Yoga enthusiast finds relief from thyroid condition at Henry Ford

Ursula Watson noticed she had a small nodule on her thyroid and spent nearly a decade keeping an eye on it. Throughout the years, she visited her endocrinologist at another local health system, and they’d evaluate the nodule’s size to see if it was growing. Thankfully, the nodule remained the same size for many years.

During a visit with her primary care physician, Dr. Eric Rosenbaum, he noticed that one side of her neck was larger than the other. It had become evident that the nodule on her thyroid was growing and she could feel the difference.

“I started to have trouble swallowing. I frequently do yoga and I noticed that certain poses were more difficult, and I would feel pressure on my neck,” said Ursula. Ursula knew she needed to address this issue before it became a bigger problem.

Addressing the issue

Ursula made another visit to her endocrinologist, and they told her about Thyroid Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA). So, she decided to do some research on RFA and her search results brought her to Henry Ford Health.

“I decided to reach out with some questions I had about the procedure. They got back to me and before I knew it, I was visiting Dr. Shivangi Lohia for a consultation,” Ursula recalled, “From the moment I met her, I felt hopeful and confident in her.”

Dr. Lohia explained to Ursula that she knew a great deal about RFA and even worked directly with the company that made the machinery for the RFA procedure. Ursula felt that she was in good hands by getting her RFA done at Henry Ford.

Less invasive, quicker recovery

“When performing the RFA procedure, we essentially are overheating the nodule so then it dies off. I repeatedly insert a probe into the nodule and burn it about 80-90% of the way. Over time, that nodule will become scar tissue and gradually get smaller,” said Dr. Lohia, “And we expect to see full results from the ablation after about a year.”

Dr. Lohia performed the RFA procedure on Ursula on May 8th, 2024. Ursula remembered, “I was awake for the whole procedure and felt great the whole time. It didn’t feel like it took me long to recover at all and I barely felt any pain. I might have needed to take a Tylenol every once in a while, but that was it.”

Dr. Lohia noted, “Ursula was a great candidate for this procedure because she had a solid nodule on her neck with no fluid. She lives an active lifestyle, and the symptoms her nodule created were affecting her daily life and making her uncomfortable. With a procedure like RFA, patients aren’t sedated, and recovery really only takes a few hours. Patients can go about their daily lives pretty much immediately.”

Ursula’s care team checked on her frequently as she recovered. She visited the office a few weeks later for a post-operative exam and they let her know that everything looks like it’s healing and going back to normal.

Now, Ursula is back to doing the activities she loves without any discomfort. She noticed the pressure and sensation she felt while doing yoga has gone away and she no longer has trouble swallowing – all thanks to the experts and confidence of her care team at Henry Ford.