Divania Timmal, Contributor
Thyroid Nation
At-Home Thyroid Health Test
An at-home thyroid health test is surprisingly easy to do and can be completed in a few simple steps.
- Tilt your head back very slightly.
- Feel both sides of the thyroid cartilage. You might feel a small amount of soft tissue.
- You can also exaggerate the cartilage by swallowing a few times.
- If you feel more than a small amount of tissue, or swelling, lumps or bumps, this could indicate a thyroid issue or thyroid nodules. Nodules can be benign or malignant.
- If you do feel something unusually large, please see your doctor.
- If your doctor agrees, the next step is getting an ultrasound.
- Please note that there are some bumps behind the cartilage, and these are lymph nodes.
- Also note, we can have abnormal thyroids without being able to feel anything. Hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can present themselves without any abnormalities on the actual thyroid. If you are experiencing symptoms of either condition (for example: exhaustion, weight gain, high blood pressure), you may have a thyroid condition, despite not being able to feel anything on your thyroid.
About the Author
Divania Timmal is an avid writer (and book reader). She was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s Disease in January 2015 and has tried since then to educate herself, her friends and family as much as possible on these conditions. Check out her website, DivAndBeanWrite, with her friend Kate (Bean). Click here to check out her typical weekly meals. Be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!