Question: About 1 and ½ years ago I developed a goiter. I had a nuclear med. scan and found it was ok. My bloodwork (which only tested for thyroid) came back normal. In the past month I have been experiencing hair loss (quite a bit), numbness in fingers, I feel as if I am cold all of the time, I am very irritable most of the time, and I have gained 10 pounds in 2 and ½ weeks. I recently had my bloodwork done again and it came back normal (again, tested for thyroid only). My family doctor is at a loss and offers no other possibilities. We both thought for sure I had hypothyroidism, as I have all of the classic symtoms. The fact that I have a goiter (which right now is tender to the touch, and I can feel it when I swallow), makes me think that there IS something wrong with my thyroid.  
I might also add that I had a baby in Dec. of 2005.

Dr. Joshua’s Answer:

I’m not sure what your diagnosis was, but based on the above description, I suspect it could be chronic lymphocytic thyreoiditis (Hashimoto’s thyreoiditis). Of course, I cannot be sure of this. In any case, you describe some typical clinical features of hypothyroidism, which means that thyroxine treatment may be necessary even though your thyroid lab tests are in the normal range. Normal lab results do not necessarily mean that your thyroid function is normal. You could talk to your doctor about the possibility of initiating thyroxine treatment, starting with a low dose, to see if your condition improves. You need to talk to your doctor because other possible causes for these symptoms must be considered as well.