hi all, I had a full thyroidectomy on the 17th of April this year. The recovery has been a bit slower than I anticipated. I’m experiencing muscle stiffness. It can happen at any time all across my shoulders, neck, higher back, both arms and even my legs randomly. It happens every time I reach up or behind me but also happens randomly when I’m just sat. It’s getting progressively worse and seems to be happening more often but the pain is increasing with it. My muscles go really stiff and I experience pain and cannot move for 5 minutes or so. I had my bloods taken this afternoon and have barely been able to move my arm since or the shoulder and in pain with it.
Compared to my symptoms prior to the surgery it is very minimum. I have spoken to the doctor on the phone about it and they said it’s because I’ve kept my head in a certain position without realising? Has anyone else experienced this after surgery and how long did it last and how did you manage it if so?
Thank you in advance. X
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Chara87
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this is familiar to me but I haven’t had a throidectomy, scans show my thyroid as small. Improving my % through range for FT3 has definitely helped. That and increasing my ferritin which was low. I’m testing again soon so I’ll know if that’s it . I still have some aches so am investigating other possibilities 🌱
Do you have your most recent blood results that you can share with us? It may be that you are under replaced. Please quote reference range also - numbers in brackets after the result number.
Have you also had key vitamins checked lately? Ferritin, folate, B12 & D3. A helpful GP might do this or otherwise private tests are available, see link for companies offering private blood tests & discount codes, some offer a blood draw service at an extra cost. thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...
There is also a new company offering walk in & mail order blood tests in London, Surrey, Sussex, Kent areas. No charge for blood draw in clinic. Check to see if there is a blood test company near you. onedaytests.com/products/ul...
Only do private postal testing early Monday or Tuesday morning.
What brand Levo are you taking? Do you always get the same brand at every prescription?
Are you under the care of an endocrinologist? If you are I would contact them or their secretary and tell them the symptoms you are experiencing.
You may need to get your parathyroid hormone levels checked. This is done in a hospital phlebotomy dept not your gp. Also likely calcium and phosphorus from the same blood draw. Also vitamin D.
There's other more experienced members on the forum that may respond to your post.
I had a partial thyroidectomy last August and am continuing to have my parathyroid hormone levels checked (they were high after surgery) I'm still under the care of my surgeon's clinic.
hi all thank you for your replies. I am on accord levothyroxine 100micrograms x1 daily. I had a full thyroidectomy in April due to an extremely overactive thyroid and swollen gotire. My discharge letter said 6 weeks post surgery follow up but when I chased it up they said 4 months so I requested a blood form. I have just had my thyroid function tested today so I will post the results on here once I have them. I did speak to my gp about the calcium function but she felt it wasn’t related and more due to my posture? I did not experience this in the first two weeks after the surgery and my calcium was fine on the blood test I had straight after the surgery.
I have been fed that ‘posture’ theory. Utter balderdash. You need to get your thyroid medication just right and it will take a bit longer than you want it to. Could be too high at the moment, could be too low or just your body needing time to attune to what you are taking. Your body has had a hell of an upheaval to deal with, hardly even three months since op. Whilst I think we are generally not treated well, you really need to give your whole body some time to recover. Take care of yourself in all the ways you can.
During surgery on the thyroid, particularly removal of it, it is possible for the parathyroid glands to be disturbed or damaged or even removed unintentionally. If this happens you may have hypoparathyroidism (too little parathyroid hormone).
There is a relationship between parathyroid hormone levels, calcium, phosphate, and vitamin D, although I don't know much about it.
When these things are not at good levels severe cramp and muscle pain is a common issue.
I've reached the limit of my miniscule knowledge of hypoparathyroidism.
This is very good point, I had a complete thyroidectomy in April and keep having increased levels of stiffness in my muscles. My parathyroids have been disturbed and am on alfacalcidol to improve calcium absorption. I am still monitored by my surgeon. Should know the results of latest blood test shortly; previous tests showed low calcium with parathyroid hormones improving, However, muscle stiffness, especially in my legs, appears to be getting worse , so the medication is not working well or perhaps too well?
There are lots of nutrients that can cause cramp and muscle stiffness/pain when their levels are low.
iron
magnesium
calcium
vitamin D
potassium
sodium (i.e. salt)
Iron, vitamin D and calcium should be tested before supplementation.
Magnesium doesn't need testing because a) there are no reliable tests for it and b) if levels rise too high the excess will be disposed of via the kidneys/urine. Obviously this is only true if the kidneys are functional. Anyone with malfunctioning kidneys should only take magnesium under the care of a doctor.
One of the simplest ways of finding out whether potassium or sodium are implicated in your muscle issues is to take a sachet of rehydration salts in water e.g. Dioralyte or a pharmacy own brand. They can be bought without prescription. I usually find them helpful within just a few minutes of taking one when I have cramp. If they don't help then try something else.
Thank you, humanbean. I am having all those tested, so will see. I suspect calcium absorption is a problem so will take steps to correct. My stiffness is a more continuous feeling accompanied by occasional not very painful cramps. Will report back on the findings as it will be of interest to others .
Hi there I had thyroidectomy and parathyroids removed as well I now take calcium and vitamin d daily to compensate shocked your gp so slack with blood tests I had mine done regularly for a few months after to check levels and make adjustments where necessary. I would go back to gp and insist full blood check
Even if it was surgery induced pain it shouldn’t be lasting this long …. I developed arthritis 2 weeks after my thyroidectomy so it’s possible to develop arthritis.
I always had muscle pain (sometimes so bad it brought me to tears) when my Levo dose was lowered, especially when that was combined with statins one time . Still have not fully recovered from the last bout that lasted 5 years until I was put on additional T3. It now is fairly rare. My conclusion was that hypothyroid gives me pain.
Thank you all I will certainly be requesting a full blood count once I get my thyroid results. My endo and gp have been shocking throughout this whole process hence why I needed a total thyroidectomy. I know when I got admitted to hospital in feb all my vitamins and white blood cells were extremely low and I was on supplements whilst in the hospital but they did not send them home with me and I have not been checked since. I know it’s soon after the surgery but I feel like something is wrong still I don’t feel back to normal at all.
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