What does a goiter feel like to the person who has it?

Answer 1

For a person who has goiter

* He heart palpitates fast even without exerting effort * His eyes are bulging a bit than it used to * Has trouble breathing * thinner than usual his usual body even if he eats alot

From AllotmentL

A goitre may not always have these obvious effects. When big it does feel like a bit of a thickening/obstruction, but the appearance is more dramatic than the physical internal feel.I am always surprised at my appearance in the mirror! I wear scarves a lot to 'hide it'.

As a sufferer of a large goitre I have had some short periods of breathlessness and am aware I breathe quite shallowly- but I am not aware of palpitations, my eyes don't bulge, and I have to make a normal effort to lose weight. I can feel energetic or fatigued in turns which may or may not be the goitre. Stress levels, menstrual cycle and nutrition all have definite, noticeable effects on the goitre.

The size fluctuates, but has only once shrunk to almost nothing. I was taking an iodine supplement. The effect was counteracted by completely uncontrollable heavy periods. High quality food supplements have helped a lot.

I haven't met a Doctor Who has explained it to be properly or who understands the link with hormones and the menstrual cycle. I find this worrying!! Hence not having it operated on. From diane9: The first answer is confusing goitre (or goiter) with an overactive thyroid. People who have a goitre may or may not also have an overactive thyroid. I have a non-toxic multi-nodular goitre. My thyroid function is normal, therefore I do not have heart palpitations or find it easy to lose weight (these are symptoms of an overactive thyroid). To answer the question, the goitre is hardly noticeable to the person who has it. I am not really aware of the goitre when I am breathing or swallowing, as the goiter moves very flexibly when I swallow. The only time when I am aware of a feeling of a lump in my throat is when I swallow something quite large, such as a large vitamin capsule with water. I agree with allotmentL that the size of the goitre fluctuates, although mine has gradually got bigger over time and is now quite large. In the past year or so, people have noticed it and asked me what is wrong with my neck or even if I have cancer (by the way, I have had several biopsies and all have been benign). Other people just stare at it or look at in Horror. Like allotmentL, I wear scarves and polo neck jumpers a lot just to cover it up and sometimes I feel quite depressed about how it looks. I also have decided not to have it surgically removed. Having my thyroid removed would mean that I would have to be on thyroxine for the rest of my life and I don't really want that unless it is absolutely necessary. As my thyroid function is fine at the moment, why would I want to mess it up by having what is a serious operation that would lead to a chronic health problem? I agree with allotmentL that doctors don't seem to be very knowledgeable about goitres. I have had different answers to the same questions from different doctors. I was interested to hear allotmentL's comments about iodine supplements and vitamins. I have not tried iodine supplements as a specialist I saw said that I could cause more harm than good if I took them, since he did not think that my goitre was caused through iodine deficincy (the cause was more likely to be hereditary). I did notice that my goitre appeared to get smaller when I was taking vitamin supplements during my pregnancies, so perhaps vitamins do help. Incidentally, I have had 2 pregnancies without complications whilst having a goiter and I have delivered 2 healthy babies. I just had to have my thyroid levels monitored throughout the pregnancy. So, in my case, the goitre appears much worse than I experience it.