Anonymous
Hi, Nina:
I hope you are recovering well. If you selected a thyroid surgeon carefully, then you chose one that has a lot of experience doing thyroidectomies. So, I am not sure why you are concerned about the surgeon supervising things for the next few weeks. There are issues associated with surgeries that he/she has more experience with than the endo.
One of the frustrating things about modern medicine is that they warn us of every single possible bad thing that might happen as a result of a treatment. It comes under the heading of “informed consent” and is a way to try to head off malpractice cases. So, when you were told there was a slight chance of thyroid storm occurring, that probably was the reason for the warning. It does not mean that it will happen. It does not mean that it is even likely to happen. IT means that at some point in time, in the past, this event occurred to someone, so you are being warned. When I had my gall bladder out, I had to sign a statement that advised me that I could die as a result of the surgery. It is very scarey, I know. What we have to keep in mind is that the warning is for a very remote possibility, and not let it frazzle our nerves.
If you are maintaining a well-balanced, nutritionally sound diet, with appropriate calorie intake, that is the only thing you can do right now. There might be some weight gain, depending upon your history with the disease. Being hyperthyroid causes us to lose muscle mass, and that appears to us as weight loss. But it lowers the metabolism to have less muscle than previously. When we are controlled at normal levels of thyroid hormone after treatment, muscle mass starts to come back slowly. That appears to us as weight gain. But weight gain attributable to muscle return is GOOD weight gain because it raises our metabolism (allowing us to eat more) and makes us stronger again. After you have a some time to recover from your surgery, and you are on replacement hormone, you might want to discuss exercise issues with your doctors. Helping the returning muscle to become strong again via exercise can help a lot with our weight issues. But you must have a doctor’s clearance, and advice, before resuming exercise. While I was waiting for this clearance, I did sit on the floor and do gentle muscle stretches. It kept the muscles limber, and flexible, and I think it may have helped just a little to keep them toned. But you must be careful not to overdo — which is why you need to talk with your doctor.
I hope you are feeling immensely better soon.
Bobbi == NGDF Online Facilitator