Q: I was suffering from a prolonged throat infection. I was not very regular in taking medication. Later I felt a swelling near my throat region. I was advised to take T3, T4, TSH tests. The test results are as follows: T3 - 5.6; T4 - 2.9; TSH - 0.01. Doctors say that this thyroid condition is rare in males and could be cancerous. I am 51 years old and I am totally stressed at my workplace. I travel 300 kms at a minimum of 3-4 times a week. What should be my next move? What is your diagnosis?

A:What you have is thyrotoxicosis, i.e. overactivity of the thyroid gland. This can be controlled by either medication, or an ablative dose of radioiodine. The response to treatment is guided by regular thyroid function (TSH, T4, and if needed, T3) tests, usually every 2-3 months. Thyrotoxicosis is more common in women than men, but not so rare that it is surprising. Just to be on the safe side, before you start treatment, you should get a technitium thyroid scan, thyroid ultrasound, and guided by the ultrasound picture, a fine needle aspiration (FNAC) of the thyroid gland. None of these are very invasive or expensive tests, so you can get them done without adding to your stress! This should go a long way in ruling out any malignancy, so you can start the treatment without worrying about cancer. Let me add that thyrotoxicosis itself makes you feel stressed out, anxious, tired, irritable, with poor sleep. So early, proper treatment is essential. The time you spend on its care is time well spent. Get in touch with a good endocrinologist.