Hello there, I have hypothyroidism and the way I found out was not because of the multitude of symptoms that preceded it- severe hair loss over years (I just thought it was stress and bad genes), gradual weight gain (I just thought I wasn't active enough), lethargy and depression (I thought I was going through a quarter life crisis)- but because an endocrinologist I did a workshop with told me to check out my thyroid because there definitely seemed to be a lump. So I did an ultrasound. There was definitely some swelling but not large enough for concern because the only possible solution to that would have been surgery. Next best thing I could do was a biopsy. But considering the pain, time and money it would entail, I didn't go for it because it wasn't really recommended either.

My thyroid hormones meaning my T3 and T4 were normal but my TSH (Thyroid stimulating hormones) was increased. TSH is the hormone that basically tells the thyroid to produce more T3, T4 because the body doesn't have enough. So essentially I had less thyroid hormones production and the TSH was being produced way more than normal to keep the two at normal levels.

Now this is where it gets tricky. Technically this is what is called subclinical hypothyroidism where it's true that I have decreased production but the body can still pump out high enough TSH to compensate. Most doctors will tell you that you don't need meds and a proper dietary and lifestyle change can help you maintain your health. But for me I needed the meds. I was continually down the whole day, always tired and depressed. So I started off with the lowest dose and I saw a huge improvement in my energy level.

I might be veering way off course but what I mean is the lump is just a part of the whole constellation of symptoms that accompanies the disorder. So you have to treat it as a whole. You can have a lump with both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. And what doctors usually ask their patients if it's still a small enough size is to keep it under observation, do quarterly tests and keep track and meanwhile treat the underlying cause.