Have You or Anyone Close to You Had Their Thyroid Removed?

My husband's neice who is in her thirties just had this operation done two weeks ago and did very well with it,

S.,
I had 1/2 of my thyroid and the isthmus removed 18 months ago due to a huge mulitnodular fluid-filled cyst. Sounds pretty, huh? I chose to leave the non-affected part of my thyroid knowing that I may have to have it removed some day also.
My surgeon is a board-certified thyroid surgeon who involved me in the decisions about my treatment. Check into your surgeons' qulaifications. A good friend of mine works in the ENT's office and mentioned that a lot of the general surgeons are not specifically certified to do thyroid operations.
If you are very comfortable with your surgeon, I think you will do well. Have as much help as possible post-surgery. The pain meds are wonderful, but they might make you quite sleepy!
As for the surgery, if it is necessary, do it. Life in general has many risks, we just go about it the best we can.
Good luck to you!
A.

Dear S. - A good friend of mine had her thyroid removed. She has done fine. The doctors have to tell you about the possible complications, but they are very rare. Pray for peace, grace, and a good outcome. Envision a good result and you feeling healthy, energetic, and well. I'm sure you'll be fine. You cannot even see my friend's scar. It is very thin and fine and continues to fade over time. Take care. Best of luck. N. B.

I had my thyroid removed 8 years ago, at the age of 27, due to nodules that they were unable to determine whether they were cancerous our not on needle biopsies. Thank God they were all benign in the end. I was in the hospital overnight. The first couple of days after were a little tough (I didn't expect the pain in my upper chest, but it didn't last long.) My voice was very hoarse for about a month after the surgery. Recovery was pretty non-eventful and I've been on thyroid replacement ever since. The medication has had no side effects. I've even had an uneventful pregnancy since the delivery. Try to lay your mind at ease. You'd be amazed how many people have thyroid issues.

Good luck.

Hi S.,
My elderly mother had thyroid surgery plus radioactive iodine several years ago and is doing well. As others have suggested, you'll have to be good about taking your medications afterwards -- and it may take time for your doctor to get the dosage right for you. There's a lot of information on the Web about treatment for thyroid disease and surgery (check out
http://thyroid.about.com/od/thyroiddrugstreatments/a/thyr.... You didn't say what your diagnosisis, but you can also find some good information on www.mayoclinic.com. Good luck!

Stacy - BREATHE! I know you are scared. I have never had thyroid surgery but when I had my tubes tied I had all the same fears and anxiety and worry. Please remember something - trust your doctors. If you have faith - Trust in God. He will take you through this. Focusing on fear just makes the fear bigger so focus on your babies. Think about how much healthier you will be once this problem is taken care of - yes there is risk - but there is risk in every day life. Just breathe - lately I have had occasion to search for peace - these scriptures have kept me going -Jer 29:11 - "I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.", Mt 11:28 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Talk to your doctor about your concerns - everyone has them but its best to get them out in the open. And I'd be worried if you weren't scared. Be blessed and remember - focus on the positive side not your fears - then positive gets bigger in your mind and fears get smaller.
Take care,
S.

Hi S.:

My grandmother is 87 and had her thyroid removed over 50 years ago. She takes one pill a day (generic synthetic thyroid hormone, Synthroid)-they don't cost much at all. (Birth control pills cost more). Aside from recovery from surgery, I expect you will find that with properly regulated levels of thyroid hormone you will feel better than before the surgery.
Good luck!

Stay positive. I had mine removed 2 years ago due to thyroid cancer.
The first 2 days or so in the hospital were not that great but after I got my tubes out I was good.
Then of course getting your meds right, I was lucky it only took about 3 months.
Hang in there :)

My sister just had a complete thyroidectomy in March. She also had to have a large incision due to the size of her thyroid, which was beginning to move her trachea. Surgery was performed at John's Hopkins in Baltimore. The surgery lasted about 3 hours and she was only in overnight and went back to work the following week. She only had stitches on the inside and the incision was made in the crease of her neck. She did not have a drain and did not have any problems swallowing or breathing. She said after the surgery was over, she could tell the difference and it was easier to swallow. She could not lift over 10 pounds for 4 weeks. Her voice was a little scratchy for a day or so but after that it was fine.

My sister's Mother-in-law had it removed and she was just fine after a few days. I have a thyroid disease. I haven't had my thyroid removed, but I do have to take a thyroid replacement pill every day for the rest of my life. That part of it is really no big deal. I just keep my little bottle of pills next to my bed with a glass of water and take one first thing in the morning when I wake up so that I don't forget. Just be sure to pay attention to your body to make sure you are on the correct dosage. If you are restless, losing weight, missing periods, your dose might be too high. If you are lethargic, start gaining weight -- hair and skin dry feel overly dry -- you might be on a dose that is too low. It might take a few months to get to the perfect level, so just really pay attention to yourself.

I've had a couple of unrelated surgeries where I was put under general anesthesia and I know that it's a little scary, but try not to worry. My doctor was a real joker (the first surgery I had) and asked me what my favorite alcoholic beverage was. I told him -- dirty martinis. He said, Okay, it is basically going to feel like drinking 4 dirty martinis and they are going to hit you all at once. It was totally true. Just like that I felt very relaxed and a little woozy and then the next thing I knew, it was all over and I was in the recovery room.

Hi S.,

Why do you have to have your thyroid out?

What kind of hormone testing have you had?

Here is a web site:

www.med.umich.edu/1libr/aha/aha_thyect_crs.htm

Hope this helps. Good luck. D.

Hi S.,

My mom had her thyroid removed 10 years ago due to cancer. She didn't have any problems with the surgery and currently takes synthroid and she feels fine. I also have thyroid problems - Hypothyroid - and I am also on synthroid to regulate it. It took a little time to find the right dosage, but now I have energy again...and I need it... I have 5 children. Think positive. I will pray that God will protect you and heal you quickly. Take care. C.

My mother had her thyroid removed in 1937 at age 27 without a problem and lived to be 92 without any synthroid or other medication. All ops are scary but you need to relax before it or you will be a wreck. Good luck.

I had a thyroidectomy 28 years ago - they found a nodule (benign). Back then they kept me in the hospital for 3 days. I have been on synthroid since that time and they have only had to change it once. Surgeries are scary (I've had a few since then!), but things will go fine and remember to take your medication each day and be "in tune" with what your body tells you. Be sure to have you blood work each year to ensure the medication is at the correct level. Good Luck and remember to relax!

Hi, S.. I've had my throid removed (about 3 years ago). However, mine was more "nuked" than removed. It was through RAI (radioactive iodine therapy) and not via a thyroidectomy. You can google RAI to find out more about it. Not sure why you can't go this route - I didn't have to go under, no incisions, etc. I was suffering from hyperthyroidism. Now, my thyroid hormone levels are maintained by medication. I am on meds daily, and yes, for the rest of my life, but it's no biggie. I feel a lot better now than I did before. I still go to the doc every 3 months to get my hormone levels tested and monitored. I can't speak much about thyroidectomy but I can tell you that it is best for your health to address your thyroid issues. I wish you the best with your surgery. Make sure you have someone to help you around the house while you're recovering.

S.,
HI there,....my mother had half her thyroid removed along w/ a growth. She had the overnight stay and the drain tube, pretty similar to what you'll have, just not the entire gland removed. She is now functioning w/ the good half.
She bounced back fairly well from the surgery...and I am sure she's much older than you(...she's 64); plus she was able to get rid of some annoying symptoms(visible swelling, trouble breathing, constant coughing). Overall, it's been well worth the trouble of surgery. She's still asking about her hormone levels, feeling that she is still somewhat sluggish, but I still see a huge improvement in her lifestyle. She can finally climb a flight of stairs w/o getting winded and she can sing in church again!(w/o wheezing)
I say go in w/ a positive attitude expecting relief from your symptoms...yes, you'll have to deal w/ the unpleasantries of surgery, but it will be worth it. If allowed to grow, the consequences are too risky...so just look at the benefits. You'll be a healthier, more energetic mom for your children. I realize that you will be taking replacement hormones...but that is small price to pay for a lifetime of good health:) It is a procedure that is done quite often...so don't fret...you've got some good things to look forward to:)
Blessings,
L.

My thyroid was removed 30 years ago. Since then, I have taken Synthroid (or the generic) most every day, with some lapses when I ran out and didn't get to the pharmacy right away. I have given birth to two children normally after two normal pregnancies. I have had no ill effects.

Thirty years ago, they kept me in the hospital for 5 days. After the surgery, my throat was very sore (as in, hard to swallow) for a couple of days. I did not have a drainage tube, so that wasn't an issue. And when I did go home, I did need more time to heal. But even that was uneventful, following the doctor's orders.

I trust it will go well, and hope you will have the help you need.

Hey, S., I had a total thyroidectomy in February for a multi-node goiter (benign). It's definitely a surgery you don't want to visualize, but it wasn't bad at all. The surgeon put the incision in a crease in my neck so it's not really noticeable. The stitches were inside and dissolved, the steri-strips on the outside came off in a few days. I stayed overnight and the drain was removed before I went home; that was probably the grossest part. As far as pain goes, take all the pain meds they'll give you while you're in the hospital to keep a lid on it; I went through about half of the pain meds I went home with. Plan to rest as much as you can(hard with 2 littles, I know). You will be swollen for awhile, and the area from your chin to the incision site may be numb for months, that is normal. I was pretty hoarse for about 6 weeks, and still get that way when I'm tired or talk too much. Neosporin is great for healing the incision and keeping it from feeling tight. My surgeon recommended massaging the area lightly from side to side, not up and down which helped loosen things up--I didn't have trouble swallowing anything (it felt like a bad sore throat) except cheese (too sticky?). No problems with the Synthroid except I have energy back, still in the adjustment phase. Whew this is long, you can e-mail me if you'd like: ____@____.com luck, I went back to work lifting patients in 2 weeks with no problems....