Is a total Thyroidectomy right thing to do?

[GrandPrix]

At a cross roads at the moment. Daughter needs a total thyroidectomy but I feel she is too young... has anyone experienced their child going through this? Is it the right decision? It could turn into cancer but no indication of when this could happen.

[Shellian]

Hi Grand Prix Sorry to hear about your daughter. Does your daughter have a genetic condition that leads to Thyroid Cancer or is she ill with ongoing thyroid illness? How old is she?

If she has a genetic condition such as MEN there are support groups available (AMEND) with trained counsellors that will be able to help you make the right decision for you.

If she is experiencing thyroid illness I'm sure others will be along to advice you.

Good luck

[madge1979]

Well Grand Prix ,There are many aspects to this situation . Firstly , I’m very sorry indeed to hear your young daughter has a condition that might mean the removal of her Thyroid . Can you tell us her age and what actual condition it is that she has .

If Cancer is the issue, then of course the answer would be quite different, but if she is HYPO or HYPERthyroid then there are ways to deal with these conditions and life can go on with help from medications etc .

I have HYPERthyroidism with antibodies , therefore I have Graves’ disease .

I was told that I needed to either have my thyroid destroyed by Radio active Iodine or have surgery , I refused point blank and have, with the help of two rounds of a drug to control my condition, learned to live my life again , and very well indeed .

So it’s not all about Thyroid Gland removal , there are many ways to deal with our conditions .

Tell us more and see what help you get from kind members here, who’ve heard it all and experienced most things, thyroid related.

Luv M🌹

[GrandPrix in reply to madge1979]

Thank you for your reply. My daughter is 7 years old we have an inherited condition MEN2a which was picked up 7 to 8 years ago so I am still learning about it. The guidelines state that children who inherit this condition should have their thyroid removed by age 5 to prevent cancer from developing. Me and my siblings had our thyroid removed in our 40s when the condition was picked up.. and up until then we were fine without any major health concerns thankfully.

My predicament is I know my daughter needs her thyroid removed but im worried about her taking medication from such a young age and how her growth and development might be affected..

so sorry for such a long reply I’m just lost and very unsure of what the best route would be.

[Lalatoot]

GrandPrix I am sure you would get more advice if you gave more information. Such as your daughters age and a profile of her thyroid journey including diagnosis and treatment. We can't really comment on what we don't know.

[GrandPrix in reply to Lalatoot]

im all new to this forum stuff so apologies for not giving enough information.. My daughter is 7 years old we have an inherited condition MEN2a which was picked up 7 to 8 years ago so I am still learning about it. The guidelines state that children who inherit this condition should have their thyroid removed by age 5 to prevent cancer from developing. Me and my siblings had our thyroid removed in our 40s when the condition was picked up.. and up until then we were fine without any major health concerns thankfully.

My predicament is I know my daughter needs her thyroid removed but im worried about her taking medication from such a young age and how her growth and development might be affected..

so sorry for such a long reply I’m just lost and very unsure of what the best route would be.

[Lalatoot in reply to GrandPrix]

GrandPrix I would start a new post with a new title and post the information that you have given above as the text. Folks will see it more clearly and will respond if they have advice.

[GrandPrix in reply to Lalatoot]

Thank you for your response. I have reposted.

[Happydays17]

I had a total thyroidectomy at the age of 30 as I had cancer on the left side they said they removed it all to give me a chance of a long life which it has I am now 78 you don't say how old she is if she is very young I would say it is not a nice operation and as she has not got cancer it would be best to just get her looked at regularly youngsters can often have thyroid problems in adolescence that settle down after puberty I hope all goes well for her

[GrandPrix in reply to Happydays17]

Thank you for your reply happydays. My daughter is 7 and her calcitonin is raised. It was at 33 and was going up and down.

[GrandPrix in reply to Happydays17]

I have reposted this with more information under looking for some support and information