Back home after my op

[cloudwalker]

Hi everyone i am now home after having my thyroid removed yesterday, i am doing okay eating and drinking is uncomfortable and i am very sore and tired, the hospital have given me paracetamol and ibuprofen for pain relief

I have also been given 125mg of levothyroxine to take i was given it this afternoon and i was going to start it in the morning but the consultant i saw (not the one who did my op) said to leave it a while as i would still have some natural hormone in my body but he didnt say when to start it and seemed a bit vague about the whole thing he even said if you forget to take it for a couple of days it doesn't matter.....none of this seems right to me when did any of you guys start yours after having your thyroid removed and help would be very appreciated thank you

I also have to go back to the hospital tomorrow for another blood test for my calcium levels i had one this morning too as last night my hands started tingling a lot

Thank you for reading this take care x

[shaws Administrator]

Hi cloudwalker, it's good that you are now recovering and those who've had a TT will be along shortly to reassure you.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

[cloudwalker in reply to shaws]

Thank you x

[Clutter]

Cloudwalker, I took Liothyronine the morning after thyroidectomy. I would start your Levothyroxine immediately. It takes 7-10 days for Levothyroxine to be absorbed and start working and in the meantime whatever thyroid hormone you have left will be depleting. There's no point in waiting until you feel hypothyroid before replacing hormone.

For maximum absorption take Levothyroxine with water 1 hour before, or two hours after, food and drink, 2 hours away from other medication and supplements, and 4 hours away from calcium, iron, vitamin D and oestrogen.

The parathyroid glands are occasionally bruised, damaged or lost during thyroidectomy and this can cause low calcium levels causing pins and needless and numbness around the mouth, hands and feet. Calcium levels may recover in a week or two but you may be prescribed calcium temporarily. If parathyroids are permanently damaged or lost you will require lifelong calcium and vitamin D replacement. My calcium was low and I didn't feel well enough to return to the hospital for a prescription. The level had righted itself when I had a follow up calcium test a week later.

Drink as much as you can as it will help flush the general anaesthetic from your system. Until you feel comfortable eating stick with soft foods and soups to keep your strength up. Rest and sleep as much as possible over the next 2-3 weeks.

I hope you'll feel better very soon.

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I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.

[cloudwalker]

Hi Clutter thank you for your reply i didn't think what the consultant said was right i had just woken up when he came to see me today our medication is really important and he made it seem like just take it when you feel like it so thank you for putting my mind at ease and for all your help and advice

[dynamic1]

Good to here you are recovering after your operation sending gentle hugs

Best regards dynamic1

[glo42]

Hope you will soon feel more comfortable after your operation. Take it easy now. xx

[Debeee]

Hi,I found a little ice cream helped me after the first operation I had,they took mine out in two halves plus 7 lymph nodes in the second op,I had liothyronine from the day after my second operation & I also had blood tests twice a day for two days to check the calcium levels were OK ,take it easy & rest as it's quite an operation really,the neck has a lot of delicate structures in it. Hope you get well soon & you can phone the doctor or the hospital if you are at all worried X

[dolphin5]

I started taking it about 10 days after the operation. As I was at home and doing very little, it was fine. But if you have it, you may as well make a start, but I wouldn't start on the full dose. As you have 125, you could start with only 25 per day, and add a little extra after a week, building up to the full dose over a few weeks.

I was given 100mcg to start, but it was too much, and after a couple of weeks I had hyper symptoms, so I was dropped back to 50mcg, and then worked up to 125mcg.

We are all different, so you have to find out what works for you. Just start low, and build up so that as the existing level in your body drops, you build up your dose. I have always found that my best guide was my digestive system. It went too fast when I took too much, and too slow when I took too little.

Good luck!

[cloudwalker]

Thank you everyone for your kind wishes i had my second blood test for my calcium levels and they are low so i am now taking sandocal 1000 calcium tablets twice a day and i have another blood test tomorrow afternoon to check them again

My phosphates are low too but i am waiting for medication for those

I feel better than i did yesterday, a nights sleep in my own bed was good although i woke a few times as i kept getting flem build up in the back of my throat i try to clear it but coughing is quite sore to do

So i will have to see what tomorrow brings and thanks again and you all take care x

[LAHs]

Hi Cloudwalker, I am glad your TT is in the rear view mirror. My thoughts are with you.

I was put on T3 only for about a month after my TT. Then I had totally nothing for about three weeks so that when they injected radioactive iodine (RA Io) only any thyroid cells left would take up the RA Io. After that test they put me on T3 only again for about a month (so that (cancerous?) thyroid cells wouldn't grow back). Then finally Levo (a good brand at a correct dose).