[Why Partial Recovery Is Not The Whole Story
Tilo Chopin
I was told in advance that if I felt the slightest bit nauseous upon waking up that I needed to let them know so they could get ahead of it. I felt queasy. Benadryl was immediately injected into my IV. I woke up and fell asleep a number of times before finally being pretty much kicked out of recovery.
Wrong. Two weeks is about right. I was pretty much useless during the first week. I could do a little bit here or there during the second week, but not much. I was back to full productivity during weeks three and four but I did need naps and was still unable to exercise. Unfortunately, I caught a horrible cold during week four and the coughing really irritated my surgical site. Do whatever it takes not to get sick for the first two months after surgery because it will set you back.
I asked my dermatologist how best to avoid scarring and she said that vitamin E and other scarring ointments are basically worthless. She had me buy over-the-counter, professional grade silicone strips. I chose (affiliate link) ScarAway and have been pleased from the results but they do require patience.
She said that the silicone basically prevents a new scar from popping out. But, everyone heals differently. Should I still scar, there are lasers that help and steroid injections should the scar pop out. So far, I can tell the silicone strips are working.
While partial thyroidectomy is a fairly routine and simple (relatively speaking) surgery, surgeons seem to have different incision sizes. Ask how big yours will be and where it will be. Some tout a minimally-invasive technique with very small incisions. I was told that all surgery is minimally-invasive if you have a good surgeon because they will get in and out quickly with minimal damage.
Katie Dillon is the managing editor of La Jolla Mom. She helps readers plan San Diego vacations through her hotel expertise (that stems from living in a Four Seasons hotel) and local connections. Readers have access to exclusive discounts on theme park tickets (like Disneyland and San Diego Zoo) and perks at luxury hotels worldwide through her. She also shares insider tips for visiting major cities worldwide, like Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Shanghai, that her family has either lived in or visits regularly (or both).
I just came across your website, and am very grateful you posted. I am having a large 6cm thyroid nodule removed at the end of this month, along with a suspected parathyroid tumor. I am terrified! I have three small children under the age of 6, and know I need to do this. But I am dreading the painful recovery, downtime, etc. I also work full-time and have no idea what to say to my office. The surgeons are supposedly going to do this minimally invasively and say I will go home that same day, and will only need to take a week off of work. But I am suspicious of the pain, etc., that will be involved. Supposedly I am having a lighter anesthesia as opposed to a fully-intubated general. Do you now have to take thyroid replacement hormones? My levels have always been normal, even with the large nodules, so I too feel nervous about taking out an organ that seems to be functioning alright. Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for posting your experience. Hope that you are feeling better and are fully recovered.
Post-surgery day 3 and I feel ready to go by to work. I had a wonderful surgeon who performs 70-80 of these surgeries a year! That makes a huge difference. My nodule was benign as well, but continued to grow so I wanted it out.
I am scheduled for a partial tomorrow afternoon. Also thankful mine is in January. In addition to multi-toxic goiter, I have hyperthyroidism. You mentioned about the possibility of the other side kicking in and possibly not needing meds. What happened in the end? Did it kick in? Did you gain any weight during the wait time?
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Sharon,
Did you end up experiencing any weight gain? I also have a toxic multi-nodular goiter and thus have very high T3 levels, and weight gain is a concern of mine because I was told if I only had half removed, the remaining half should be able to keep up (in theory). My surgery is 10 days away and this whole thread has been so helpful in getting me mentally prepared for it. I was told 3 weeks for total recovery, so interesting to hear that many people here experienced a bit longer and were told longer by their doctors!
Olga,
I understand your concerns. Why take a nodule out if this one is benign?
That was my reaction 3 years ago, when it was brought to my attention that I had a nodule. I did a biopsy that showed that it was benign. And before rushing to anything drastic, I tried in vain natural remedies. Then over the years the nodule grew, started to put pressure on the trachea and the jugular.
When this benign nodule started to affect vital functions of my body I decided it was time to remove it.
A week ago I had it removed along with a partial thyroidectomy. It has been harder to recover than I thought, besides a bad sore throat, being dizzy, I barely can talk, and constantly feel exhausted.
Good luck to you.
I am having half of my thyroid removed Tuesday may 17th. Starting to get nervous. 2 nodules:1 large that was suscpoius for papillary cancer and the second smaller nodule was inconclusive (Bethesda score 3) I have either seen or spoke to more than 6 doctors. Most were eager to remove my thyroid before the genetic molecular testing results came back. I found that to be disturbing. I finally found a doc at UNC Chapel Hill who said to wait for the molecular results and repeat the biospy. I did this. 7 months later: nodules were larger and both were now suscpoius. I could put this off and re test again but the cells will never be normal and can only turn cancerous over time.
Having said all this, I am firm believer in keeping your thyroid. It is so important and under appreciated.
If given the option based on a poor FNA I would most defin retest . There is a certain finesse involved in pulling the sample and staining it promptly.
I also have normal thyroid function. My module were found by accident
I had a partial thyroidectomy last week. I had migraines for a few days after and still have a slightly hoarse throat. It has now been 7 days. All OK (except headaches), my only concern is how the thyroid reacts to half of it being taken out. For a few days I was unable to sleep, shaky, really cold hands and feet with twitching muscles. Last night I slept for 16 hours and only awoke as my wife was worried. I tried to do a bit of work over the last couple of days but foggy brain is making it take 20 times longer than it should (the amount of times I walked into a room forgetting what I wanted was astounding). Did you have any symptoms which would imply fluctuating thyroid hormone levels and if so how long before they calmed down? Does the thyroid go into a crisis state after having half of itself removed?
I had a Thyroidectomy on May the 12th, Less than 2 months later I had an appointment with my surgeon on July the 10th and he was amazed to see that my scar is almost none existent. For two months I was using the Dr Max Powers Scar Serum and it worked. The surgeon was surprised and even wrote down the name of the Scar Serum to recommend to his clients.
Hello,
I am one day post op. Having some problems with my face feeling flushed. Had a partial thyroidectomy. Lt 3.9 cm nodule. Has anyone experienced any other bodily adjustments during early postop.
Thanks.
Keep recovering
Allie, I just had parathyroid surgery to remove a large adenoma, plus a benign thyroid nodule. A person can have more than one adenoma (enlarged parathyroid gland). Since your calcium and PTH is still high, it sounds like you might have had a second one that is still in there, or perhaps a healthy gland was removed and the original adenoma is still present. I highly recommend you check out parathyroid.com. So much helpful information. After researching, I chose them to perform my surgery, because of their experience, and willingly traveled from Pennsylvania to Tampa. You deserve to feel well. Good luck!
Hi Andrea, I did not have Dr Clayman. I had Dr Lopez at the Norman Parathyroid Center, also in Tampa. My primary problem was hyperparathyroidism caused by an adenoma on one of my parathyroid glands. I also had a benign thyroid nodule that had been slowly growing so he conveniently removed it at the same time. I hope your thyroid surgery went well!
Hello, I am on day 6 of recovery from a left thyroid lobectomy. The surgery was recommended once they found a very suspicious nodule after having it biopsied. So far post surgery, have felt pretty good and think a lot depends on the experience of the surgeon and personal care. There is some voice discomfort and perhaps low energy levels, but I am looking to get back into the swing of things in next week or so. Best to those experiencing this, and think it was an experience that was so far much better than expected going in.
Hi Emily! I know exactly what you mean. I had my surgery on a Thursday and I slept through the weekend. I did go to work that Monday but I did fall asleep at my desk by the afternoon. If you can, try to go in late and no matter how tempted you are, do not work late. I have to do a lot of talking in my business and my voice gave out on me after an hour. I never told anyone I was having surgery so I had my assistant tell clients I had laryngitis. If you can, try to make Monday as easy as possible! Im not sure you will have the same problem but nothing was coming out of my mouth. Not even a whisper. It shocked me. Please keep me posted on your progress. This message board is very helpful to everyone and your details will be very helpful to others.
I had a partial left throidectomy due to nodules continued growing over the past 2 1/2 -3 yrs with the same hesitations.
How is your incision healing since you manipulated removing the glued protection off sooner ?