[Ski]

#1074924

Each of the options for treatment has its advantages, its disadvantages, and its potential complications. No one here can tell you what is the right treatment for you, but I can tell you that none of the treatments are 100% perfect (else we would cease to have a choice).

The fact is that thyroidectomies have been done for MANY MANY years, and in the hands of an experienced surgeon, all the potential complications should be minimized. If you have asked your surgeon for their personal complication rate, you will have a good idea of the odds that any of the complications will happen to you.

If you need to do this in order to be completely comfortable with your choice, make yourself a pro/con chart with the treatment options you are considering, and take a good, long look at it. That may help you to put things in perspective and feel completely comfortable with your choice.

I’m sure others will write with their thyroidectomy experiences ~ I didn’t go that route, so I can’t give you any info from my personal experience. I can tell you that everyone I have spoken to about their surgery has been very satisfied.

The fact that the hospital is warning you about possible complications is a good sign ~ it means they are prepared and fully aware of what may happen, and they want you to be aware as well, so that you can participate in keeping yourself safe during your recovery.

[Hopeful23]

#1019905

Hey, was just wondering if anyone could share their thyroidectomy stories/ any or all information with me. I am really really scared. I found out they put a tracheotomy Kit next to your bedside cause you could hemmorage below the incision, It could swell and you cant breath and both are considered a medical emergency…. I also read stuff about hypoparathyorid, vocal cord damage/paralysis….WHAT THE HECK….something about low calcium and low blood sugar irregularities…is this ever going to end?? Should I ask to get the RAI instead??

[elf]

#1074925

I still don’t understand why you are given just one and only choice. Unusual choice for North America to start with. Keep asking questions until you get answers, even if you need to grab the doctor by lapels to sqeeeze an answer. You have the right to completely understand what is going on with you, and why a certain route is suggested to you (or in your case forced on you).

These side effects or dangers are the reasons I was never comfortable with surgery. Not even speaking about the fact of letting to slice yourself open. I had RAI, you walk out of the hospital 45 minutes later, and the end effect is the same – thyroid removal.

[elf]

#1074926

Oh, maybe the surgery route is chosen because of your youth – some in the medical community consider RAI not suitable for young people, though it’s a murky world of conflicting researches. Plenty of researches prove no child-bearing ability or baby affected, even when pregnancy started 1 to 6 months after RAI. But the precaution still rules sometimes.

[npatterson]

#1074927

Dear Hopeful,
If you will e-mail me (nancyngdf@bellsouth.net) I will send you some good, accurate information about surgery, as well as a brief review of all the treatments. Of course there are risks, but I think you will be relieved to read the information.

[Rebecca17]

#1074928

I have just had two surgeries this year and one in 1980. For my circumstances it was the route to go. There are risks which mean most surgeries go ok but in my case the conditions were beyond normal. In 1980 it was to remove a 3cm cold nodule so a partial left thyroidectomy was done. I recovered fine. A few years later was diagnosed with adult onset asthma and given inhalers. My voice was fine. Normal activity fine. Inhalers never helped. The hidden component was the surgeon failed to tell me he had permanently paralyzed the left vocal cord which was the limiting aspect on air flow. Now that I have had excellent care – I know what scope is. The surgeon from 1980 never scoped my throat after surgery or revealed the situation after the fact. He nor the endo never mentioned nodular disease or to keep an eye open for other possible thyroid conditions.

So I was caught totally off-guard when last year moving from a cold-dry climate to hot-humid climate brought what seemed at first heart attacks to the forefront. Soon learned about Graves and had a extremely large goiter w/nodules (cold) growing inside my neck and over the windpipe/esophagus. The second and third surgeries last Aug & Dec went remarkably different due to the high skill level and professionalism of the current ENT Surgeon

It’s been tough. I am still struggling with the emotional effects.

[ZZZZESTY]

#1074929

I tried medications first, but my symptoms continued to worsen. My endo and I decided to have the thyrodectomy. The surgeon discussed all of the possible complications with me. It sounded similar to the commercials you see for any medication. The medication cures the problem, but they list 52 possible side effects. They need to cover their butt if problems should occur. My surgery went well. I had a minor sore throat for about three days. I had no problems with calcium or anything else. I started feeling better almost immediately! The scar on my neck is so minimal that unless I point it out, you can’t even see it. I would recommend the surgery to anyone. I hope all goes well for you too.

[Author]

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