Andrea, 54 years

The first thing which I just could not explain was that I had issues swallowing. A little later, when I applied a lotion, I clearly felt something on my neck. It made me feel uncomfortable I worried whether the nodule would continue to grow and if it was benign.

I immediately went to my family doctor, who referred me to a nuclear medicine doctor. The result: Fortunately, the lump was not malignant and I did not suffer from hyperthyroidism or hypofunction. But due to the discomfort and a size of 4.5 cm the nodule had to be treated anyways. The doctor prescribed pills which were supposed to prevent further growth. Worse than the uncertainty around this nodule, however, were the side effects of the pills: I suffered from headaches, tachycardia and severe abdominal pain.

By accident, I came across an article on echotherapy, which allows treating thyroid nodules without surgery. I found a treatment center in Germany via the echotherapy website and immediately arranged an initial consultation – a simple referral letter from my GP was sufficient. Two weeks later I was sitting in the practice for nuclear medicine at Dr. Hakman, who took a lot of time and explained how echotherapy works : a therapy option without general anesthesia and without a cut, which gently treats the affected tissue with bundled ultrasound – without surgery and in an outpatient session. The decision to do echotherapy was made quickly and a month later I returned to the practice for treatment.

Thanks to the extensive education of Dr. Hakman I already knew exactly what to expect. Of course, I was a little bit nerveous. The treatment did not really hurt – the hardest part was to keep still during 40 minutes. I felt a slight pull in the jaw and shoulder area, but after the treatment everything was quickly forgotten. I was able to leave the practice immediately and go to work. Four weeks later, the lump was already much smaller and after only four months it had shrunk to half its original size – and all without pills. I have no more complaints and the nodule is no longer visible. And I can look in the mirror again.