[amosmcd]

#1059926

Hi, everyone!

I had my TT this past Tuesday, the 30th. I spent the night in the hospital and went home the next morning. Thought I’d share what’s been going on and how I’m feeling to give info for those considering TT.

My surgery was at 9:45am on Tuesday. My brother took me to the hospital and hung around until 6pm. The pre-op part was uneventful. Just had a routine EKG as part of the surgery protocol due to my age (55). Spoke with the anesthesiologist, the surgeon, the OR nurse, and the surgical assistant before they took me back. Once back there, I was out like a light once they gave me the “happy medicine”.

I woke up in the recovery room. I did have problems with pain control while in there, but I’ve had that problem before because I’m on routine pain meds for chronic back pain, so it can take more than what most people need for pain relief after a surgery. It wasn’t horrible, and I can barely remember it now. Once I was up in my room I was fine and didn’t have any more problems with pain control. The thing that hurt the most besides my neck was my head. It felt like my entire head hurt, which was unexpected.

I was able to talk fine, and my voice seems okay. It’s a little deeper and slightly gravelly, but it’s strong. I haven’t felt that my voice is weak or that it gets tired. Most of the day and night of surgery was spent eating popsicles. I probably went through 12 of them during the night. Also ice chips, but the popsicles were the best. I was able to eat a soft dinner (scrambled eggs, pudding, cottage cheese and canned peaches) without a problem. The most uncomfortable part was swallowing. It hurt both inside my throat and in the muscles around my incision. I took pain medication every 4 to 6 hours. I started taking Calcium pills (they are big pills!!) and Calcitriol to help with my calcium levels. They checked them three times while I was in the hospital and each time the levels were normal. The hospital ice bags were useless–barely getting my neck even slightly cold. I’ve found that the neck is a hard place to ice. You have to be lying flat on your back for the ice to stay on, and that makes it hurt to swallow more from the pressure of the ice pack. At home I’m using a blue gel pack. Much lighter and gets the area plenty cold.

I didn’t get much rest at all in the hospital. Was awakened probably every 2-1/2 hours for one thing or another. Also, drinking ice water and eating popsicles made for frequent trips to the bathroom. I was able to get up and go by myself almost right away. They measured my urine output in a “hat” they attached to the inside of the toilet, and once I had gone enough a few times, they took that away. I had an IV running at a very low rate. They stopped that and discontinued the IV line (keeping the saline lock part still attached until right before I went home.)

All my nurses and aides were really nice and helpful. I had a private room, which I asked for and got because I’m an employee there. If they are able to, they try to give us one if we ask. One of the few perks left to us! Because I’m such a light sleeper, I though it would be helpful. I brought earplugs to the hospital, and that helped when my door would be left open.

It was hard to get comfortable in the hospital bed. I had about 5 pillows and finally arranged them so my back was supported and the head of the bed was elevated and my neck felt comfortable.

My surgeon, who I really like, stopped by early in the morning after surgery and told me everything went really well (she had said this to my brother right after surgery, too) and then surprised me by saying I would need to stop by her office the day after I got home (today) and get my calcium level checked. I live about a 45 minute drive from her office, so that was a bit inconvenient, but my son was able to take me there. Her nurse called this morning and said please stop by the office after your get your labs done so I can look at the incision. So I did and she said it looked great, the swelling I have is normal. She will call with the calcium lab result later today.

I should go back and say that once I got home, I was uncomfortable. My neck hurt, it hurt to swallow, and I tried a bag of frozen peas on my neck, but it didn’t fit well and was too heavy. I finally ran out of gas shortly after noon, and slept hard in my recliner for 4 hours. I felt a lot better after that. My son went to the store to get me popsicles. I made myself some soup for dinner. Although my son has been helpful, he’s 22 and really does’t know how to take care of somebody. Somethings have just been easier to do myself. He’s a good kid, though. If I ask him for things, he’ll get them for me, and has run errands to the store for me.

So overall, I’m feeling okay. I’m tired, my neck hurts and it hurts to swallow, but it’s not bad. I did sleep on two pillows in bed last night and slept 8 hours straight through–I never even moved! Didn’t need a pain pill during the night. Woke up feeling very refreshed, but now almost 4 hours later, I’m ready for a nap.

Sorry if this post is rambling. It’s kind of hard to get my thoughts all lined up stright–lol! If you have any questions or I missed something you’d like to know about, let me know. I’ll check in again either later today or tomorrow depending on how I feel. Oh, my thyroid labs will be checked again when I see my endo next Tuesday. I started 100mcg of Levothyroxine yesterday.

Overall, I can agree with Shirley (snelson)–it’s been much easier than recovering from my sinus surgery!!

Amy

[LaurelM]

#1178805

Thanks Amy! That was very helpful.

[Gabe]

#1178806

Hi Amy. Thanks for all the detail. It’s very helpful to those of us contemplating the same surgery. Get some rest and keep posting! Very anxious to see how you are feeling after the ‘surgical’ stuff wears off and you are in the process of regulating your dosage…
Best wishes,,
Karen

[amosmcd]

#1178807

Glad to be of help! I have learned so much from everyone here, I have to try and help as well.

My surgeon’s nurse called and said my calcium level is normal and I can stop the Calcitriol (Vit D) but stay on the calcium pills til I go in for my post-op check next Weds. I felt good enough this afternoon to go for a 1 mile stroll with my son. I usually walk close to 3 miles at a fast pace and this was not that! It felt great to breathe in the fresh air and stretch my legs. My neck is much less painful this evening. The weather here in Seattle is supposed to be 80 this weekend. We wait a long time for warm weather, so I’ll be so happy to sit outside and soak it up!

Have only iced my neck once today. The swelling is not bad and I’ve spent all day sitting or laying upright in my recliner. So I may stop it, since it chills me.
Still eating soft food, but only because my neck muscles still hurt if I have to swallow hard.

Also, thought I’d mention that I have had a little problem with constipation due to the pain meds, but started taking stool softeners yesterday and it’s helping. I tend to have that problem anyway, even when I was hyper, so it’s something to be vigilant about when on narcotics.

Oh, I forgot to mention that one of the problems you can have right after surgery is that you feel there is phlegm right at the base if your throat you want to cough up, but it hurts to and it almost feels like those cough muscles are unable to move. The phlegm is caused by sinus drainage that wasn’t able to drain when they have your head tilted back during surgery. Yesterday afternoon I started feeling like I could cough without too much discomfort, and today it’s no problem.

I’ll check in again tomorrow.

Amy

[vanillasky]

#1178808

God Bless you, Amy. Aside from some discomfort and neck pain which I certainly won’t belittle, I think you are doing quite well.

They have come a long way since my father had his thyroid removed (he had cancer) back in the 1960’s.

Your surgery seemed to go much smoother. Sort of takes the fear out of it that I have had since seeing how my father suffered and nearly died from it.

I am glad you posted this. You are a great inspiration to all of us!

Karen

[amosmcd]

#1178809

Hi, Karen–

Thanks for your nice post. I don’t consider myself an inspiration, just very lucky that my Graves’ symptoms never got too bad (aside from a couple bouts of bad anxiety.) I was also lucky to have my thyroid labs be at the perfect euthyroid level they needed to be right when I had my surgery, so hopefully that will prevent any wild swings while adjusting to levothyroxine. You are right that things have progressed with thyroid surgery–with all surgeries, I’m sure–since the 60’s. Techniques have been improved, and I think they try to be as minimally invasive as possible. My scar is about only about 2-1/2 inches long.

I found out last night from a cousin that heard about my surgery, that on her side of the family (her grandfather was my great-uncle) there have been many instances of thyroid cancer, mostly recently her mother and an 18 year old niece, who both needed thyroidectomyies and radiation therapy and are in remission. My cousin herself has been on Synthroid for almost 30 years and has a goiter and cysts. She gets a thyroid ultrasound every year.

I’m the only one of 4 siblings to have any autoimmune disorders, and I’ve had three. Go figure!

Today I stopped taking the narcotic pain med and switched back to the pain med I take for my back pain. I was able to eat pizza last night for dinner, small bites, well-chewed. My son drove me to the bank today and I went along when he went to pick up my other son from their dad’s, so I could get out of the house. Don’t have as much energy today as yesterday, but hopefully tomorrow I will.

The swelling in my neck is already going down. Still swollen around the incision. My neck only hurts when I lift my chin to look up. I also get this weird pain in my gums below my front bottom teeth and my lower lip feels numb at that time, too. It goes away when I take pain meds, but it’s annoying.

That’s all to report today. Slow and steady healing, feel neither hypo nor hyper. A good place to be.

Amy

[vanillasky]

#1178810

Believe me, it’s definitely an inspiration especially for someone who is apprehensive about the surgery.

I saw my father go through literally “Hell” when he had the cancer in the gland. They did big incisions in those days. It was from ear to ear. I was just a small child but I remember thinking, “they cut daddy’s head off and put it back on.”

He went into recovery and began to choke on his own blood. I guess they tied off a vein but it came loose and all he said he remembered was them coming at him with a mask. Back under again to repair the tie for the vein.

they didn’t check calcium back then. He came home and went hypocalcemic. He couldn’t move his hands, his feet were cramped, and…………back to emergency room. We didn’t know what was happening to him.

He took calcium pills for months. They could have choked a horse. And his voice was very, very raspy and he would lose it every now and then. His voice was never the same. He went from tenor to baritone and was upset because he used to sing.

Nevertheless, he lived another 40 or so years and no reoccurence of the disease.

[Gabe]

#1178811

Amy. Thanks for all the updates. They are very helpful to me. My surgical consult was just moved from June 5 to May 8 so now I’m down to the reality of making a firm commitment. I’m 90% sure TT is for me and your experience is helping greatly!
Best wishes,
Karen

[amosmcd]

#1178812

Hi, Gabe–

I wish that everyone could have such an easy, uncomplicated TT as I’ve had! I’ve been very fortunate. No calcium issues, no voice issues. My energy is about 85-90% of normal, and it won’t be a week til Tuesday! I’ve gone for more brisk walks now and can easily do 2 miles. I try to get in 3 miles a couple times a week, but won’t til cleared by the surgeon. I drove today for the first time. Was able to use my mirrors and check my blind spots. My neck gets less sore and more flexible every day. I was supposed to be off work til the 13th, but Im Already going stir crazy at home, so I will probably ask to return this coming Thursday, the day after I see the surgeon.

My sterile-strips over my incision are not coming loose yet. There is one clear continuous suture that will be pulled in Weds. The hard part for me is loving to be out in the warm weather we’re having but I can’t expose the incision to the sun, so I have a lightweight polyester scarf I wear when outside. People look at me, and it does feel a little hot, but until it’s healed enough for sunscreen, that what I’ve got to do.

My heart rate sometimes races for no particular reason, but nothing uncomfortable. Probably just my body adjusting to the Levothyroxine.

I’m just so pleased with how it’s turned out. Hope my thyroid tests on Tuesday still look good. Oh, and swelling continues to go down. Pain around incision site is mostly gone.

Amy

[Kimberly]

#1178813

Thanks for sharing your experiences, Amy!

SO glad to hear that all went well…and that you are gaining energy and getting back into your walking routine. Wishing you all the best!

[Gabe]

#1178814

Thanks Amy, I hope my TT experience is half as positive as yours. I’m inspired…Karen (Gabe)

[amosmcd]

#1178815

Thanks, Kimberly and Karen!

Today I spent a few hours by a lake beach since we’re having hot weather. It was so nice to get out of the house and at least get my feet wet, since I couldn’t swim. I see my endo tomorrow afternoon and will get labs drawn. I see my surgeon Weds. I think I’ll go back to work on Thursday. I took off two weeks, but I don’t need it. I’d rather save my vacation days (which I’m into now) for actual vacation. I’m sure my surgeon will let me go back.

I did notice that after I ate dinner my heart rate went up and is staying up at 88 and is pounding. I think it did jump up last night, too, but not as high. U had Panda Express for dinner. No seafood, just chicken and beef. No MSG. I take my Levothyroxine at 6am, so it’s weird that it’s doing this in the evening. At least I’ll know soon whether the Levo dosage is causing it. I don’t feel bad, just a little uncomfortable.

Anyway, I’ll post my labs here when I get the results.

Amy

[Raspberry]

#1178816

Thanks for doing this journal it is very helpful! I was wondering what was your level of physical fitness before you got diagnosed with Graves and then before the surgery? I’m wondering for myself how my being a couch potato is affecting all this.

[amosmcd]

#1178817

Hi, Raspberry–

I was pretty much a couch potato until a year ago. My Graves’ symptoms first came on while a very close friend was hospitalized. He died 2-1/2 weeks later. I wasn’t officially diagnosed until last Sept. After my friend died, I started walking almost daily as a means to deal with the grief. Over time I walked farther and faster. I think the Graves’ has kept me from reaching my full walking potential. I can walk about 3-1/2 miles in anywhere from 52 minutes to an hour. I can’t run due to a bad back. I can’t seem to get any faster than that or go any farther. I think I’ve had some muscle wasting, but I lost 36lbs in 4 months due to Graves before it was diagnosed so it’s hard to say.

Right before my surgery I was walking 5 days a week, alternating a 2-mile walk one time with a 3 or 3-1/2 mile walk the next. Since surgery last Tuesday, I’ve gone on three 2-mile walks at about half my normal pace. I definitely feel being in shape has helped with the anxiety caused by Graves and given me a sense of control over my body. I think anyone with Graves’ who has been cleared by their endo to exercise should try it. It has so many benefits.

Hope this helps!
Amy

[Raspberry]

#1178818

Thanks Amy! Your story brings back memories in the couple months before my Graves diagnosis I had brief surge in energy which I did use for walking/hiking and had begun to get in better shape, but then whack, the Graves got me. I’ve been quite couch potatoey since then – I do go out for walks now but go slowly and feel kind of like I’m forcing my legs along for the most part. Maybe not quite a mile. It’s an inspiration what you are accomplishing though I will keep at it!

[Author]

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