Post partial thyroidectomy- exhausted!

[Lolasmom]

an hour agoLolasmom

Wonder if anyone can help me.. I had partial thyroidectomy 4 weeks ago for suspicious nodules which turned out to be benign. Also diagnosed with autoimmune lymphocytic thyroiditis. Since surgery have become increasingly tired. Zombie like. Have to rest after smallest exertion. Last weeks bloods show TSH of 0.8 . T3orT4 weren't measured. Ithouht I'd be back working full time by now. But am so tired I can't even contemplate it. How soon should I perk up again. Thanks

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[humanbean]

One possibility is that the anaesthetic you had included nitrous oxide. If that is the case it destroys the vitamin B12 you have in your body. So you have to supplement to renew your body's B12.

medmerits.com/index.php/art...

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/825...

erowid.org/chemicals/nitrou...

I would suggest you supplement with high dose methylcobalamin as soon as possible. You don't need a test, a prescription, or a doctor's permission, so there is nothing to hold you up, other than having to order it. Jarrow Formulas and Solgar both do 1000mcg and 5000mcg supplements of methylcobalamin which can be ordered on Amazon.

The other screamingly obvious problem you might have is that your thyroid hormones, particularly T3, have slumped since your operation. Could it be possible you have got high reverse T3? I'm not sure of the answer to that one. You really need to get your thyroid hormones measured fairly soon.

Also, did you bleed a lot, I wonder? Could you have developed iron deficiency? Getting an iron panel done would be a sensible precaution in my opinion. Don't supplement iron unless you know you need it.

Edit : Take a decent B Complex with the methylcobalamin as well. Thorne Basic B Complex is a good one.

[Lolasmom in reply to humanbean]

Thanks for reply. Hhaemoglobin last week 13.5. All other bloods normal. Esr 13. Developed joint pains. Not used to such inactivity. So I started walking 1.5km twice daily. No effect on joints-just exhausted afterwards. I'm really wondering is this normal and if so when does it lift??

[pbrain in reply to humanbean]

I had my thyroid removed a few years ago.i was exhausted after the procedure and lost my voice for 2 months.for me it was traumatic the whole experience of the surgery and whatever happens physically. It took time for me to get over it.I would advise doing what your body is telling you..if it needs you to go slow a bit then go with it. You will get back to normal..

[Lolasmom in reply to pbrain]

Thanks for reply. I'd love to have ballpark figure to work towards. Seeing endocrinologist today so maybe he can shed some light.

[joyce59]

hi lolasmum dont mind me asking but were your nodules large or an unusual shape.

[Lolasmom in reply to joyce59]

One had tripled in size quite quickly and cells were suspicious on fna. Largest one was 3cm I think

[joyce59 in reply to Lolasmom]

i have some small ones at the moment but they are clustered together and resemble a blackberry. Iam having another scan within the next few months (privately)

[Lolasmom]

Surgery itself took about 5-7 days to recover. Felt great for about 10 days and then the exhaustion hit. I am quite active normally, working full time,exercising regularly, with 3 teens at home. Mood getting low because the inactivity getting me down. Can't imagine getting back to work yet!!!

[joyce59 in reply to Lolasmom]

The endo i saw last week said they wouldnt FNA my nodules as she said they were common with my condition (hashimotos). Also my local gp said they would only remove mine if they were sure its cancerous so their only doing yearly blood tests now. Iam however concerned should the nodules get bigger.

[Lolasmom in reply to joyce59]

What about yearly ultrasound. My bloods were always within normal limits. But ultrasoundshowed enlargement. When nodule was 3 cm , then they did fna which showed suspicious cells. Had partial thyroidectomy to prevent nodules getting bigger. Maybe suggest ultrasound at next go visit. I had to pay privately for my tests. .. Not cheap.

[joyce59]

She wouldnt do that either as she said correct levo amount should do its job. My cousin like you had part of hers removed just before xmas as one of her nodules measured 6 cms. Luckily it wasnt cancerous and she had a great specialist.

[Lolasmom in reply to joyce59]

Do you know what size your cluster of nodules is. If you're worried, talk tornado again regarding stress. I wasn't on any treatment as bloods were always borderline

[joyce59]

thats exactly what they said about mine 'borderline' i had scan just after xmas the largest of the nodules was 2.5mmx1.2mmx2mm my T4 at its lowest was 10 (local lab range (10-22).

[Lolasmom in reply to joyce59]

So they're still really tiny. From what I've learned I think the Levo will reduce the rate at which the nodules grow. Surgery is not curative for Hashimotos. You will still have autoimmune thyroid disease. So stick with it for now. Consider a supplement which will boost energy levels( talk to gp first though). Exercise regularly. No matter how difficult. At least you will feel you're doing something to help yourself. It's not easy but you will feel better about it all over time. X

[joyce59 in reply to Lolasmom]

thanks they are still small at the moment. The physician who did the scan did say as it was my first scan there was nothing to compare the growth with so at some point next year will go back for another scan its just the neck pain iam worried about the endo said its from anxiety rather than the thyroid.

[joyce59]

the other thing is before i had the scan the gp did said they wouldnt find any nodules as it was too soon in the thyroid journey to have any. just shows their not always correct isnt it?

[mcrossbonfire]

Hi Lolasmom, like you, I had a PT in October. I also had a suspicious nodule, which thankfully was benign. Before surgery, I suffered for 2 years on medication for hyperthyroidism, which ultimately made me hypo (though my GP and Endo didn't agree). After surgery, I was told I wouldn't be hypo, and I felt ok for the first week. I'm sorry to say, I did become hypo and with each increase of Levothyroxine I didn't feel any better. HOWEVER, after lots of visits to my GP, who quite frankly, is at a loss with me (he states he doesn't have enough knowledge of thyroid medication), and a second opinion from a private practitioner, and general tweaks here and there, I am beginning, just beginning (I have a glimmer), to feel somewhat better! I don't want to dishearten you by the length of time it has taken me. Your story can and will be different to mine, but I just want to say 'there is light at the end of the tunnel'. I have felt so unwell, even until a few days ago, I cannot believe I am saying this! I would even say I'm quite anxious to say I'm feeling perky, just in case it doesn't last! But it is a great sign for the future.

My advice would be, listen to the docs, BUT, and it's a big. BUT, listen to yourself. Do your research. Speak to folks here. Read posts on here, but try not to get lost in all the info you absorb. If you do, as I did, it will sort itself out.

Once again, I will say to you, your story will be different to mine and you could recover so much quicker than I did. I am hopeful that you do. And let's not forget, you have just been through surgery. I just wanted to respond as your post struck a chord with me.

Good luck!

[Lolasmom]

Thanks for your input. Have to say endo suggested a tonic with amino acids. I've been taking it almost a week now. I have increased my exercise and I am starting to feel a tiny bit better this week. We've had great weather and that always brings the mood up.

[Irishjen in reply to Lolasmom]

Really late to this post as in 4 years late so hope you're still active on here. What was the tonic with amino acids you took