement of the thyroid and can make it hard to swallow or, rarely, hard to breathe.
- Cancer: Thyroid cancer can occur even in young healthy people. It usually shows up as just a lump in the thyroid gland without any pain. Thankfully, thyroid cancer has a high survival rate if it’s caught in its early stages.
Our physicians at Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates can help with your decision about any lumps or nodules and are concerned with your comfort. We offer surgical treatment of thyroid and parathyroid disorders, including minimally invasive parathyroid surgery.
What about parathyroid disorders?
The parathyroid glands are pea-sized glands that regulate calcium levels in your body. They live right next to the thyroid glands, which is how they got their name. They work separately from the thyroid glands.
Since parathyroid glands are involved with keeping blood calcium levels steady, usually the first sign of a problem is an abnormal blood calcium test. More blood testing can help discover if the calcium level is too high because of too much hormone coming from the parathyroid gland or some other reason.
The four small parathyroid glands are usually impossible to feel, so a sonogram test of the neck is often how an enlarged overactive parathyroid gland is located. Then a special injection with a tiny amount of radioactivity can be used to precisely locate the overactive gland. We use that as a roadmap during surgery to find and remove only the overactive gland. Fortunately, these overactive glands are rarely cancerous. The blood calcium goes back to normal quickly, and the rest of the glands do the work of making proper amounts of parathyroid hormone.
Your health is our biggest concern. We encourage you to get routine check-ups, so we can catch issues early and get you back to normal quickly.
Our physicians at Lawrence Otolaryngology will help guide you through these tests and decisions that affect your health. Call for an appointment today.
