Thyroid removal surgery

[Anioveractive]

I have been told today that as my red blood count is going down I must stop medication and have iodine treatment or surgery. Having two under 3 age children I have decided on surgery, could anyone tell me what to expect in terms of time for recovery following the operation.

[Piedo]

Hi I had thyroidectomy I year ago.wasn t really prepared for how poorly I felt after surgery.It will be two weeks before you feel able to get about.Suggest as you have two young children you will need help.I would say 6weeks before you feel normal as long as your medication is right this takes a while to even out.You are lucky you have found this site it gives lots of good advice.Make sure you take thyroxine properly I.e at least 2hours before food and 4hours before dairy and calcium. When I was in hospital they were giving me my thyroxine and calcium tablets together now I know why I had poor absorption.

My multinodular goitre was discovered after the birth of my son in1989 ,it was 24 years later that it had grown to size for removal.

Be prepared to feel unwell for a while but be positive make sure you ask you surgeon about any concerns before surgery.

Good luck

Piedo

[Anioveractive in reply to Piedo]

thank you

[TTLady in reply to Anioveractive]

I had my TT 18 months ago and haven't looked back since. Had two weeks booked off work but within 48hrs I felt fine. My only issue was lying down comfortably was difficult for a few days but the pain killers helped it only took 8 wks to completely regulate my levo as without the thyroid it was only a question of getting the dosage correct. It's a good procedure that works well and elevates hyper symptoms FAST!!! Good luck with your op I hope you feel well again very soon xx

[Hidden]

If this is the end of the line for your treatment, then I personally would opt for surgery, not RAI with more complications. But as I've only had a partial op due to a dodgy nodule, I can't really say but understand your dilemma.

My op was fine, recovered in 2 weeks (stupidly scar worn with pride!) - I felt much better after, the 'timebomb' was gone and hyper symptoms eased but slipped into being hypo - which actually is not that easy to treat as they say, er.. no treatment yet for me! but (IMHO) better than being hyper. I can't make decisions so the ENT doc did it for me. Best wishes and hugs Jane x

[Anioveractive]

Thank you all for your comments - it still looks like the best option and work are being very supportive, just need to wait for the consultants meeting to see when it will happen. Then off shopping for neck scarves!

[Mumtoboy]

For me it took 2 weeks to recover but I was up and about the same day. Didn't drive for 2 weeks though. Hope your surgery and recovery go well.

[Rosieposie24]

It took me a few days to recover-bit of a sore throat for couple of weeks. Scar gets a bit itchy but I had mine in March & scar is virtually gone. Lots of E45 cream on it. Did feel a bit whacked on first dosage given to me at hosp but after 2weeks told doc I wasn't right-felt like baby brain!! I was told my levels were ok but I knew I didn't feel right. I stuck to my guns & I was upped slightly & feel great now. You know if you don't feel right. So glad I did it & can't believe I struggled on for so long. I have a 5yr old & 2yr old twins & I am finally enjoying my time with them fully instead of feeling exhausted all the time. The only other thing I would say is that I read a lot about nutrition & best times to take medication which made me understand how my body was feeling, which helped a lot. Good luck with your op & recovery.

[Anioveractive]

Thanks I'll plan to get help for at least two weeks after the op, I had heard about it being important when you take the pills so guess I'll be back on here once I'm post op.

[AshbyTwin2]

I had a total thyroidectomy in November last year after being hyper for 18 months. I too had a 2 year old son so the radioactive iodine wasn't an option.

I had calcium level problems after the surgery which meant an additional night in hospital. After that I was prepared to return to full time work approximately 4 weeks after the surgery but my GP had other ideas. In the end I was signed off for 8 weeks, then told I could do a phased return to work for 4 weeks before returning full time. I found it frustrating as I felt fine but got there in the end.

Think positive to get positive outcomes and I wish you all the very best x

[Bethy12]

I had a total thyroidectomy 11 weeks ago and I have a 2 year old daughter. I refused to have the RAI partly because I felt it was not practical with a toddler and also I had nodules growing on my thyroid (which I've now found out was a tumour).

I stayed in hospital overnight. I found that my throat hurt more than my neck, I was expecting to be in a lot of pain but my neck has hardly hurt at all. I've only really noticed pain when my daughter has caught me around my neck area.

I was offered codeine but I only took paracetamol for 2 days after the op - this was for my throat. Friends and family have commented on how neat my scar looks and it is healing well - although can be a bit itchy at times!

I slept a lot the first few days after the operation but I think this was due to the anesthetic. I also found the dressing on my neck quite restrictive and I didn't like standing up as I couldn't lift my head up! The dressing was only on for five days. I was told to take it off myself as the stiches were disolvable ones.

I was signed off work for four weeks, but mainly because my job can be physically demanding at times and I couldn't risk being injured. If I had a desk job I would have gone back to work sooner.

Otherwise I'm getting on with life as I did before. I was on a block and replace so I've carried on taking thyroxine. I have a blood test next month to check the levels and go back to the hospital in October.

Good luck, hope it goes well.

[hopcott in reply to Bethy12]

Hi Bethy i am due to have my Thyroid removed in September not looking forward to it

but you seemed to have done well did it take long to get your levels right? i have heard this can be a problem i have been taking carbimazole for 14 years as my thyroid is overactive but now i have a goitre so they reccomended removal

[Bethy12 in reply to hopcott]

Hi, I was on a block and replace before surgery. I continued taking 100mcg of thyroxine then when I saw the surgeon two weeks after the op he increased it to 125mcg. My pre-op results showed I was slightly underactive. I had my calcium levels checked after the op but not my thyroid levels. I was told to get them checked three months after the op - so that'll be in a couple of weeks time.

I know that I don't feel 100% yet, but then I don't really feel any different now to how I was before surgery. Tiredness has always been one of my main symptoms and I think it always will be. I just try and ignore it now and stay positive!!

Hope the operation goes well for you.