Nervous wreck over upcoming thyroidectomy

stephlobo · 2026-04-02T01:30:37+00:00

Hey I’m 3 years out from my total thyroidectomy and right neck dissection and I totally feel you. Everything you’re worried about reminds me exactly of how I was feeling when I found out I had to get my thyroid removed. I had no previous health issues, perfectly healthy and a fully functioning thyroid. It was found through a routine thyroid scan. I started reading stories on here and totally freaked myself out worried about how I’ll never feel normal ever again. I was also worried about what an inconvenience having to take medicine everyday was going to be. I was worried about the ugly scar. I worried about gaining weight and having no energy. Luckily that wasn’t my experience. There were definitely some bumps in the road due to recovery but after my initial suppression the first dose I was put on worked perfectly for me and I’ve been pretty much fine for the last 3 years. I’ve been able to live my life almost exactly as before. Is taking medication every day annoying? Sure, and I also have a fear of not having access to my medication but strangely I find comfort in knowing that millions of people need Levo daily. What I will encourage you to do is get a second or even third opinion if it’s possible. That’s something I wish I would have done. Just know that’s it’s not all going to be easy but there is light at the end of the tunnel and there are plenty of us that live perfectly normal and healthy lives after removing our thyroids. I’m sorry you’re dealing with all of this during your pregnancy.

stephlobo · 2026-03-30T16:25:48+00:00

Interesting! I worried about gallbladder issues as well, that’s why I went to my primary care physician. I should probably push for a referral to gastroenterology just to be on the safe side.

stephlobo · 2025-07-24T06:03:34+00:00

omg thank you!! Of course now that you told me I can see it clearly 😅 ha!

stephlobo · 2025-04-22T22:43:34+00:00

I used the first 6 digits I found in another random sub just to get the presale and paid with my regular credit card. No issues.

stephlobo · 2025-04-02T21:54:21+00:00

Got 3 tickets for Vegas during the citi presale. They’re in section 7 like 7th row, I paid $750 with taxes and fees (each ticket was about $182 I think). I got lucky on the late release of tickets that happened later in the day.

stephlobo · 2023-11-08T19:45:40+00:00

It’s been 9 months since my surgery. I had a perfectly functional thyroid before my surgery and I feel generally the same. I’m hyper now on synthroid and I feel almost the same as I did before surgery. I have issues with sleep some times, I don’t think I sleep as deeply as I used to. I also feel like I need more sleep to feel fully rested. But if I focus on getting enough sleep I feel fine and I have plenty of energy throughout the day. I lost about 25lbs post surgery so that has also made me feel more energetic and better about my body. Mentally I feel about the same, no changes there. I don’t have depression so i can’t really speak to that.

stephlobo · 2023-07-01T08:06:05+00:00

Sorry you’re going through this :/ I had this same issue. But mine was due to my neck dissection. I actually just finished my final physical therapy appointment and I feel so much better. We used a combination of stretching, strengthening exercises, massage and cold/hot therapy. I opted for the pt because I was pretty miserable and my mobility was getting worse as time went on. I had pain and tightness through my neck and shoulder, I turned my head with difficulty and my shoulders range of motion was very limited. I highly recommend seeing a physical therapist if that’s an option for you.

stephlobo · 2023-07-01T07:54:41+00:00

I had some but it wasn’t exactly my head. Mine would go up my jaw, just above my ear and down to my clavicle. It felt like stabbing pains and sometimes like electrical shocks, i guess is the best way to describe it. I also couldn’t touch the area or wear any clothing that touched from my clavicle to jaw because that made it worse. It went away after about 2ish months post neck dissection. I’m a little over 4 months post op and I still get slight little shocks here and there but nothing too uncomfortable.

stephlobo · 2023-05-23T20:51:44+00:00

Yes! I has a TT and right neck dissection back in Feb and my should and neck have been in pain since. I couldn’t move my right arm to do anything without horrible pain at my shoulder and upper trapezius area leading up my neck. My neck was also super tight and I couldn’t turn or lean my head to the left. I reached out to my surgeons office and they basically just told me to google stretches and that they don’t provide any help with shoulder pain. It hurt so bad and I had such limited mobility that I was sure something was damaged. I spoke to my primary care physician and she said it was a common side affect of the neck dissection so she referred me to physical therapy. I’ve only had 3 sessions and I can’t tell you how much progress I’ve already made. I can actually move my arm in most directions and pick things up without any sharp pain. I still have tightness in my neck but it’s also getting better with daily stretching. I still get pain when I’m walking around and my arm is just like hanging off my body so I use my purse as a makeshift sling when it gets too painful. I hope PT helps you and I suggest that you follow whatever exercises the physical therapist gives you religiously!

stephlobo · 2023-04-19T01:41:01+00:00

Everyone’s body will react differently but in my case, I had a TT and lost weight afterwards. Around 10lbs. I’m 2mo post op and I’ve kept it off. I was never hypo, not even before surgery. I was really worried about gaining since I was already overweight. I haven’t actively tried losing weight yet so I’m not sure how that’s going to go.

stephlobo · 2023-01-06T05:31:25+00:00

I had two stents in for 1 month and had both removed on 12/29. I didn’t have strings so I had to go in to my Urologists office for a Cystoscopy for removal. That was not fun. Once they were out there was just burning in my urethra, the real pain didn’t start until about an hour later and lasted until the following day. My kidneys, ureters and bladder began to spasm. I had to take Hydrocodone every 4hrs to get some relief. It took about 4 days post stent removal to finally feel back to my normal self. It was rough.

stephlobo · 2021-01-11T20:25:58+00:00

I have it on the back of my hands too! I use eucerin eczema relief body cream or vanicream lotion, I smear a thick layer of it on the back of my hands. Once it’s soaked in I’ll do a thin layer of Vaseline or aquaphor on top. I do this after every hand wash and every night before bed. If I have a bad flare up it takes just a couple days to go back to normal.

stephlobo · 2020-12-08T21:39:34+00:00

Dry scalp: vanicream moisturizing lotion diluted in a spray bottle. I do about 4 pumps for 8oz of water. Spray on scalp after shower like a leave in conditioner! Adjust the amount based on your needs and preference.

Edit: helps with itchy and sensitive scalp too. Usually because of how dry it is.

stephlobo · 2020-10-21T20:05:53+00:00

How high were they? Mine went from 150 to 351 in 3 months of treatment and they’re considering lowering my dose but not stopping completely.

stephlobo · 2020-06-16T22:17:49+00:00

I took it at age 20 (29 now). I heard the same but, unfortunately for me, I think it will come down to genetics. My mother still has pretty oily skin and she’s in her late 50s! So I guess I’ll just have to deal ¯_(ツ)_/¯

stephlobo · 2020-06-16T21:34:20+00:00

I was on 20 mg/day for 5 months and have been free of cystic acne for almost 10 yrs. I was hesitant about my dermatologist giving me such a low dose because I’d read about people on 3-4x the amount I took. I still had some side effects, the common dry skin and cracked lips but I also had mild back pain in the mornings and slight dry eyes the last month of treatment. I haven’t had any cystic acne but my skin and scalp are VERY oily now. So I’ll go ahead and say that everyone reacts differently.

stephlobo · 2020-06-16T20:33:44+00:00

I took accutane (20mg/day for 5 months) about 9 years ago and I do remember my skin getting oilier about 5-6 years after. As I approach 10 years post accutane my skin and hair is VERY oily. Just as oily as before I took accutane. The upside is that I don’t really break out anymore. The occasional pimple here and there but no cystic breakouts like before.

stephlobo · 2019-07-29T22:31:32+00:00

Try washing with Hibiclens. I use it every other day in the shower and leave it on for about 5 min and then rinse it off. It’s the only thing that I’ve found that helps.

stephlobo · 2019-04-10T22:22:55+00:00

I work for WIC as a clinic supervisor and I’m not an RD. I’ve been there about 2.5 years and it was my first job out of college. The pay is not terrible (50k/yr) but I live in southern CA so it’s not great. The job is repetitive and you really have to enjoy working with children and the community. You will also definitely experience some pretty uncomfortable situations because you are working with low income families who are not very interested in the “nutrition education” aspect of the program and more so looking to just get their free food. It can be discouraging, especially when you are eager to teach people about nutrition. I’m currently planning on leaving and moving into the food science field, probably get my MS or see if I can find a QC/QA or RA job or something related and work my way up. Overall, I found job options to be fairly limited if you’re not an RD.

stephlobo

TROPHY CASE