Anyone have thyroid issues as well as BC?

Dear Lisa,

Sorry you are having problems with your thyroid.  I KNOW what this is like. Iam going  to tell you my story cause maybe it will help in terms of asking for diagnostic tests  In Dec  2011 I got diagnosed with DCIS when I had a routine mammogram.  However because of large area of DCIS they were uncertain if I should have mastectomy or lumpectomy.  I went to Mayo Clinic for a second opinion.  There they did a fine needle aspriation and found I had a positive lymph node for cancer so they recommended a mastectomy, then chemo etc etc. They also did a routine chest x ray and saw a large mass near my thyroid.  I previously like you had a nodule which caused me to be hyper thyroid.  I took pills for years to control the hyper thryoid. 

 Mayo then recommended a CT scan of chest to see what was going on with thyroid.  

Have they recommended a CT scan of chest/thyroid area  and what did xray of thyroid area show?

Since they could not  needle biopsy the area because of its location they recommended I remove thyroid and the tumor that was there.  At this point they still did not know if I had thyroid cancer or not  I first had mastectomy Jan 2011, then had thyroidectomy  Feb 2011.  Then started chemo in March 2011.  Just sort of finished the Herceptin in April 2012 due to complications with the herceptin. 

The good news  for me is that it was a benign goiter.  The ENT surgeon who did the thyroidectomy failed to start me on replacement thyroid, he said I could wait.  My thyroid levels plunged.  In fact I think it messed up my liver and they had to delay starting chemo until my liver function returned to normal which it did.  I believe thyroid hormones can impact your body in many ways.  I am on arrimidex now and having trouble with weight gain.  Is it in the interplay between the arrimidex and thyroid replacement that is causing the weight gain.  Who Knows?  There has not been much research on the interaction of thyroid hormones and breast cancer.  Tomorrow I am getting a T3 T4 and TSH test to check my thryoid levels again.  I still have fatigue and the weight is not coming off.  I gained weight on chemo.  I also had herceptin for almost a year. I just finally had my breast reconstruction surgery 2 months ago.  everything it seems was complicated for me.  All of these complicating factors can make it difficult. 

Hey-the good news is that I am alive and planning a 7 day hike in the high country of sierras.    My advice  -one day at a time 

If it does turn out to be thyroid cancer, the good news is that this type of cancer is very slow growing and easy to treat- they just take it out.

Good luck

My hyperthyroidism was due to a growth on thyroid causing growth to press on my trachea, My breathing was not impacted however; They told me that if not removed it could impact my breathing. They surgically removed the growth which was benign and hyperthyroidism has been improved. Have they done a chest xray on you to make sure there is no growth on thyroid. Usually hashimotos that is not the cause I think. Just wondering what is causing your shortness of breath, if anything pressing on trachea ?? Many other issues however can cause shortness of breath as well,

Hope they will solve this issue for you soon Take care

ok , will wait to hear from you   good luck

Well that is very small and probably is not impacting your trachea  or even your lung, , but is it enough to make you short of breath?   I am guessing not.   What does the doctor say is the significance of it?  Are you seeing a pulmonary specialist?

 

Take care

I was diagnosed with Graves disease in August of 2010 and put on tapazole (methimazole). In Feb. of 2011 felt lumps in my left breast but was given the all clear after a mamogram & Ultrasound. In March 2011 I had a pinched nerve in my neck and had 2 cortisone shots. That summer I had a frozen left shoulder which responded to physio. In 2012 I had a frozen right shoulder which responded to a cortisone shot. My graves went into remission and I was taken off tapazole in May of 2012. Now I have breast cancer. Is there a connection? I have been told by several professionals that Graves disease causes shoulder and neck problems.Does it also cause breast cancer?

My friend, Nancy, had breast cancer which she survived. She was then diagnosed with Graves Disease. She had her thyroid zapped with radioactive iodine and her Graves disappeared. Last year she was diagnosed with gall bladder cancer, stage 4. She has since passed away as she declined treatment. Is there a connection?