Goiter.

[himmel]

Hi, my wife has had a slight swelling on the side of her neck for over a year, I've googled this and have come to the conclusion it could

a Goiter on the thyroid gland, she is reluctant to see a Doctor, any suggestions would be grateful, ie Government hospital, we are 

Lamplaimat, Burriram area.  Thanks.

[fredwiggy]

I had a swelling in a lymph node, had a biopsy done, just from a strep throat. This might help.......https://www.healthline.com/health/lymph-node-swollen-for-years-not-cancer

[Sheryl]

Having lasted a year, even if it is a lymph node it is unlikely to  be due to a throat infection.

 

It could be a number of things, all requiring medical evaluation and treatment....and none of which will go away on their own, though most are treatable. 

 

A doctor can quickly determine after physical examination and palpation whether it is an enlarged thyroid, a thyroid mass, an enlarged lymph node, or some other sort of mass. Additional tests may include blood tests, Xray and maybe a fine needle aspiration biopsy.

 

Assuming your wife is listed in a tabian ban in Lamplaimat, in order to do this under the free government system she has to go first to Lamplaimat Hospital. Make sure she tells them it has been there for a year. 

 

They may need to at some point refer her to a higher level hospital,   probably Buriram Hospital which is a regional level facility. She needs a referral letter from Lamplaimat Hospital to go there  otherwise have to pay out of pocket.

 

There are various ways of short-cutting things if necessary but first at least find out if it is thyroid or lymph node.

 

Your main problem is her reluctance to see a doctor.  She may fear it is cancer and assume that  if so,  it is fatal and thus want to delay knowing. In fact, there are many possibilities other than cancer. And for that matter, thyroid cancer is completely curable if caught and treated early. 

 

Get her to Lamplaimat Hospital and once you know if it is thyroid or lymph node etc  get back in touch with me. 

 

 

[Sheryl]

A post completely unrelated to thread content has been removed. 

[rwill]

Definitely get her to a doctor.

[ignore it]

Among the Asians I've known here in Thailand and in Vietnam there is a resistance to seeing a doctor for preventive care and diagnostic testing.

 

If something is broken or bleeding they have no hesitance, but for a lump or an ache they just live with it till the pain gets too much.

 

A Vietnamese friend of 30 years lived with an ache  for months and months until the pain became too much.  He finally got around to going to a doctor and  discovered he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and died shortly thereafter.

 

I had a heck of a time to get Mrs. Ignore It to go for an annual health screen, but after blood testing, a slightly elevated uric acid has her monitoring her chicken intake like a hawk.  Yet a sniffle or twinge will find her gobbling  traditional herbs, powders and pills.

 

Granted it may be the class of folks I like to hang around with or marry.

 

Just saying..

Edited Saturday at 03:30 AM by ignore it

[himmel]

21 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Having lasted a year, even if it is a lymph node it is unlikely to  be due to a throat infection.

 

It could be a number of things, all requiring medical evaluation and treatment....and none of which will go away on their own, though most are treatable. 

 

A doctor can quickly determine after physical examination and palpation whether it is an enlarged thyroid, a thyroid mass, an enlarged lymph node, or some other sort of mass. Additional tests may include blood tests, Xray and maybe a fine needle aspiration biopsy.

 

Assuming your wife is listed in a tabian ban in Lamplaimat, in order to do this under the free government system she has to go first to Lamplaimat Hospital. Make sure she tells them it has been there for a year. 

 

They may need to at some point refer her to a higher level hospital,   probably Buriram Hospital which is a regional level facility. She needs a referral letter from Lamplaimat Hospital to go there  otherwise have to pay out of pocket.

 

There are various ways of short-cutting things if necessary but first at least find out if it is thyroid or lymph node.

 

Your main problem is her reluctance to see a doctor.  She may fear it is cancer and assume that  if so,  it is fatal and thus want to delay knowing. In fact, there are many possibilities other than cancer. And for that matter, thyroid cancer is completely curable if caught and treated early. 

 

Get her to Lamplaimat Hospital and once you know if it is thyroid or lymph node etc  get back in touch with me. 

 

 

 

[himmel]

Sheryl ,Thanks for your quick response, after reading it to my wife she feels more assured, and we will be going

to Lamplaimat hospital next week.  Thanks 

[Lacessit]

It may also be a lipoma, which is quite harmless. I have had one for years.

 

The OP won't know what it is without a doctor's examination.

[Mike Lister]

One of the key tests to tell if it is a goiter is an ultrasound exam, which is non-invasive, painless and inexpensive. A biopsy of the thyroid may seem daunting but is actually totally painless and quick.....I've had both several times and have had my thyroid removed completely, which also is not a big deal. 

[john donson]

check thyroid in blood FIRST 

 

before sticking a needle in a possible tumor

[himmel]

Quick update, went to Lamplaimat Hospital yesterday, after waiting 3.5 hours to see the Doctor she could not diagnose with a blood test, but we would have to wait 2-3 hours for the result, we have a appointment for the 3rd July for the result of the test. 

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, himmel said:

Quick update, went to Lamplaimat Hospital yesterday, after waiting 3.5 hours to see the Doctor she could not diagnose with a blood test, but we would have to wait 2-3 hours for the result, we have a appointment for the 3rd July for the result of the test. 

Did the  doctor indicate if yhe enlargement  is on the thyroid or a lymph node?