Conditions

Hypocalcemia is too little calcium in the blood. Calcium is a mineral that helps the heart and other muscles work well. It's also needed to develop and maintain strong bones and teeth. Here's what you should know if you have hypocalcemia.

Graves' disease is the result of an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism). Thyroid hormone is important to your body's growth and metabolism. But if you have too much thyroid hormone, your body's processes may speed up or overreact, causing a variety of symptoms. Three options are available to treat Graves' disease: medications, radiation, or surgery. Here's what you need to do at home following treatment.

A thyroidectomy is the removal of your thyroid gland. Removing the thyroid gland removes your body's source of thyroid hormone. So after the surgery, you will need to take thyroid hormone pills every day. This helps keep the level of thyroid hormone in your body steady. This sheet tells you more about how to care for yourself after surgery.

Hard nodules can sometimes form inside the thyroid gland. You may notice a small bump in the gland area. Thyroid nodules are common. The nodules are often not dangerous. But in some cases, they can be thyroid cancer. A thyroid FNA biopsy can test for cancer.

Hyperthyroidism means that the thyroid gland makes too much thyroid hormone. This causes many body processes to speed up.

Hypothyroidism means that the thyroid gland is not making enough thyroid hormone. This causes many body processes to slow down.