positive surgery outcomes
ggeise14
Posts: 387 Member
Please share a bit about your post surgery outcomes. I am having a total thyroidectony in a couple of weeks due to growing nodules. I'm trying to prepare mentally for being hypothyroid after surgery. Ive read STTM book, read this thread, etc. But the closer the date comes the anxiety starts.
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I had a my surgery January 19, 2012. The surgery went very well and I only had to stay one night in the hospital. Of course there was a lot of pain and discomfort but it didn't last too long. Just remember, don't try and be brave and not take the pain meds that they offer you! I had to come home with a drain tube and that was the worst part. Once that was out things felt much better. Unfortunately my pathology came back as cancer and I was not able to start on the synthroid for about 7 weeks. If your labs come back clean and you can start on your meds in a couple of weeks you will be fine. If you can't start on your meds then that is a whole different story. Just remember it will take a while to get the right level of meds so don't be discouraged. Just listen to your body. You are going to be tired and that is ok. Don't try to push yourself. I hope you have a good network of friends and family that will help you in this journey Keep us posted!0
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I had a TT Sept of 2012. It was my very first surgery ever and to be honest, it was a breeze. Neck surgery is shockingly painless (full disclosure - that's compared to the childbirth I went through not 4 months prior). No hospital stay. All was said and done within a week (bandages, stitches, everything). I was a nervous wreck prior, so if you want more details on that, PM me. People scared me with antiquated stories and they all turned out to be not relevant. Yay modern medicine!
Living without a thyroid also fairly painless. The pill is small and not terribly expensive. It also comes in lots of increments so the doctors can tweak to their hearts content. That's my only complaint about all of this is the tweaking. Back and forth, every 8 weeks they tweak. That's because my TT was due to cancer, so they want to keeps my levels as close to 0 as possible. That'll be different for you if cancer's not an issue.
Also make sure you take the med properly. Read the instructions carefully and figure out how to make it a habit. There has been a lot of debate on these forums regarding the proper way to take it and what's effective, but for me, following the instructions made all the difference in the world.
Good luck!!!!0 -
I had a TT in early 2012, so almost 2 years ago. It seems like it is ancient history. I did not have cancerous cells, but my thyroid had become "calcified". It was an ordeal for the surgeon to get it out, but he was great and was able to leave all my parathyroids in place. My lessons learned are below and everything will be great! I think of surgery as one really great nap.
- Invest in light scarves. They saved me a lot of explaining at work and in public when I walked around with my bandages. People thought I was fashionable and chic when I was really hiding my scar until it healed. The scarves also gave me a feeling of protection like I wasn't going to bump or scratch or something without thinking about it.
- Synthroid doesn't work for me. I am allergic to everything so one of the fillers gave me migraines and other allergy symptoms. Once we figured that out, I switched to Tirosint and have not had any adverse reactions. I take it before bed at the advisement of my doctor to get the best absorption for me. Be patient with yourself while you adjust to your medication.
- Do what your doctor says to take care of your scar. My doc said to stay out of the sun and always wear an SPF 100+ on it when I wore anything open around my neck. I also used Bio-Oil every day for 3 months once I was cleared. Some of it is genetics and some placement, but my scar is barely visible.
- My voice was hoarse for 6 months. I had a hard time getting above a whisper for 2 months. This was great for my diet, because they couldn't hear me at the drive thru window. I don't think this is normal. Like I mentioned above, my thyroid had hardened and it took some sawing and lots of elbow grease to break it out of my neck. My voice has returned back to normal but it took a little time.
- The most uncomfortable part of the whole thing for me was the scratchy feeling deep in my throat for the first couple of days. It was probably a combination of healing and the removal of the breathing tube from surgery but it drove me a little nuts. I wanted to put something down my throat to scratch, but that would have been crazy. I found that drinking hot tea with honey and lemon calmed the itching considerably.
You will do fine and everything will be great. Good luck!0 -
I had 1/2 of my thyroid out--It was a great relief to no longer be hyperthyroid and always hungry and anxious. Getting the correct dose of synthroid and cytomel took about 4-5 months. I again became hyperthyroid as a nodual that was left acted up and so my synthroid was reduced. There is a need for frequent (every 3-6 months) blood tests to make sure that all is going well. The big thing is to also replace your T3(cytomel) not just your T4(synthroid). Some people prefer the natural hormone rather then the synthetic, that will need to be discovered by you as to which works best. Good luck!0
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DHubSleevery had some GREAT suggestions. I just had my 3rd parathyroidectomy, in which they had to remove the right side of my thyroid (unplanned). I was already on Synthroid for Hashimoto's but I guess they found something on the right side of my thyroid which is why they removed it while they were in there catching those darn parathyroids.
Anyways. Since everything is FRESH in my mind (had my surgery last week):
1. Book a massage. They put you in a weird position during surgery, so I ended up with a really sore neck and super tense shoulders/back.
2. Don't be afraid to move and rotate your neck after surgery. You may think the incision is going to burst open, but it won't. Doing gentle stretching exercises will help keep your neck mobile, keep the muscles working properly, and you won't get the feeling of a "rubberband" around your neck.
3. Strengthen your core before surgery. You may not notice it, but you use muscles from your neck to sit up from lying down. Having a strong core will allow you to get up without putting too much strain in your neck (I usually put my hand behind my neck for support when getting up)
To be honest, I only asked for the lowest dosage of pain meds once during my hospital stay. And that's because the anesthesia was wearing off and my IV site (and all the other sites where they drew blood) were starting to feel sore. Other than that...I didn't even fill my pain rx. Didn't have the need to. The worst part of surgery for me....is getting that darned IV in. But again, I have very small veins and poor circulation - add fasting to that mix and the nurses always have a problem. If you have the same issue, and if they allow it, ask to have the anesthesiologist put it in. They know exactly what they're doing.
Good luck with your surgery, let us know how you're doing!0 -
I had a TT in early 2012, so almost 2 years ago. It seems like it is ancient history. I did not have cancerous cells, but my thyroid had become "calcified". It was an ordeal for the surgeon to get it out, but he was great and was able to leave all my parathyroids in place. My lessons learned are below and everything will be great! I think of surgery as one really great nap.
- Invest in light scarves. They saved me a lot of explaining at work and in public when I walked around with my bandages. People thought I was fashionable and chic when I was really hiding my scar until it healed. The scarves also gave me a feeling of protection like I wasn't going to bump or scratch or something without thinking about it.
- Synthroid doesn't work for me. I am allergic to everything so one of the fillers gave me migraines and other allergy symptoms. Once we figured that out, I switched to Tirosint and have not had any adverse reactions. I take it before bed at the advisement of my doctor to get the best absorption for me. Be patient with yourself while you adjust to your medication.
- Do what your doctor says to take care of your scar. My doc said to stay out of the sun and always wear an SPF 100+ on it when I wore anything open around my neck. I also used Bio-Oil every day for 3 months once I was cleared. Some of it is genetics and some placement, but my scar is barely visible.
- My voice was hoarse for 6 months. I had a hard time getting above a whisper for 2 months. This was great for my diet, because they couldn't hear me at the drive thru window. I don't think this is normal. Like I mentioned above, my thyroid had hardened and it took some sawing and lots of elbow grease to break it out of my neck. My voice has returned back to normal but it took a little time.
- The most uncomfortable part of the whole thing for me was the scratchy feeling deep in my throat for the first couple of days. It was probably a combination of healing and the removal of the breathing tube from surgery but it drove me a little nuts. I wanted to put something down my throat to scratch, but that would have been crazy. I found that drinking hot tea with honey and lemon calmed the itching considerably.
You will do fine and everything will be great. Good luck!
After my surgery my motto was always "love your neck" I see no scar in your profile picture - Amazing!
I agree with the light scarfs - I wore many for the same reason as you.
My profile pic was taken this weekend and as you can see my scar is strongly visiable (surgery was over two years ago). Just wanted to say you look great!0 -
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"After my surgery my motto was always "love your neck" I see no scar in your profile picture - Amazing!
I agree with the light scarfs - I wore many for the same reason as you.
My profile pic was taken this weekend and as you can see my scar is strongly visiable (surgery was over two years ago). Just wanted to say you look great!"
[/quote] It's a badge of honor. They fade with time and age, but when I do happen to notice one, they always make me smile. PS to everyone on this thread, I contacted the OP last week to check in and she's doing great. 0 -
[/quote] It's a badge of honor. They fade with time and age, but when I do happen to notice one, they always make me smile. PS to everyone on this thread, I contacted the OP last week to check in and she's doing great.
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I had a TT a little over four years ago. I did have problems moving my neck for a few weeks but I also had quite a few lymph nodes removed (and a 5 hours surgery). I was overnight in the hospital and I was cleared as okay within two weeks. My scar was completely gown in less then a year, there is only one small spot you can see where it was, if you know what you are looking for. What specifically are your worries? I knew going in that mine was cancer so I was prepared for that. Going hypo for radioactive iodine was the worst part of my ordeal. Now I just struggle with maintaining my thyroid levels, they like to fluctuate a bit so I get to go for blood work every couple months. But I was pretty much recovered and "back to normal" (or my new normal anyway) within 3 months.
Best wishes for you!0 -
Thanks for your replies! Surgery at the beginning of Feb went well, no complications. I actually felt very good once the anasthetic wore off. I did take a few pain pills for sleeping, etc. and stayed pretty quiet the first few days. My voice wasn't really affected. I did stay overnight to monitor calcium/magnesium levels which were both low. I took five days off from working out and then eased back in to it by using the treadmill and Leslie Sansone walking dvd's. Now I am back to rotating between cardio and strength workouts.
I've had blood drawn once since the surgery and calcium and T3 levels are low. I really do feel back to normal but with a low T3 level am considering switching to a NDT (my endo doesn't prescribe NDT's but my GP will). I'm currently on 125 mg levothyroxine. I've been reading STTM book and web site since before surgery, I just hesitate to make the switch because I feel very good. I just hate to go six months and find out my cholestrol is up, etc. One step at a time!0
