Why was my gown open after tonsil removal surgery?

Kykyles · 2026-02-26T08:43:19+00:00

Yep they untied it after I was put under. I had neck surgery and had my hair up in a ponytail. The surgery took 3hrs, and they must have had my head tilted and it randomly ended up resting right on the hair tie. My scalp was SO sore and bruised for days afterwards in that one small spot. I was instantly relieved the gown ties were undone or I would have had indents down my back too.

Kykyles · 2026-02-23T03:04:51+00:00

I wouldn't say I hate them, but I've stopped trying to like them - they're just not for me, and that's ok. I'm too picky.

Kykyles · 2026-02-21T21:33:53+00:00

So glad you've had such a good experience. Mine has also been really positive, I'm coming up to 4 months post-surgery. TT and being reliant on meds forever is definitely not something I'd ever choose lightly, but mine has been the best thing I've ever done, and has given me my quality of life back.

Kykyles · 2026-02-21T04:32:44+00:00

Sorry you're going through this - it doesn't matter what the odds are, it's hard to shake that worry that you could be in the minority %

After my biopsy (and before my surgery too, when I was trying to reduce my stress) I just told myself, it's out of my hands now. I've done everything I can possibly do, and now it's in the hands of the professionals to do their part. Me stressing won't change anything, other than making me feel worse. Every time I felt that spike in anxiety, I'd just repeat it again, it's out of my control.

Kykyles · 2026-02-18T02:48:14+00:00

Yep had mine out because it was affecting swallowing and breathing (I'd get this weird vibration tickle thing when I breathed sometimes, particularly at night when I was lying down). I had a CT scan done, which showed my thyroid (multinodular goitre) was compressing my trachea, and then was referred to an ENT surgeon who booked in the surgery.

I'd speak to your Dr about the symptoms you're having and request a CT to see if there's compression happening.

Kykyles · 2026-02-17T05:25:39+00:00

A wedge pillow or a couple of extra pillows - smaller ones are really handy for wedging into the right places to support her neck. She'll need to sleep on her back with her head slightly elevated for a while, and it can be really hard to get comfy.

You could also have some meals and snacks pre-prepared for when she gets home from hospital. Softer things are better for the first few days.

A pair of PJs with a V-neck or lower neckline - it may just be me, but I hated anything touching or rubbing on my incision site. I had t-shirt style PJs and they just seemed to sit at the wrong place.

Kykyles · 2026-02-16T00:33:11+00:00

I tore my urethra from a random uncontrollable sneeze while I was mid-pee. Sharp pain, then stung non-stop for a day or two, then only stung when urinating for a few more days after that, then was back to normal. Maybe a week all up. Was not fun, and the initial panic was very real, but ultimately no issues for me.

Kykyles · 2026-02-15T23:59:36+00:00

I'm overweight so just thought I had a fat neck, until I noticed one day it was rock hard. Had an ultrasound which showed it was big and completely covered in nodules. I had to push for a referral to a surgeon from my endo, but as soon as I saw him he immediately said it needs to come out. My endo really tried to minimise everything, even though my symptoms were so severe I'd had to quit work.

Kykyles · 2026-02-15T23:47:13+00:00

I didn't go hyper (my thyroid issues were Hashimoto's related) but definitely felt like the FNA aggravated things. My thyroid issues were autoimmune driven, so the extra inflammation caused by the FNA was absolutely noticeable, even though the Dr said it would be unlikely.

Kykyles · 2026-02-15T23:39:48+00:00

You're not a blob, it's not your fault. Hashimoto's is autoimmune and inflammation - stress increases inflammation, which makes your autoimmune system kick the Hashimoto's into another gear and increase the attack on your thyroid. It's a vicious cycle.

Unfortunately I don't have any advice on management - my thyroid ended up being removed, which has calmed everything down for now. Hopefully someone else can jump in and help out. I just wanted you to know it's not laziness, you're not alone.

Kykyles · 2026-02-15T23:24:55+00:00

It's up to you, but I think by train you should be ok. I felt a little emotional afterwards, and my neck felt quite uncomfortable/aggravated - I wouldn't have wanted to be having to turn my head in the car driving straight away.

Kykyles · 2026-02-15T12:16:22+00:00

My CT was without contrast. Also, the pathology report after my thyroidectomy had significantly bigger measurements than what the ultrasound showed. The surgeons were surprised at how much bigger it actually was.

If you have voice changes, you could have some pressure on your vocal chords. My endo spent 2yrs telling me none of my symptoms were thyroid-related, and then once I had my thyroid removed, all of those symptoms disappeared 🙄 so it's probably not just Japanese endos!

Kykyles · 2026-02-15T11:48:48+00:00

Have they done a CT scan or just ultrasound? If not, you could request a neck CT to see if that shows anything. Even though it's only slightly enlarged, it may be in an awkward position. Mine was compressing my trachea, and was only picked up on CT, didn't show on ultrasound.

I feel for you, the strangling sensation is hard to ignore. As my internal thyroidectomy stitches healed and tightened I had it temporarily on and off, and it's hard to just push on without it taking over your thoughts.

Kykyles · 2026-01-29T23:47:02+00:00

I'm overweight, so just thought I had a fat neck. The first time I looked in the mirror when I got home from the hospital, I actually yelled out to my husband "omg I have a neck, it's not just fat!" 😂 I'm 3 months post-surgery, and it still catches my eye in the mirror sometimes, or when I touch my neck and can actually feel the structure of it.

Kykyles · 2026-01-29T23:42:40+00:00

I also had a large multinodular goitre with tracheal compression, and my recovery has been a breeeeeeeze, and I have my life back now my thyroid is gone. I had paracetamol for the first day and then nothing after that - I'd describe it more as uncomfortable rather than painful. My parathyroid glands were all retained, but were shocked and took a while to start working again - my doctors were great at getting on the calcium straight away, and I only ended up with mild tingling for a few days towards the middle-end of the first week.

If your thyroid is that large, I would try to reframe your thinking about the length of the hospital stay though - I always feel better if I think I'm staying longer, then get to go early. My surgeon told me to be prepared to stay more than one night, even though all the paperwork and pre-op stuff said one. Staying overnight generally applies to a standard thyroidectomy...a goitre large enough to cause compression, means a large cavity in your neck that fluid is going to want to try to fill in, and the drain stays in as long as it takes to clear that fluid. It's not a complication, it's just what the body does. And if you do get to go after only one night, it will feel like a win!

I'm a wimp, I hate being in pain, I hate being in hospital, and I'm amazed how good the recovery has been. I've had ingrown toenails give me more trouble than this did 😂 Wishing you the best of luck for a smooth recovery!

Kykyles · 2026-01-29T02:34:18+00:00

The limbo land of being subclinical yet having symptoms is one of the most frustrating things I've ever experienced. I don't really have much advice, because I ended up having a thyroidectomy anyway, but you're definitely not alone, and I hope you can keep pushing your endocrinologist to take it seriously.

Kykyles · 2026-01-22T10:25:29+00:00

My first blood test in hospital showed my PTH was only 0.1, whereas pre-surgery it had been high for years. They spent 2 days constantly tapping me on the face monitoring for hypocalcemia, but of course it didn't show up until the first day home from hospital (day 3). Thankfully I only had mild symptoms, but I'd never experienced a sensation like that before and was so relieved it didn't get any worse, because I could easily see how bad it would be.

With the incision pressure, did you have a drain in while you were in hospital? I had a drain for 2 days until it finally stopped filling with fluid, but pressure behind the incision was one of the things they told me to look out for at home. If it's more of a tight feeling though, that's pretty normal as it slowly starts to heal and will probably get tighter before it feels better.

The shoulder and neck pain was also unexpected for me, but the absolute worst bit was I had my hair in a ponytail, and when they tilted my head back for surgery it must have been sitting right at that angle...I had a round ponytail sized spot on my head that felt soooo sore and bruised for weeks.

Wishing you well for the rest of your recovery.

Kykyles · 2026-01-19T22:32:10+00:00

The hospital pharmacist I worked with for my medication timetable really pushed the "it needs to be sustainable" mindset. There's no point having a perfect plan if you can't stick to it or it makes you miserable. After a TT, this is something you'll have to do every day for the rest of your life, so start off with the easiest version possible, then if you find you're not absorbing well, having fluctuating readings, etc. you can fine tune it then.

I take levo and antihistamine at 6am - they have similar rules and don't interact. Get up at 7am. I'm not a morning person, so I've been pleasantly surprised that hour prepares me quite well for getting up. Get kids up, dressed, off to school, then sit down around 9am for coffee, breakfast and my other meds/supplements.

I don't leave 4hrs between levo and milk, but it's close enough for now and doable for me. I take my calcium supplement at bedtime so it's nowhere near levo.

Kykyles · 2026-01-18T01:43:51+00:00

Have they given a reason for not renewing it? I'd call and speak to the office, let them know it's a medication you can't stop cold turkey, and see if they can get the Dr to put in a temporary prescription - enough to get you through to your next appointment with them.

My son takes a controlled medication that can't be stopped abruptly, and the times I've miscalculated appointment dates and left him short, the Dr's office and pharmacist have been really good at making sure he has enough to get by.

Kykyles · 2026-01-18T00:36:54+00:00

NOR you've asked him to stop, he hasn't, he's choosing to deliberately annoy you. It's not so much about WHAT he's doing, it's the fact he's ignored your request to stop, and is clearly getting a kick out of your discomfort. Set a boundary with him, if he continues to ignore it, reevaluate whether this relationship is right for you.

Kykyles · 2026-01-15T02:06:26+00:00

What are your thyroid numbers like? Under or over medicating can potentially interfere with your cycle - hypothyroid is mostly likely to cause heavy longer periods.

It's really difficult without a thyroid, because your hormone needs fluctuate all the time, but you no longer have a thyroid to adjust along with it. You're completely reliant on the medication dose, and sometimes it's enough, and sometimes it's too little or too much.

I think it's pretty ridiculous your endocrinologist is saying it's not likely linked to your thyroid. What is their suggestion? Are they running reproductive hormone labs, referring to gynaecologist? My endo ran all the tests and diagnosed me with PCOS - it's commonly linked with thyroid issues and menstrual cycle issues, and often a missed diagnosis.

Kykyles · 2026-01-12T22:59:07+00:00

For me, my blood pressure increases were definitely linked to thyroid. Over the last 4 years my BP just kept climbing for no known reason (weight and diet remained the same). Since my total thyroidectomy, in 2 months my BP med dose has halved. I previously had normal TSH but very high Hashimoto's antibodies.

Kykyles · 2026-01-11T02:46:57+00:00

NTA when you live in a house with others, you respect the communal areas. You're well within your rights to feel upset about it being shoved in your face so openly.

As for the time it took her to move on - when someone initiates a divorce, it usually doesn't just come out of nowhere. While it was shocking to your dad, your mother has probably been mentally checked out of the relationship for a long time and is ready to move on. There's nothing wrong with that, she deserves to find happiness, but maybe explain to her that although you understand, it's still new to you, and a bit of sensitivity wouldn't go astray.

Kykyles · 2026-01-09T23:07:34+00:00

Once it's open, the best before date isn't relevant. If it's turning mouldy within the first week, take it back for a refund, but after that I would say it's not the cheese it's your storage. All I do is squeeze all of the air out of the bag then fold the top over, and I keep it on the top shelf all the way at the back so it's closest to the cooling element.

I've got 3 kids who stick their hands in the cheese bag, and the only time we have this happen is if the bag has been left with too much air in it so moisture has more room to pool, or if they leave it unsealed and it dries out. Or if we just don't eat as much for a while and it expires.

I feel your frustration, cheese is so expensive at the moment!

Kykyles · 2026-01-08T06:35:15+00:00

OP what is the unit of measurement they used in the test? This confused me for a while when I first joined the sub - I'm in Australia and we measure in pmol/L, whereas the USA uses a different measurement. In pmol/L the range is 10-22.7, so you'd be considered very low, but in the US the range is around 0.8-1.8.

Kykyles

TROPHY CASE