And yes, after I got out of the hospital and all the heavy-duty painkillers wore off, I had terribly sharp, stabbing pain in my neck. 2. The type of pain that you will feel greatly depends on the kind of surgery you've had. I am usually not one to write on here because It is my husband who had thyroid cancer in 2013 & most recently a neck dissection on his right side they removed 31 lymph nodes & thankfully only 1 was cancer. The doctor says it might not ever be the same. Had a visit to ENT clinic at Madigan and then I did my pre-op for left ear surgery. I also covered the furniture with sheets and cleaned up with soap and water and a dry towel everyday. On the 28th I had my appointment at Dermatology, recommended by the ENT people at Madigan. That was where the majority of my swelling was, this corresponds to about where the top of the thyroid was. That was pretty much the best thing I've ever eaten! On the 3rd of May 2010 I went up to Madigan for a scan of my body for radiation followed by my first uptake dose of radiation (RI-131 UPTAKE) 8.1 uCi of I-131 t1/2= 8 days. I'm not sure if this is related with the numb feeling I'm having. Methods: They want me < .1. Do they usually biopsy Lymphnodes during TT? Now I am two months post thyroidectomy (and 1.5 weeks pre-RAI) and I am experiencing throbbing, stabbing (on and off for the past few hours) ear pain in my right ear. Hi, My blood pressure which normally is very normal (120 to 125 / 80 to 90) was spiking at that point at 160 over 105 and I know it was just anxiety and ativan would have helped. I have been drinking a lot more water because of the dry mouth condition and always wake up with an extremely dry mouth. It has been beyond informative and makes a huge difference knowing there are people out there that understand. They brought him back to see me in pre-op again. 2 weeks ago I was sent to yet another doctor, an endocronologist. The two most common early complications of thyroid surgery are hypocalcemia (20-30%) and recurrent laryngeal nerve injury (5-11%). Know that this cancer is treatable and you will be ok but do not belittle your diagnosis - it sucks- don't neglect your fears they will eat you up. I also gained 30lbs last summer. 5) Biopsy report came back showing 2cm+ Papillary - w/ follicular variant, and Lymphocascular invasion, but completely contained in Thyroid. The initial clinical suspicion pointed to a haematoma, but a needle aspiration showed chyle. I had a lot of other questions, but those two were, at the very least, on the top of my list. Some of it was while I was still sore and using pain meds. She felt my neck and again felt nothing and sent me on my way. I then had to kill another 5 or 6 uncomfortable hours though waiting for the ICU doctor to finally finish my paperwork so I could go home. Everything is looking good cancer wise they will tell me more in December when I meet with my endocrinologist. So, seriously, take the stool softener. The effects of the stretching exercises on the participants' neck pain and disability, neck sensitivity, pain with neck movements as well as on wound healing, were evaluated at the end of the first week and at 1 month following surgery. On March 8th I had a full eye check and they gave me a new prescription for glasses along with noting that I should have more frequent eye checks (6 months a year) do to the fact that thyroid issues can cause vision changes. Then I read where the glands do not show up on CT. This is probably the single most important thing that you understand if your thyroid has been removed. Voice affectations after thyroidectomy thyroidectomy surgery side effects 1 Week Post-Op Total Thyroidectomy Had total thyroidectomy Major problems after total Thyroidectomy, very scared =(chest tightness, headache, fatigue - post thyroid surgery Problems swallowing after thyroidectomy. My wife was with me. Meeting went good although it was just me S. Cheryl and the leader of the group this time normally they have a few others. It makes hormones that control every part of your metabolism, from your heart rate to how quickly you burn calories. Second time with the larger dose was a little worse, but nothing terrible. I had compression stockings on that kept me up, noise like crazy in the ICU, nurses and doctors coming in, 2 IV (one in each arm), and a blood pressure monitor going off every hour. It just takes the right approach. They gave me a pill and I drove to a cabin in the mts. I'm no singer but I do talk too much, so I was really worried I wouldn't be able to do so for an extended period of time. Unable to load your collection due to an error, Unable to load your delegates due to an error. The morning after your surgery, you can take a shower and allow water and mild soap to run over your wound. Clin Exp Otorhinolaryngol. You may need a thyroidectomy if you have thyroid cancer or a growth on your . You are now HYPOTHYROID. Which on one hand I'm annoyed, but on other hand - if its cancerous GET IT OUT. Ylinen J, Takala EP, Nyknen M, Hkkinen A, Mlki E, Pohjolainen T, Karppi SL, Kautiainen H, Airaksinen O. JAMA. I've always had the pain when coughing hard. I woke up with full back and neck in spasm do to previous athletic neck and back injuries. My Dr (Endo) said he did not want me in his office for another 7 days and the hospital nurse said that was crazy and she used a Geiger counter on me to see how "hot" I was. Our plan had been for him to get a hotel room to use as a day room while I was in surgery and to use it if they released me way late in the evening. Chronic postoperative pain exists in varying degrees for every type of surgery. So he sent me for Thyroid level tests and a Thyroid ultrasound. Thyroid Surgery Scars: Everything You Need To Know Thyroid cancer - Diagnosis and treatment - Mayo Clinic Bilateral recurrent nerve paralysis resulting in adduction of the vocal cords is a rare life-threatening complication (occurring in less than 0.1% of cases that requires I did the thyrogen shots instead of going off of my synthroid, so if you have that option, would 100% do it. The nurse offered me some jello, and that wasn't quite as bad as the water, but it was no picnic either. I feel very lucky. Ylinen J, Kautiainen H, Wirn K, Hkkinen A. J Rehabil Med. My voice was also severely affected but it got better with exercising. Furlan AD, Yazdi F, Tsertsvadze A, Gross A, Van Tulder M, Santaguida L, Cherkin D, Gagnier J, Ammendolia C, Ansari MT, Ostermann T, Dryden T, Doucette S, Skidmore B, Daniel R, Tsouros S, Weeks L, Galipeau J. Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep). Stabbing neck pains after RAI - Thyroid cancer - Inspire . They did look at the CT scan report and told me that all the radiation was in the neck and that was a good thing and the scan looked clean but I will have to wait for the official follow-up with my endocrinologist on the 18th of June for the Official results. The first four days or so were the worst. As his caregiver I am feeling so helpless. Lump in my neck after Total Thyroidectomy - Thyroid cancer - Inspire I have had unexplained "symptoms" including but not limited to: chronic sinus infections, severe neck pain with left arm numbness and tingling, severe "random" aches, pains and stiffness, chronic "IBS," chronic flu like symptoms; chills and nausea, constant lethargy and sleepiness, chronic diarrhea, rapid irregular heart beat and my weight went from 128 to 116 in the last two months. I'm normally an extremely social individual that loves living life to the fullest and experiencing the best that it has to offer. Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited. Now, remember, I chose the doctor who does up to 500 thyroidectomies per year over the one who only does 50. Trust me they are, but I worked it out. Two weeks ago I wrote a post about my extreme anxiety preparing for a total thyroidectomy and central neck dissection. Has anyone else had this problem? I really looked into doing the surgery using the daVinci robot with the incision in the arm pit not on the neck. Post-Operative Instructions for Parathyroid Surgery. Ask to be treated in the hospital for RAI to protect your family and the rest of the world. From the time I knew I would be "going under the knife" I started experiencing panic attacks, thoughts of extreme terror, and general malaise. The transfer team asked me to put the bair paws gown back on and I said no it was too hot. So the procedure was to do partial thyroidectomy, and biopsy during surgery, then removed rest if cancerous. At 18 days post surgery the throat pain flares up only if I over use my voice. 6) Went hypo for 6 weeks (didn't even understand what that meant until I physically got to experience it), fought to get RAI pushed earlier when TSH hit 97.99 and I had constant migraines, and no one ever mentioned LID (but I believe that didn't end up being so bad - as I did LID anyway after reading online 5 days prior and before that I was low enough naturally). Has anyone struggled with breathing issues post TT? In late November I realized I was getting mild depression and my workouts were getting harder to do and basically was running out of energy. I was also informed when they removed my thyroid there was a parathyroid gland in each of the thyroid sections removed (so I have 2 of 4 parathyroid glands removed as well) this is probably why I had minor problems with calcium and magnesium levels. Some may be from my Saliva glands, but THyroid bed feels sore for sure. Although, I have a lot of support from my family and friends, I am struggling with inexplicable sadness. Once again, have never had that problem nor do I know anyone personally who has any issue whatsoever. Answer: Skin laxity after thyroid surgery. At the end of the first week, the NPDS scores (mean [SD] = 8.82 [12.23] vs. 30.28 [12.09]), neck sensitivity scores (median [IR] = 0 [.75] vs. 2.00 [4.0]) and pain levels with neck movements (median [IR] = 0 [2.0] vs. 3.5 [5.75]) of the stretching exercise group were significantly lower than those of the control group. However, after getting through that process, I was back to being pretty much completely normal. Nothing too bad though, and apparently I had the biggest dose you can give without being hospitalized, so most people will be getting less. I am 27 years old and was diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma in December last year. But the order of operations has gone like this and I wish I knew all this stuff before (FYI I am a 37yo American but in Manila Philippines so am very frustrated/worried about processes or lack there of): The major questions I waned answered were: how many thyroidectomies do you do a year and what is your complication rate? Parathyroidectomy cures almost all cases of primary hyperparathyroidism and returns blood calcium levels to a healthy range. Care and Management of Voice Change in Thyroid Surgery: Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics Clinical Practice Guideline. I was told that I couldn't do radioactive iodine (rai) for six months due to my ct scan (cat scans use iodine for imaging and RAI would not be as effective). May 5th 2010 was the big day they did a multitude of CT scans (multiple scans over a 3 hour period) followed by a long conversation with the doctors about what they were going to give me. I just started going back to work this week. She stated that they would not give me a definite Clean till I am 1 year out of radiation treatment. I then asked if I could have something more substantial and the doctor came in and looked at my plate (which looked like an animal had been fed at the zoo) and said I could have whatever I wanted. When I got home around 2pm Tuesday I had never felt more comfortable in my house. As days pass, I feel that this might not be a good decision. A month later I had a TT and my tonsils out due to a chronic sore throat. I am hoping against hope that I can build my endurance with regular exercise. The ENT said I didn't need a biopsy because my nodule was so big and he recommended to just do a total thyroidectomy (TT). I am defiantly feeling much more mentally stable after I was put on Synthroid. and his team (same group who did the right one). By really looked into it I mean I called lots of doctors looking for one to do the robot assisted surgery. I can turn my head side to side and rotate them with some discomfort, but I feel the discomfort fading gradually. Following Endocrine appt, doc said TSH was too low and decreased replacement (within first 3 months), fought it since it meant dropping below my preablation dose. On March 2nd I was told I had several small foci of papillary carcinoma in the tissue of the right thyroid that was removed and that the entire mass was being sent to another hospital for further research but it looks benign the doctors recommended removing the other side, we decided that was the best plan. I also feel much more anxious and depressed. So, I was really getting insistent that he go home. Thyroid Surgery Process - Penn Medicine The site is secure. This was my 2nd bout of hiccups from surgery again they lasted about 10 days. Total Thyroidectomy - What You Need to Know - Drugs.com Every step of the way I've made sure to get the best of the best, and so many times I've gone to new specialist who have said "you're so lucky you had the surgeon that you did, because he's the best of the best and did a fantastic job". She also gave me hints to help minimize the surgical scar. I had to use the urinal, but it is just easier to use it in the bathroom than in the bed for me. He is now also seeing a doctor at cleveland clinic who specializes in thyroid cancer. Questions: It's been just over two weeks since my thyroidectomy. A few days later I realized that I had not heard things like birdsong in 3+ years. A literature review shows a variable postoperative onset of Horners syndrome between 2 days and 1 week. Life After Thyroid Surgery - Medtronic It was pretty awful. I asked if I could turn my head (I have no idea why I asked if that was OK, I just did) and I was told, If you can tolerate it. The Effect of Head-Neck Stretching Exercises After Thyroidectomy on They advised against it thinking that until TSH is low it increases likelyhood of cancer spread as it would increase my metabolism. I know the levels that I'm supposed to maintain at are different from those of normal people with a thyroid and no cancer history. Some of it still doesn't make sense to me (in that the sequence of logic fails me), but then again I was on strong pain killers for part of the time and I didn't go to medical school. Surgery was over at about 8:15 and they decided to keep me overnight because my calcium levels wouldn't be back until way late. Hi to give you a little history, in Feb 2014 I found a nodule on my right side of my thyroid byopsies and scans done I was told it was fine nothing to worry about 1 month later I get a pain on my right side scan done I have a nodule on my right overy the advice given at the time wad to remove the right overy but it was my choice as to whether or not I would opt for both to be removed this was a tough choice as a radical meopause was to follow I was 48 at the time however this is where things get very interesting on the Tuesday before my overy removal I ruptured a ligament in my left ankle this was in June op put off until cast off and I was walking around log story short did op in late August and nodule was gone I was delighted and very relieved and thanked god for my lucky escape I'm self employed and I had never been incompassatated before off I went to take control of my life again my ankle never fully recovers I have a cronic pain in I'm neck with tingling down my right arm visited my GP regulary who's best advice was to have an anti depressent which I refused went to a chiropractor as a last resort she was excellent she saved my soul on the spot she told my I needed an mri and an appointment with a nurosurgen immediately 2 weeks later I meet my nourosurgen and I have a very serious condition since I had rip tured my ligament I had also injured my c5 c6 cervical spine and needed to be operated on straight away but my nourosurgen wanted to know who was looking after my thyroid no one was as they had said it was nothing to worry about saw another surguen mor scans mor byopsies the long and the short of it was I had neck surgery in june 2015 right thyroidectomy September 2015 I had micto papillary carcinoma because it was micro no treatment was deemed necessary I had put on alot of weight and thankfully I started to loose it fast forward six months to frebruary and my husband say that lump is growing again I hadn't even noticed myself more scans more byopsies more doctors I have a new nodule in my left side byopsie was incunclusive Doctor wanted to do surgery in may I refused he suggested July I refused again I couldn't face another Summer like the last 2 surgery done on the first of September no results yet as I'm not seeing my surguen until 5th of October I'm hoping this is a good sign so I had 3 ops in less then a year in the same neck area I'm in alot of pain that's from my disc fusion my thyroid area is just very tender I'm taking eltroxin 75mg calcichew and magnesium daily nows the thing I eat very healthy I'm still putting on weight I have very little energy I can cook a good dinner but that is about all I have no interest in work or am I even thinking of going back I have developed a pain in my back teeth very annoying I have a pain in my tight hip (where it all started) and now I'm afraid I may have another nodule on my overy I'm afraid to visit my GP my question is this they are fairly sure these nodules are estrogen fueled but they won't do anything to supress it and this has me worried are they going to do more treatment I don't know I think I would prefer if they did because knowing my luck I will get another nodule on the remaining tissue anyone have any ideas I had to cave in and take one of my remaining pain meds. Disclosures: Lee and Vodopivec report no relevant financial disclosures. All assured me that I would be in good hands and they would see me in a few hours. Follicular carcinoma minimally invasive (7.1 cm) Because I had such an intense spread, my surgical experience was a bit different than others. My surgeon kept telling me it's normal after the surgery, but won't give me detail explanation. If skin is not sufficiently retracted after 6 months, anterior neck lift or lower face/neck lift should be a consideration. Have a wonderful holiday season and thank you again so much to this board for existing. Held at hospital 3 days post RAI, then stuck here since I have a 2.5 year old. TeamInspire Patients who undergo thyroid surgery frequently suffer from unpleasant symptoms such as a stretching, choking, or pressing feeling or discomfort in the neck for a long time. September 17th took S. to Madigan for her weight loss surgery; J. came with me to help me through the waiting. Soooo I got in to see a new guy in my Drs practice and he referred me to an ENT the next week. 7) Did an RAI 90mci on Sept 4th at night. Twenty-eight patients who had undergone thyroidectomy and 28 healthy . I went to bed and slept until 445 am when I took some Tylenol and went back to sleep until 730am. If you look it up on the Internet it is supposed to be hooked up to an external temperature air conditioning unit. Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics Guideline Task Force, et al. Horners syndrome was described in 1853 by French physiologist Claude Bernard and then by the Swiss ophthalmologist Johann Horner in 1869. Once your thyroid is removed you are now . I got about half a sip down and the other half went all over my hospital gown. I don't remember exactly when he left. Both surgeons recommended almost the exact same treatment plan. After surgery, you may have a scar at the base of your neck. The scar is 5cm long and as of now looks good. No chemo or typical radiation but I had pretty major surgery, will need to take meds the rest of my life and LID and RAI was/is no picnic. On June 10 I had my follow-up with Dr H. for the thyroid removal and got another unofficial look at the CT scan. So, here is a more detailed experience of what just the thyroidectomy was like. I slept in this morning until about 8:30 a.m. and am happy to report that I'm feeling a lot like myself. Ask for prayers. I have papillary thyroid cancer with a follicular variant. Take care everyone, and to those with surgeries coming up I wish you all the very best. 3) Met with Surgeon and he said, the mass on right was big enough that it needs to come out weather cancer or not . so according to the ultrasound write up surrounding lyphnodes were normal but no film existed. July 26th Another mental health appointment, another good visit he is defiantly happy with how I am doing and we are figuring out that I probably dont need too many more appointments for now at least. The Impact of Post-Thyroidectomy Neck Stretching Exercises on Neck Discomfort, Pressure Symptoms, Voice and Quality of Life: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The surgical pathology reported a 5 cm papillary thyroid cancer in the left lobe of the thyroid with lymphovascular invasion, microscopic positive surgical margins, with five of 59 positive lymph nodes (two left level IIA nodes, one Delphian node and two level VI nodes). For those that are getting ready to have this surgery I would never say "don't be scared," I would just say let the fear come like you are going skydiving and know that it will be over soon and things will start getting much better. What Causes Pain in Incision Months After Surgery? MeSH He currently thinks they are looking good at the level I am at and wants to wait till December before he adjusts them. Crepey skin on neck after thyroidectomy: Will it go away on it's own? The reasons for that are in this post https://www.inspire.com/groups/thyca-thyroid-cancer-survivors-association/discussion/its-100-for-sure-cancer-pathology-report-back/ People with a history of keloids (excess scar tissue) may experience more scarring after thyroid surgery. 2022 Sep;46(9):2212-2222. doi: 10.1007/s00268-022-06610-0. July 14th Thursday Bangor Dental appointment with x rays my teeth look healthy just needs some cleanings, they also checked to make sure the radiation therapy I had didnt cause any tooth damage, so far so good. Can it grow that fast from elevated TSH levels? Wish me luck. I remember getting onto the operating table and the anesthesiologist telling me that she was starting anesthesia. NEVER do this! None for cancer, but enough to make me a believer in getting a second opinion. The result of the biopsy concluded Papillary Carcinoma. She reported left upper lid drooping and showed a recent picture with only the right side of her face flushed in a hot summer day (Figure 1, upper panel). By 6:30 or so I was famished. The only good thing is that they have taken me off the Low Iodine Diet and are starting to give my Synthroid.