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For those of you who read my earlier post or follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you’ll know that I underwent surgery on my thyroid last month.
One thing I noticed when frantically googling in a pre-op panic was there didn’t seem to be much information on people’s personal experience with having a thryoidectomy.
I don’t know if I was just looking in the wrong places, but for those of you who are facing a similar situation to me, I wanted to provide an insight into my surgery and my personal experience of having a thryoidectomy (thyroid removal).
I’m sorry for those of you who think it’s slightly irrelevant and a deviation from the coeliac theme of this blog but hey, variety is the spice of life!
After suffering years of an over-active thyroid, which can be linked to coeliac disease, I finally had my thyroid removed on 14th December.
Because I had a bit of a goiter (lump) where my thyroid was – a big part of the reason I was having it removed – the incision ended up being relatively low down on my neck – nearer my collar bone.
The transformation has been amazing – I may have a scar (which is healing remarkably well) but for once I feel like my neck is normal and there’s no lump!
I stayed in hospital for four days, had half of my staples removed the day after my op and had the other half removed a few days later along with my drain.
For those of you that are curious (as I was) having staples removed sounds far worse than it actually is – I couldn’t even feel half of them coming out and the relief I felt afterwards made it worth it!
The drain however, was slightly less pleasant and having that removed was probably the worst part of my experience!
Now, three weeks later, my scar has improved a lot – I still have some numbness around that area and it’s still a bit sore but I figure that’s only to be expected after having major surgery!
Bio-Oil has also been my saviour – I would DEFINITELY reccommend this to anyone as it has stopped my scar itching or hurting as much and it is healing up so well already, I can’t believe it.
It took about two weeks for me to be able to drive and move my head properly again. Now I still have a little trouble moving my head enough to reverse and if I’m around a lot of people I can get a bit of an achey neck but I’ve found moving it has helped a lot with feeling better.
So there you have it – it’s not the most comprehensive view on my surgery (I didn’t want to bore/scare you all!) but I am feeling so much better for it and now I only have my coeliacs to think about!
If anyone has any questions or wants to share their experiences of thyroid surgery, comment below or email me on: [email protected].
Hi, i’m three weeks post thyroidectomy and feeling really well. It is so good to find positive comments, I was SO terrified before my surgery and I don’t think I should have googled so much as all I seemed to read was all the negative info and scary scar photos. My thyroid was removed due to suspect nodules, having Graves disease and being totally hyper… I had a fantastic surgeon and my scar is about 6 cm long and healing really well. I have lost the shakes and tremors in my hands and have not been feeling anxious sweaty and out of control since the op which I can’t quite believe just yet. My biopsy results were clear and cancer free so I just feel so thankful. I’m not vain but I was a bit freaked about having the scar on my neck but it’s such a small price to pay for feeling well again and there are people so worse off than me. I’m using Palmers Cocoa Butter Scar serum which is similar to Bio Oil and massaging three times a day and once the swelling goes down I really don’t think it will be very noticeable to others. I stayed in hospital for three nights although I could have gone home after two, they just wanted to check the calcium levels in my blood were all good before allowing me to go home. My first night was spent in the ICU in case of swelling, however I was eating ice chips, jelly and icecream four hours after the op. I did have a really sore throat and my voice kept cutting in and out for several days. My head and neck have been really stiff and I have just started driving as I wasn’t comfortable turning my head too far around prior to that. I’m taking 100mg thyroxine daily and will see how things go…all the blogs I read have said I will stack on the weight but I guess I’ll just have to eat healthy and wait and see! All the best to everyone, Best wishes, Penny
My scar is pratically non-existant. My surgeon was incredible… truly you cant see a thing and it was only like an 1.5″ to being with and yes I had a total thryoidectomy. My only problem has been weight gain and my muscles are always sore. I dont know why but it’s been since the surgery. Anyone else have muscle trouble? I fell like and old lady and Iam only 44. Any suggestions
oh and 2 weeks to recover was not the case for me. I actually was ready to go back 4-5 days after the surgery. I was tired sure but other than that felt just fine did not need pain meds. However it made my period pretty terrible for the 2-3 months after but they are getting better. I go in for my 2nd check up next month. I had removal on 2-24. I did not have to have a drain or anything like that. I was very nervous about having the surgery due to all the things that I was reading on line but it was alot easier that I was expecting. Dont be too nervous if you need to have your removed.
I have felt pretty tired and achey after my surgery, but I put it down to working a 50 hour week running round a busy pasty shop!! However, am intrigued to find out after you mention this whether perhaps it is something to do with my thyroid? As I know what you mean about feeling like an old lady….and I’m only 22!! That is great about your scar and your quick recovery time! I have been left with a rather larger scar, so perhaps this is why it took me so long to recover….that and the fact I am a total wimp!! Thanks for sharing your story, it’s great to hear from others who have had this done – everyone’s experiences seem to be different! X