What can cause a swollen or enlarged thyroid?

Are there any diseases/conditions/illnesses that would cause general anxiety symptoms for only 6 months?

• Last year around February I started experiencing every symptom of Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Hyperthyroidism. You name the symptom, I had it. I even had 3 panic attacks, of which I've never had in my life before ever. Then in about August/September, BOOM!, not a single symptom anymore. I had lost weight during this 6 month "episode", and starting September, I've gained it all back plus some (about 15-20 pounds total) and had absolutely no more of the millions of symptoms I was experiencing during Feb-Sep. For a little background, I had moved to a new state across country about 4 months prior to Feb. In Feb the new job I had just started about 3 months prior laid everyone off. (Stress? I was upset, but more relieved because I hated the job anyway) My entire family has thyroid problems(younger brother, mother, aunts). I've never been diagnosed, but I have every simple and a visibly enlarged thyroid(can definitely see and feel it). TSH tested at 3.59 in Feb of 2010, doctor told me I was normal! In Feb, while I was still at work, just prior to all my anxiety symptoms, severe upper respiratory infections were spreading through work like wildfire, and I did become sick for about 2-3 days with what felt like the flu or a cold, I never went to a doctor to see if it was the respiratory infection everyone else had. Now, since September when all the symptoms stopped, I have ZERO energy. Sometimes I'm too tired to even think! I can't lose weight to save my life, I'm doing Weight Watchers right now, which has made me drop pounds like crazy in the past, suddenly it's not working. (I'm still in a good weight range for my height, so I'm not obese, if that matters, but I'm carrying about 15-20 pounds more than I normally ever have). Question (aside from the main one in the title): Could a thyroid nodule cause hyperthyroid symptoms for 6 months and then BAM you have hypothyroid symptoms full blown and the hyper symptoms never return? Do nodules cause symptoms just once for a period of time or would this be something that would keep coming back? (because so far it hasn't, so I thought maybe my thyroid burnt itself out during those six months and threw me into full blown hypothyroidism now) Question: Could the cold/respiratory infection that I had in February have cause thyroiditis for those six months I felt so sick with anxiety? Thanks for any insight. I'm going to go to an endo to have them run ALL thyroid tests on me, because I know somethings wrong and I still think I should have been on meds at a TSH of 3.59. But as for the 6 random months of severe anxiety, does anyone know what that might have been? Aside from possible thyroid problems (if that is even a possibility) is there ANY other condition out there that would cause something like this? I would hate to ask a doctor now, as like I said, I haven't had a single one of the symptoms since. It was literally 6 months of feeling paranoid and like I was dying and then nothing. Thanks!

• Answer:

  Not a doctor but I could guarantee that you have Hashimoto's. I already knew I had it when I hit my probably one & only HypER swing of it ... heart palpitations, hot all the time, insomnia, diarrhea and LOST 35 lbs almost overnight (gained back 45 just as quickly). You need testing for thyroid ANTIBODIES as well as TSH. TSH ‘norm’ should be .3 – 3 (w/ most feeling best at < 2) but, for diagnosis, may not mean much if ANTIBODIES are present which is indicative of Hashimoto’s Autoimmune Thyroiditis (cycles between HYPER & HYPO at start)…it is the main cause of eventual HypOthyroidism but worse (...OR Graves Disease – HypERthyroid from beginning). You will have to INSIST they test for the antibodies. They can code so that ins will pay. WARNING: Doctors seem not to want to find/treat thyroid disease. You may have to go to more than one doctor before you get the right tests, interpretation, and treatment. Best wishes. Ck these: http://thyroid.about.com/bio/Mary-Shomon%E2%80%A6 http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ http://www.thyrophoenix.com/index.html http://thyroid.about.com/cs/newsinfo/l/b%E2%80%A6 ALWAYS GET COPIES OF YOUR LABS. God bless you