Thyroid Surgery - Malvern,PA

B.,
I had this about 7 yrs ago. The recovery is not too bad, but you will have stitches across the front of your neck. So prepare your boys, because it looks a little scary. One of my friends sons asked her if the doctors had cut her head off and sewn it back on.
You won't feel like eating for a few days because it hurts to swallow.
Make sure you get on the proper meds as soon as possible. I found that armor thyroid worked for me, but not synthroid. You may also feel depressed for a while. So put a plan in place to get out and exercise. Enlist a friend to help keep you motivated.
I can guide you to some health audios on this issue if you are interested.
Good luck and God bless.
Victoria

My advice after having a partial, and then total thyroidectomy, get the total thyroidectomy and be done with it. If you get the partial, and then find cancerous cells, you'll have to get a total anyway. I've heard/read many stories of difficulties regulating a partial thryoid with appropriate med levels since one day it's high, then it's low.

Get the whole thing out and take a pill a day for the rest of your life and move on.

I'm happy to answer any questions I can.

Recovery from the surgery is relatively quick, less than a week. The additional treatments/recovery depends on if you have cancer cells, and if you need treatment for that, and then regulating your meds.

Hi B.,

I had the surgery last year. Following the surgery, I had to stay in the hospital for about a day so that they could monitor my vocal cords. I really didn't have any problems with the surgery. I really wasn't out of commission after the surgery. I pretty much fell into my regular routine right after I had it done but I do think I have a high tolerance for pain so you may feel differently after your surgery. I think the only real restrictions that I had following the surgery was that I couldn't go swimming for a number of weeks afterward -- I think maybe 8 weeks -- and it took about a week or two for me to fully be able to turn neck, making it possible for me to drive.

Two things that you may want to check on with your doctor before the surgery are: (1) making sure that a plastic surgeon will be there to close up the incision while you are in the operating room so that you do have a nice clean scar after it heals; and (2) making sure that you have a lab pathologist there in the operating room to test the mass to determine whether it is cancer so that you will not have to go through a 2nd surgery the following week to perform a complete thyroidectomy if it does turn out to be cancer.

Like I said it has been a year since I've had the surgery and no one notices my scar. I was lucky that my ENT had also been a plastic surgeon before switching to something more meaningful (his words, not mine). I would suggest that you go out a buy a number of cute scarfs to wear during for the Summer and Fall so that you are able to protect your scar from the sun (sun damage will make the scar stand out), and a tube of 99% aloe vera gel to apply on your scar to help minimize it's appearance.

I hope this answers most of your questions. If you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to send me a private message and I'll help you any way I can. I hope all goes well for you and the surgery.

Sending you prayers of healing and light.

Hi B.,

No personal experience with a thyroidectomy but I have had two friends that have had them. Their lives changed drastically after the removal. The thyroid regulates temperature, growth, metabolism and energy levels. Please, please, please get a second and third opinion before you remove any body part. I would even consult an ND before I did anything that drastic.

My sister was told by three doctors that she needed her gall bladder out. She had just been through major surgery for an accident and didn't want to go under the knife again. She consulted an ND and he found that there was nothing wrong with her gall bladder but her liver was shutting down. He diagnosed her with non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. A very common problem today and it will cause pain in the gall bladder. She went through about six months of liver cleansing agents and has not had a problem since. She was so glad I bullied her into a 4th opinion. (BTW, she went back to the first doctor that recommended the surgery and he said her gall bladder was fine and that sometimes mistakes are made....statistics and all.)

Anyway, that's my two cents. Hope everything works out well for you!

M.