41M thyroid nodule + lymph node found incidentally
Hey all, hoping someone with more experience can help me make sense of this while I wait for my biopsy.
Background: I’m 41M, no symptoms really, this all started because I had dry eye and went to an ophthalmologist, who suggested checking my thyroid antibodies. Turns out I have autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s probably, my mom has a multinodular goiter too). TSH and FT4 are normal, but anti-TG (268) and anti-TPO (432) are both elevated.
The ultrasound showed:
Thyroid is diffusely enlarged and heterogeneous overall (typical thyroiditis pattern, I’m told)
A nodule on the left lobe: ~15.6 x 14.5 x 29.7mm, described as having “ill-defined margins” and calcifications both on the rim and inside the nodule
A lymph node in the left neck (level II): ~6.7 x 10.8 x 19.2mm, described as “heterogeneous”, a couple other smaller similar nodes nearby too
No mention of any abnormal blood flow, cystic changes, or bright echogenic foci in the lymph node specifically, just “heterogeneous.”
Calcitonin came back negative, so I’m told medullary thyroid cancer is off the table.
They’ve scheduled an FNA (fine needle aspiration) of both the nodule AND the lymph node for July 15th.
I know nobody here can diagnose me and the biopsy is really the only thing that’ll tell me anything for sure. But based on the ultrasound description alone (margins + calcifications on the nodule, that lymph node size/location)…does this sound like a “probably fine, just being thorough” workup, or does it sound like they’re genuinely concerned? Trying to gauge how much to worry for the next two weeks. Thanks for reading this far.
