Well 2 days ago I had my total thyroid gland removed, I was released from hospital today. It’s been a long road to this point, I decided not to go down the radiation route as me and my wife want children and you can’t conceive for 6 months (doesn’t sound like fun)
Anyway, I must say We have all had a bad experiences on the NHS but I had the best service of my life at Basingstoke hospital, I had my own private room and the nurses and staff was so friendly and really cared about their patients.
I am now on Levothyroxine 150mg and taking calcium tablets 6 times a day. I am not feeling 100% but it’s too be expected..
Just wondering how everyone felt after their surgery and how long it took to recover.
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mythyroidlife
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I had a TT 11 weeks ago (I live in Canada) and my experience was excellent as far as hospital and surgery. I had a superb surgeon and have an excellent endo. I recovered from the surgery well (my scar is quite faded and almost all swelling is gone). I needed four weeks of rest however, as I was very exhausted from the surgery and I had symptoms after such as uncontrollable crying and weakness (I also have Graves and had a large multinodular goiter). I was told I would be back to work in 2 weeks. Good luck with that! I am still not back to work because I am not yet at the right dose of medication and am still having crying, anxiety attacks and need to sleep at least 1 hour in the afternoon.
I am optimistic, however! I am getting closer to the right dose and will see endo on Monday for latest bloods and meds adjustment. I am also feeling better on current dose - but will likely need T3. You may do very well, as many do, on just Synthroid.
You are so lucky you did not do RAI. If you needed surgery in the future, your outcome based on the available research would not have been as good as just starting with the TT.
Make sure you get regular bloodwork. Monitor your symptoms in a journal and keep track of how you feel when you take your meds. This helps your endo to figure out what you need. The bloodwork does not tell all - you need to look at symptoms PLUS bloodwork.
It takes some time to get adjusted. Losing your thyroid is a big deal - it controls a lot of physical functions. Be very patient and your family will need to be patient as well. It is a long road to getting adjusted but you will get there eventually.
I wish you all the best - get well soon and sending you positive thoughts for a great recovery. Hope this helped.
I’m hypo so don’t have any relevant experience, but pleased to hear you were so well looked after at the hospital I did voluntary work at as a teenager. Best wishes for your recovery and a future family x
I've not had this type of surgery but I do know how debilitating any surgery can be, b12 is depleted by the anaesthetic as well so don't try to do too much too soon.
Sorry to read of your health issue but so glad your experience of the Nhs has been positive.
It's early days for you, I haven't gone through a thyroidectomy but have Graves Disease and my treatment was thyroid ablation with RAI way back in 2005.
I think it can take several weeks, or months to recover from surgery, as so much is down to the individual circumstances, so please do not put undue pressure on yourself.
Just for reference, and to keep in your " hat " should you need it :-
A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you daily with 100 T4 and 10 T3 approximately. T4 ( Levothyroxine ) is a storage hormone which the body, if working correctly, converts into T3, which is the hormone that the body runs on.
Some people can get by on T4 alone, some people at some point in time simply stop converting the T4 to T3, and some people simply need both these vital hormones dosed and monitored independently to bring the hormones into balance and to a level of well being acceptable to the patient.
Might you like some bed time reading ? :- Your Thyroid and How To Keep It Healthy is written by a doctor who has hypothyroidism, Dr Barry Durrant - Peatfield. This is a relatively easy, sometimes funny, insightful book about all things thyroid. It is a major gland responsible for full body synchronisation, coordinating your mental, physical, psychological and spiritual well being.
We now need to know all that the thyroid does so we can attempt to compensate for the loss of same.
I had thyroidectomy for cancer 2.7yrs ago in the US and my surgeon was excellent and my care was good ....my after care "sigh"
I had a total thyroidectomy a year ago, I am still having trouble with my medication levels and having blood tests every 3 months. I had a few problems with calcium levels after op as I had post Operative hypocalcemia which I think is quite common. I do feel alot better than I did pre op, but I am underactive and so they are trying to sort out my medication. It's a long process as it takes time for your medication to show in your blood when they increase your levels. Don't rush things, you might feel better than before your operation, but you will probably be underactive in a few months. You feel really tired and wonder if it was worth having an operation as you can feel exhausted some days. I hope I don't sound like it's all doom and gloom, it does get better, but it can be a long slow process.
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