Hi all
I'm having a hemithyroidectomy tomorrow and I'm freaking myself out a little. I'm concerned about a general and also healing I have Hughes syndrome (APS) and lupus (sle)
Do you know what I'm to expect when I wake up? And what the having time is ?
Thank you x 😁😁😁
Sorry I can't really help you with your questions about tomorrow but I do have a friend who had one a few years ago and apart from losing his voice and whispering for a while (until he had some speech therapy) he made a great recovery and has been very well ever since.
Good luck for tomorrow, I'm sure it will all go well.
Thank you for your response and best wishes for tomorrow.
Glad to hear your friend recovered well. Xxx 😀
Bacardibabe76, I was worried about general anaesthetic but had no ill effects after it. I don't remember waking in recovery but apparently a nurse is assigned to look after you until you wake and can be taken back to the ward. I was bursting for the loo and managed to walk from the wheelchair to the toilet with the support of a nurse when we reached the ward. A drain is inserted into the wound. It looks awful but reduces bruising and swelling. It's usually removed before discharge.
Slept a couple of hours and woke ravenous and was able to eat a sandwich and yoghurt, and ate a good breakfast next morning. There was plenty of pain relief available but I needed very little.
The wound healed well and needed to be kept dry for a couple of days. After that an antibiotic cream was applied two or three times a day. The stitch was removed 7-10 days later.
I hope all goes well tomorrow.
Thank you for your response.
nice to hear from someone who has been through it. How long was it before you could drive?
Thank you for you best wishes x😀
Bacardibabe76, I don't drive but I didn't have difficulty turning my head or neck after the op.
Oh that's great to hear. Couldn't bear being stuck with the kids 😀 Thank you x
If you have anaesthetic you have to wait 6 weeks before you can drive. Also, do you know that anaesthesia wipes out your vitamin b12 supplies? I have no idea why or how but its worth keeping an eye on your levels after the op.
Very best wishes for tomorrow, hopefully it will sort out whatever problems you are having. Let us know when you are back!
Xx g
6 weeks? Wow I was driving after 4 weeks with a Caesarian 😀.
My b12 is checked anyway as I tend to have low levels.
Thank you for your best wishes 😀 Xx
My very best wishes for tomorrow xx
Thank you 😀
Galathea, I've not heard that. I wasn't given any driving restrictions because of GA but was warned driving should be avoided if neck was sore or painful.
Galathea, I think that might have been muddled up with some other advice.
The Royal College of Anaesthetists says:
How long do anaesthetics stay in the body? How long do I have to wait before I can drive after a general anaesthetic?
Modern anaesthetic drugs are designed to be cleared from the body rapidly. The exact length of time depends on the nature and combination of the drugs used before, during and after the operation, and the nature and duration of the procedure itself. All patients differ slightly in their response to drugs and recovery after the operation will vary from patient to patient.
In general terms, although traces of the anaesthetic can be detected in the blood a few days later, most modern drugs have no noticeable effect after a few hours. Current advice is that it is not usually safe to drive or operate machinery until at least 24 hours after a general anaesthetic, and this should be extended to 4 days if isoflurane has been used.
Small quantities of anaesthetic drugs may be present in breast milk in breastfeeding mothers. In general, this does not cause a problem, but mothers should discuss the issue with their anaesthetists, who can then choose appropriate drugs and advise on the potential side-effects on the infant. It is usually possible to time surgery so as to minimise the effect, or to express breast milk for use in the immediate post-operative period.
rcoa.ac.uk/patients-and-rel...
Oh... I always understood you had to wait 6 sweek after any op.... Still i have only ever had a hysterectomy and my mum had an aortic aneurism removed so i wonder if its only those sorts of ops where they make you wait 6 weeks? Sorry if i've confused anyone.... 😕
Xx
Yes, it is. 
Any major abdominal surgery or say hip replacement, the advice would be 6 weeks - if you were involved in a car accident, it might invalidate your car insurance if you drove before being sufficiently healed from such surgeries. The idea is that you might find it too painful to hit the brakes fast enough - which makes sense, if you think about it.
Firstly, good luck! I had mine in August this year. Recovery was quicker than I thought. I had never had a general anaesthetic and it was fine. I had a drain in for a day afterwards to reduce swelling but it was removed when I came home. I ate the same day after my op and it really didn't hurt. I had reduced movement in my neck and didn't drive or pick up the children for a while but only for a couple of weeks. My stitches dissolved and my scar is now healing ok.
Good luck. X
Thank you jonesy_31
I am pleased people are saying it's not as bad as I think. I think I may be working myself up.
im hoping that the lupus doesn't Interfere with my healing and I'm sure they will be careful to watch me due to my antiphospholipid syndrome.
Hoping I will be calm in the morning.
Thank you for your kind words 😀
Hi there
Good luck and hope you recover well. Hope your worries all disappear though I know how your feeling as I'm waiting for date for my total thyroidectomy.
Look forward to hearing your recovery when you feel up to it. Just remember to take it very easy and I have been told not even to hoover or make the beds for 2 weeks! Make the most of being spoilt by others 
X
Thank you.
Just taking 5 mins out before I leave for the hospital 😁😁😁😁.
I hope when you get your date it all goes well and you have a good recovery.
X
my cousin had that done a few weeks ago and shes quite well now. although she was a bit sore at the time she said it was a relief to know that any-thing bad had now gone.
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