This new treatment is a very good option for people, like Sarah, who have these hormone-secreting nodules called toxic nodules, Noel said. It can also prevent cosmetic problems or possible future discomfort.

OBrien said she suffered with symptoms of irritability, hot flashes and anxiety for about a year after the car crash before she finally realized the nodules in her neck were causing these symptoms.

Im usually a bubbly, happy person, she said. But the irritability started to interfere with my marriage and my patience with my two kids. And I was hot, hot, hot. To the point where I wanted to scream. So I started going to see doctors.

They told me they needed to take my thyroid out, she said. But I was scared to take out something that should be there.

For years she prayed for healing, then, last year, she joined a support group on Facebook for people with benign thyroid nodules where she learned about a new procedure called radio-frequency ablation.

The procedure, which was led by surgeonLisa Orloff, MD, professor of otolaryngology, with Noel assisting, took less than an hour. There was no overnight stay in the hospital, and she went home to recover that same day.

I was awake for the whole procedure, she said. There was some pressure, but not really any pain.

OBrien had two toxic nodules treated out of a total of five benign tumors on her thyroid. The first was fully ablated, and the second reduced in size. Immediately, the size of the goiter on her neck was significantly smaller, she said. Further gradual shrinkage can be expected for up to 12 months from the time of the surgery.

I could see that notch in my neck, she said, referring to her Adams apple. I had kind of missed it.

The other changes came a bit more slowly over the early weeks as she began to heal, she said. First, the hot flashes began to lessen in both intensity and frequency. She found herself wearing blankets at night for the first time in years, even putting on a sweater when she went out for a walk. Also, the overproduction of hormones has begun to level out.

There are no more hot flashes, she said. Im still struggling with up and down mood swings, but Im going on walks every night with my kids, pulling them in a wagon that my aunt bought them. Im a new mom.

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Stanford Health Care introduces new, less invasive treatment for benign thyroid nodules - Stanford Medical Center Report