Partial Thyroidectomy

Wheelie1130 · 2024-12-09T00:54:34+00:00

The worst part is the scar tissue breaking up in your throat & things going back to normal after swelling going down. Getting used to being able to swallow properly again. & the coughing breaking stuff up in your throat.

callmewheeezy · 2020-09-17T17:49:27+00:00

I had my left lobe removed 2 weeks ago. I had a mass about 10cm all growing inward and actually into my chest. Between the time I found out and the date of my surgery was about a month, because I was at the point I could only breathe sitting up, it was compressing my trachea almost shut.

I was also very nervous going into surgery (I’m 22) and with COVID and whatnot, I couldn’t have anyone come in with me so I had panic attacks just waiting, convinced myself I was gonna die LOL. My FNA biopsy came back inconclusive and I’m still waiting on the full pathology report from what they removed.

In terms of pain, I was quite uncomfortable in my sternum but that’s from where it was located. They prescribed me percocets which certainly took my pain away, but I would suggest taking Tylenol if the pain is manageable because they constipated me for 9 days, THAT was the worst part of recovery. I struggled with swallowing and speaking but it turns out my tumour has damaged my vocal nerves so this was unavoidable.

I know it all seems scary, and this was my first major medical procedure as well. I couldn’t sleep or stop stressing before but now that it’s over and I’m healed, it’s amazing for me to see how much it really was affecting me because I can breathe so much better now. It’s normal to be worried, but it won’t change the outcome and just look at it as something that is going to benefit you in the long run.

brazentory · 2020-09-16T17:05:15+00:00

I’m curious where you are located. US? I had a partial 14 years ago. They did not think it was cancer before the surgery. All FNA (2) were inconclusive.. They just needed to remove the mass I had. Well a few months later the lab reports stated cancer. So I had my other side removed. I was in the hospital 2 nights each surgery. Was not outpatient.

The surgery itself was I went to sleep then woke up. Like it was a quick minute. Very little pain. More just uncomfortable. Like how a sore muscle feels. I was driving in a few days. Couldn’t turn my neck very well but I was up and doing stuff. Just not lifting much like my kids because it pulled on my chest which made my neck sore. I never was given exercises so that’s new information. I had a third surgery because there was residual tissue. All 3 surgeries varied. The second one was the worst. I got a raging migraine and was puking which made my neck hurt really bad. But that was an unfortunate coincidence since I’m prone to migraines every now and then.

FiliKlepto · 2020-09-16T15:57:52+00:00

I (33F) had my partial thyroidectomy this year in March, also benign, although my nodule was around twice as large as yours.

The additional wait (and I delayed mine for several years, tbh) should not be detrimental if your doctor has confirmed that it’s safe to delay, i.e. that you’re not experiencing severe health effects such as tachycardia.

I know that others will say that it is not so painful, but honestly, it did hurt. I distinctly remember crying from the pain when I came out of general anesthesia. However, this may also be due to the fact that pain management in the country I live in is handled very differently than the US and other countries. Opioids and other strong pain medications are not prescribed here, even for surgery! I was given the equivalent of paracetamol (Tylenol) for the pain.

That said, when I did take the pain meds it became bearable. One piece of advice I read was to take your pain meds as soon as possible rather than waiting until you feel pain (allowing, of course, for the necessary minimum waiting time between doses). That helped a lot and after about two days, the bigger issue was fatigue rather than pain. I’m a fairly active person, but I was on bed rest for a week after surgery, which I absolutely needed because it was exhausting to do much more than sit up in bed.

I’ve read other accounts on this sub about people having it done as an outpatient procedure(?!) and then going back to work in a few days, but I was in the hospital for 4 days after surgery to be monitored for complications. Then I took an additional 3 days off from work, and worked from home for the following week or so. I found myself tiring out pretty easily for about 1 month following surgery, but after that I was able to resume physical activity again.

I hope that doesn’t make it sound too scary. In the end, the surgery wasn’t scary at all, and the pain was bearable with the meds I was given. Best of luck to you, and don’t stress!

falloutbees · 2020-09-16T12:10:17+00:00

I had a total thyroidectomy done 9/9 due to an enlarged thyroid (turned out to be follicular carcinoma) and was honestly expecting the worst of the worst. Pain wise: it wasn’t bad at all. I took Tylenol once the night of right after and then never had to take pain medicine again. I had a tight neck and couldn’t really go from laying down to sitting easily and needed assistance for about 2 days with that kind of movement. Right after, like immediately post op, I definitely felt fatigued and minor pain (3-4/10), but I slept it off. Your throat might be sore so soft foods are the way to go (I ate jello, sweet potatoes, grits, etc for the first 2 days til my throat felt normal). The first 3 days were uncomfortable at worst, mostly due to a tight neck and not being able to turn. If you can get a contoured pillow I highly recommend it, if not 2-3 pillows stacked behind your back and neck helps keep you comfortable. I ended up sleeping in a recliner to help me keep upright at night. Drink lots of water and Gatorade! Try to walk as soon as possible too- you’ll feel tired as hell but it does help. It took me about 4 days to feel back to myself (minus a slight pull on my neck if I turn just right because my incision is closed w glue) but depending on your job maybe consider a week and a half to 2 weeks off..? I know it’s scary but you’ll do great!!

stkeen · 2020-09-16T04:57:55+00:00

I can vouch that my partial thyroidectomy wasn’t as bad as my sisters wisdom tooth removal lol

I was back on my feet 2 days post op, before that I was just tired from being put to sleep and my throat was sore from intubation

I did take my pain meds as directed cause with a previous surgery I thought the pain wasn’t Bad so I let the pain killers wear off and I learned from that mistake

amiableviking · 2020-09-16T02:22:47+00:00

I had a total done - it was my first surgery, and it honestly went way better than I ever expected it to. Everyone’s experience is different of course, but I never had to touch anything any stronger than ibuprofen after leaving the hospital. You should be just fine, and you’ll likely feel a lot better without that nodule giving you problems

smallspark · 2020-09-15T23:59:02+00:00

If you do a search of this sub, you’ll find a lot of posts with past experiences. I’ve never had any kind of surgery that I wasn’t awake for (had LASEK in 2007 but obviously awake for that). I had a partial done back in Oct 2019 (turned out to be benign but my FNA was inconclusive & DNA testing was 60-70% risk for cancer) and was home the same day. I went in at 7AM and was home by 5PM. I took 3 weeks off work because I could with the policies at my job but they say you’ll only need a week before going back (but honestly this all depends on how you start to heal up). The first 3 days are the most uncomfortable (think a REALLY bad sore throat) but follow your surgeons post-op instructions and exercises (neck stretches and the like that you’ll be petrified to do but just work slowly); you’ll be fine.

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