The THYROID Thread

Well I had my pre-op appointment with the surgeon and I am having a TT on the 19th of this month. My surgeon specializes in thyroid and promised to do his best to hide the scar (I think he is more concerned with the scarring then me). I am 25 and already have a couple other scars..one more is not a big deal ;)

I am starting to freak out a little; its just so "real" that the surgery date has been set up. I am taking 3 wks of work to be safe (I have a very physical/stressful job) do you think that should be ok? Also, do you all have any tips/tricks for after the surgery?

Thanks
 
Well I had my pre-op appointment with the surgeon and I am having a TT on the 19th of this month. My surgeon specializes in thyroid and promised to do his best to hide the scar (I think he is more concerned with the scarring then me). I am 25 and already have a couple other scars..one more is not a big deal ;)

I am starting to freak out a little; its just so "real" that the surgery date has been set up. I am taking 3 wks of work to be safe (I have a very physical/stressful job) do you think that should be ok? Also, do you all have any tips/tricks for after the surgery?

Thanks

I don't have any tips and I can't speak to recovery time as I had spread to lymph nodes. But don't freak out; it wasn't too bad & I am sure you will be ok. The folks on this thread are a great resource.
 
Well I had my pre-op appointment with the surgeon and I am having a TT on the 19th of this month. My surgeon specializes in thyroid and promised to do his best to hide the scar (I think he is more concerned with the scarring then me). I am 25 and already have a couple other scars..one more is not a big deal ;)

I am starting to freak out a little; its just so "real" that the surgery date has been set up. I am taking 3 wks of work to be safe (I have a very physical/stressful job) do you think that should be ok? Also, do you all have any tips/tricks for after the surgery?

Thanks

Glad you have a dr. who specializes in thyroid. My surgeon does about 150 per year.

My scar is huge but that is because I had to have 3 surgeries in 14 hours and then the 2 drains.

I would say stock up on the soft food and soup like stuff, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, meatloaf, applesauce, stuff that will be easy to swallow for a while. Stay away from lettuce and bread and french fries. I thought I would choke to death on those. Try things slowly.

Maybe some lifesavers or jolly ranchers too.

I needed about 3 pillows to sleep but I had to have a neck dissection for the lymph node spread.

I have read that people like the u shaped travel neck pillows.

The actual scar really just has steri strips on it.

Did they tell you how long you would be in the hosp for? I was in a week but I had alot of complications. I was not your normal thyroidectomy for sure!!

I did take the pain pills for quite a while. I guess I wasnt tolerating the pain well then but I had a massive amount of surgery.

Dont worry if your voice sounds hoarse. It will come back in a while. Just be patient.

Wishing you all the best.
 
I did not have any problem eating what I wanted so don't be too anxious- LMP has extenuating circumstances so don't be too anxious.

DH tried to call the dr. and they are out today, gone for the long weekend, so I'm still stuck.
 

God Bless my DH- he called the reception desk and asked if there was any chance the Dr's assistant was there and I could go off the diet. She was, and she said I still need to follow up with the doctor but it looked like the ultrasound just shows scar tissue and there was no reason not to go off the diet. :banana:
 
God Bless my DH- he called the reception desk and asked if there was any chance the Dr's assistant was there and I could go off the diet. She was, and she said I still need to follow up with the doctor but it looked like the ultrasound just shows scar tissue and there was no reason not to go off the diet. :banana:

:yay::yay::cheer2::cheer2::banana::banana:

Have a wonderful, wonderful week end!!
 
Micayla - hope you are enjoying eating "real" food again, no more bunny stuff for you!!:)

Christine - what are your thoughts on this?? Is it common to get a new blood test for the synthroid adjustment at 6 weeks or 2 months. The endo wrote it for 2 months, which will be in less than 2 weeks.

Right now I am beyond tired, and having mood swings etc. I am wondering if I can call and ask them for it sooner? Or should I just wait, dont know if that is just my endos time frame or the accepted one etc.

Meanwhile I feel like crap. I only went to the grocery store and cooked dinner and I was wiped out.
 
When did ya'll start feeling better or different on this thyroid medication? I have to go in for my first blood test this week since starting the meds. Something still isn't right but it's not always wrong.

This is some TMI and I'm sorry but I'm so stinking confused. I had my first cycle since starting the thyroid and the PCOS meds and I had the worst period that I have had since teenage years and I was at least a week early. I had so much cramping and pain that I spent the weekend of hurricane Irene curled up in a miserable ball. In addition I couldn't function. I was just exhausted to the point I slept probably 30 out of 48 hours with no sleeping or pain supplements.

Now I'm almost a week after my period and I'm still so stinking tired and my legs are hurting quite badly. However the week prior to the period I felt great and was high functioning.

Does anyone else have this confusion? I tried to get the doctor on the phone last week but with the hospital shutting down and doctors moving the phone lines still weren't accessible at the new place. Good thing I wasn't dying!
 
Well I had my pre-op appointment with the surgeon and I am having a TT on the 19th of this month. My surgeon specializes in thyroid and promised to do his best to hide the scar (I think he is more concerned with the scarring then me). I am 25 and already have a couple other scars..one more is not a big deal ;)

I am starting to freak out a little; its just so "real" that the surgery date has been set up. I am taking 3 wks of work to be safe (I have a very physical/stressful job) do you think that should be ok? Also, do you all have any tips/tricks for after the surgery?

Thanks

Like others say, soft foods will be your best friend. I was off work for 4 weeks because of my complications with my parathyroid. My scar is about 4 inches, at first it bothered me, but now it is barely noticable. The first year after surgery it was a good converstation piece...I just said I was in a bar fight...LOL!!!

Pillows will be another good friend for you. Also if you are a side sleeper, it will be VERY hard to sleep on your side for about a week. Explain to the hospital before you go into surgery that you need a soft diet for when you are allowed to eat. The morning after my surgery they gave me french toast and sausage. I couldn't eat it because I really couldn't swallow solid foods.
 
Tina - sending you a :hug:. So sorry you were in so much pain. Dont have any insight into all of those symptoms but I am glad you are getting the blood test this week.

See my above test. My endo wants me to wait 2 months and that is not til the end of next week or around the 18th approx. See my above post, I feel like crap.

I have tried to eat alot of bananas for the leg cramps which I occasionally get and had lately.

Hoping the blood tests will give your endo some insight etc.

I like your travel list too!!
 
Micayla - hope you are enjoying eating "real" food again, no more bunny stuff for you!!:)

Christine - what are your thoughts on this?? Is it common to get a new blood test for the synthroid adjustment at 6 weeks or 2 months. The endo wrote it for 2 months, which will be in less than 2 weeks.

Right now I am beyond tired, and having mood swings etc. I am wondering if I can call and ask them for it sooner? Or should I just wait, dont know if that is just my endos time frame or the accepted one etc.

Meanwhile I feel like crap. I only went to the grocery store and cooked dinner and I was wiped out.

I've always been told "around 6 weeks." I can tell you when I've upped my dosage it does take longer than 6 weeks. If you can make it 8 weeks, do so. It will be more reliable.
 
When did ya'll start feeling better or different on this thyroid medication? I have to go in for my first blood test this week since starting the meds. Something still isn't right but it's not always wrong.

This is some TMI and I'm sorry but I'm so stinking confused. I had my first cycle since starting the thyroid and the PCOS meds and I had the worst period that I have had since teenage years and I was at least a week early. I had so much cramping and pain that I spent the weekend of hurricane Irene curled up in a miserable ball. In addition I couldn't function. I was just exhausted to the point I slept probably 30 out of 48 hours with no sleeping or pain supplements.

Now I'm almost a week after my period and I'm still so stinking tired and my legs are hurting quite badly. However the week prior to the period I felt great and was high functioning.

Does anyone else have this confusion? I tried to get the doctor on the phone last week but with the hospital shutting down and doctors moving the phone lines still weren't accessible at the new place. Good thing I wasn't dying!

Hi Tina. It would be unusual for thyroid meds to cause those type of severe menstrual symptoms. If you get too much thyroid medication and get hyper, it will make your period come more often (early) yet the period will be lighter. If you don't take enough, the period will be heavy, cramping and much farther apart than normal.

I might be inclined to blame the PCOS meds for this. The thyroid medication certainly would do "something" to your cycle but not that severe.
 
Thanks everyone for the feedback! This would be so much easier to figure out if I hadn't started both the PCOS and thyroid medication at the same time.

The PCOS medicine can make me so sick and having to take 2000mg a day now is not easy on my body. I know it's supposed to be helpful in the long run and supposedly with the weight but damn I think I'd rather just be fat and happy and sleepy than all this!:rotfl:
 
I've always been told "around 6 weeks." I can tell you when I've upped my dosage it does take longer than 6 weeks. If you can make it 8 weeks, do so. It will be more reliable.

She is trying going from 200 to 175.
 
Hi All, been reading up but haven't had time to write much lately. Work is back in full swing with the start of the school year (I work at a college) so there hasn't been much time to relax. Hope everyone is feeling well, as well as possible.

I have been doing well on my new dose, not tired, less stressed, overall feeling good physically. Emotionally it is still draining. Now that I am feeling better I expect everyone to treat me like they used to and they are all still acting like I'm nutty. I finally said to DH last week - I'm not crazy, please stop treating me like I'm nuts. Oh well guess it takes time.

Wishing everyone a nice night. :goodvibes
 
Jenn - good to see you posting. I used to work in the financial aid office of a college. I know what you mean about how people treat you. My ds I think are the worst at this point. No understanding whatsoever. Ds23 is the most understanding of the 3 of them.

I freaked out yest. I was trying to control it. It had to do with being scared and getting wet on my bad shoulder with a water balloon at a picnic. Dh and I decided to just leave the picnic. I think it was a combo of being frightened at the same time too. Later on I took a huge nap. So not like me normally.

Tomm. I am going to the new eye specialist. Will be interesting to hear her insight.

Anyone read the latest Genzyme thyrogen update? Low supplies in all of 2012 too. Well I know I will get the blood test and I hope my rad. onc. will be able to get the thyrogen next June for me. If she is #6 on their list, I hope it will be good.
 
Well I am back from the eye surgeon/dr. and it was not good news:sad1:

I am glad dh was with me for sure. I think I had about 6 needles in my eye/tear duct area. It was actually one needle I think but she kept jabbing it alot. After about the 3rd time, she told me to try and hold really still. I asked her if dh could hold my hand. He did. Later he told me I had a vice grip on his hand:)

She told me that the radiation has scarred and damaged my L tear duct. I need to have surgery and they will create a new channel and put about 6 stints in it that will be taken out in about 6 weeks.

The only good thing is that she is pregnant and going on maternity leave and wont be back to april, so the surgery will be scheduled then. She said I could wait since I have had this for a while but if it gets infected I have to call another surgeon and he will do it. The other guy has operated on people from my church so I know he would be ok too.

She said I will have it in the main hosp. due to my medical history and I should come home that day and it will be about an hour long. I just think I need the time to prepare myself again for this. I hope it does not interfere with my May disney trip or I will wait till June.

I asked her what if I need radiation again, will this happen etc. She said she would treat me pre radiation and operatively put stents in both eyes just to keep them open so the scar tissue wont form.

So there you have it, another adventure on the thyroid cancer coaster.

Oh and I scheduled my blood test for saturday. If that is bad news, I will deal with it but I wont be so happy. But God is always there for me, so this will be a piece of :cake:

She said she could do the surgery up the nose with the scope but I told her I didnt think that was such a good idea as the ent surgeon already told me there were problems there that I was born with. I told her she could look at his pictures etc. So she said it would just be better to cut my face:scared1: since that is the procedure that has better results.

The one thing that bothered me was that when I went to my regular eye dr. and told her the endo thought something was wrong with my tear duct, all she did was just press against it and said nothing was wrong. This is the dr. who has ovarian cancer and showed me her port etc, so I felt bad and didnt want to press the issue. Then when I went for my endo check up again in July she saw the tears and told me to go to this specialist at the univ. hosp. I told dh, it seems that only the univ. drs. etc. and not our normal ones around here can ever diagnose stuff with us. Its very disheartening. Dh said just go to the univ. next time for anything etc. Dh also had a problem that the reg. gastro guy here said was nothing. The univ. dr. said dh was one of the worst cases he had etc. So lessons learned, follow your gut, your great endo and dont take no for an answer.
 
Thanks everybody for the tips. I have been trying to get all grocery shopping, cleaning, etc done this week so I don't have to worry about it next week after the surgery. I also see an oncologist/hematologist who has been watching a couple lymph nodes (when I first went to the Endo she thought I was presenting more with a lymphoma and she sent me to him) and he has coordinated with the surgeon to remove those as well....looks like Monday is going to be fun.

I will keep you all updated - thanks again!!
 



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