MADISON, Wis. -- Those who have been diagnosed with a thyroid problem or thyroid cancer can take some encouragement in the fact that treatments are very safe and well-tolerated and they can help people get back to feeling like their old selves again.

Experts said that if people's thyroids are not working right, they will feel it. The gland plays a huge role in how people feel on a daily basis.

The thyroid, a small butterfly-shaped gland in the neck, controls metabolism. It's part of the body's endocrine system, so people who suspect thyroid problems should see an endocrinologist, which is a doctor who specializes in the study of hormones.

Dr. Paul Bekx, an endocrinologist with Dean Clinic, said that the thyroid can have different effects on a person's body.

"If you have too much thyroid hormone it's like having too much caffeine. Everything gets revved up in the body. If you have too much thyroid hormone in your bloodstream you're going to have a racing heart, insomnia, you'll be warm and sweaty you may be a little anxious, jittery," Bekx said. "Vice versa, if you don't have enough thyroid hormone, it's like not having your coffee in the morning. You're a little sluggish; you're a little cold. It's hard to get going."

A simple blood test can determine if there is a problem. Doctors look for something called TSH, or Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, in the blood.

Doctors said that usually all it takes is one pill to replace what the thyroid isn't making on its own and make a person feel better.

"There are a number of preparations out there, there's synthroid, unithroid, levythryoid. There all the same medication essentially. They're just made by different manufacturers. They're all levothyroxine, which is synthetic thyroid hormone," Bekx said.

But experts said that sometimes an overactive thyroid or thyroid cancer requires surgery and follow-up treatment with a unique targeted therapy called radioactive iodine.

"It's one of the best types of chemotherapy, because I tell my patients it's kind of like a magic bullet. Very few tissues in the body take up iodine," Bekx said. "Thyroid tissue is one of the only tissues in the body that does take up iodine, and therefore if you give radioactive iodine, it's kind of a magic bullet that the iodine knows exactly where to go."

For this treatment, patients either swallow a pill or sip a liquid that tastes like stale water through a straw.

"We typically treat with one dose and that radioactive iodine dose will work up to six months in the thyroid tissue and destroy thyroid cancer and any normal thyroid tissue that's left in the body," Bekx said.

After treatment, doctors do a scan to make sure the treatment worked.

"You just lie on a table and a big camera scans your body and looks for radiation coming from the iodine," Bekx said.

Sandy Dresen, who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer three years ago, said she has had to adjust following treatment.

"The doctors told me up front, 'Normal will never be normal again.' It is so true. You develop a new normal," Dresen said.

The new normal means constant monitoring with scans and blood work, which Dresen said takes an emotional toll.

"I can't have a headache anymore without immediately thinking there's something wrong. All of those things we took for granted or brushed off for years now suddenly become a bigger issue," Dresen said. "So, it's tough, but I remind myself that there are so many people out there that are so much worse off than I am."

Experts said that for most patients who treat and watch their condition, thyroid problems will not affect how long they live or the quality of life.

Some of the best doctors in the field are located in Madison.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Hospital is one of 14 endocrine surgery centers in the world where surgeons can train in endocrine surgery.

Those who want to learn more can visit the American Cancer Society's Web site at Cancer.org.