[Trish]

#1074002

Thanks for all of this discussion–it’s very helpful. I, too, am an RN with Grave’s facing a total thyroidectomy. Seems we have a pattern here…
My concern is on several front: voice as I teach and sing and if an ENT is okay for the surgery. What qualifications did you look for in your surgeons? Seems like an obvious question for those of us in the field but I’m not an OR nurse nor was I planning on going to a tertiary care center, although I could if I really had to, I guess. Having it ok’d by my HMO would probably be the biggest problem.

What are your thoughts on surgeons? Voice recovery? Were you given steroids preop? Post-op?

[scubarn]

#1074003

Yes, I have found that many RN’s have Grave’s Disease. A stressful job over many years?
I have had an autoimmune disease since childhood though, Raynaud’s disease. It went unnoticed since I lived in the desert, but
each time I played in the snow I had excruciating finger & toe pain that the other kids did not have. I was not diagnosed until age 21 when I was living in Aspen, Co.
I was 42 when Grave’s symptoms started. That was one year after my mother died (unexpectedly) in my home which was heartbreaking for me.
I am now 50, my thyroid is finally out, completely. My thyroid med is not where I need it to be since I am gaining 2 lbs. a month, am very tired, sleep a lot. I have hand joint pain too
which started 3 weeks after the thyroid came out. I am attributing that to HYPO, but maybe a med side effect?
I am currently on 100mcg levothyroid, and 5 mcg of T3. I do feel much better now though since I am not so tense, jittery, jumpy, and nervy.

Karen

[Ski]

#1074004

I’m not sure what kind of doctor is best for the thyroid surgery, but I do know that you need someone who performs these procedures very often, and with very low complication rates. That area of the body may seem "simple," but the structures are complex and the complications can be devastating. If a doctor won’t give you figures on the number of surgeries they’ve done in the past year and the complication rates (at least a ballpark figure), you need a different doctor. Your health is far too important.

[scubarn]

#1074005

As far as MD’s go, I can’t say if an ENT or General surgeon is better. It depends on the individual, his/her practice, and how many successful thyroidectomies they have performed.
Where I work, I trust one certain MD who did mine. He recommended Dr.Orlo Clark at Stanford 8 years ago to me. When I decided to go ahead with surgery, Dr. Clark had already retired, and I felt no MD was better than Dr. Jon Benner on the Central Coast of California. I recover thyroidectomy patients post operatively, so I have seen the outcomes. It seems that only RN’s like myself get the weird side effects known in the medical profession as the "Nurse Curse". ” title=”Very Happy” />
If I did not work for this hospital I probably would have opted to go to a special surgery center that ONLY does Thyroidectomies. I saw a place like that online, but I do not know anything about them. Ask around, someone will know.

Karen

[vintagegreen]

#1074006

Hello everyone. I, too, am contemplating a total thyroidectomy.

My story is a bit different, so here goes…

Diagnosed in mid-May and back in the States, I’ve been on PTU for 2 weeks and am leveled. I am feeling a lot better, less crying, but still have minor muscle aches and difficulty breathing deeply, probably related to my anxiety because my thyroid is not enlarged.

Today I went to my endo where I was actually able to concentrate, not cry, and mostly understand what she was telling me about my lab work. This past week I also had a dream as I slept, which caused me to have a bounce in my step the next morning. Yeah! ” title=”Very Happy” />

She told me to decrease the meds after I discussed with her my treatment options. I am planning to meet with a surgeon in a few weeks and maybe decide then whether to actually have the surgery. In my case, I’m not too comfortable with the RAI option and I am more of a realist when it comes to the possibility of complete remission with ATDs. Plus, I want to get pregnant soon, get on with my life, etc, etc, etc, like we all do. In the mental/physical state I am currently in, I think that with stress-reducing techniques and exercise, correct supplements and a healthy diet, I could function almost to the point that I used too for some amount of time. I’m not positive that my mind would be as sharp, but I figure I could always change to a less demanding career/job. I think with the way I tend to handle stress, GD would eventually come back and bite me…and things could be way worse.

My biggest hesitation is going hypo before/if I don’t have to. I have a type-A personality, so my need to control things is obviously a problem. My endo, who did not push surgery on me, told me that after the surgery I’m cured from GD. Is that really true? If that’s true, why —with the low risks of surgery with an experienced surgeon –do people opt for RAI ? Obviously, the quicker recovery that surgery offers is very appealing to me. I’m at a crossroads, like we all have been or will be, and this really sucks. I tended to make good decisions in my former life–in other areas of my life, and now, it is so hard. I realize that I will have to be at peace with whatever decision I make, I just wanted to chime in.

Thanks for listening~~
A

[hyperm]

#1074007

Hey,

Was in interesting reading all the replies on here. I am so nervous (as you all know ” title=”Smile” /> ” title=”Smile” /> ) as I am going for my op in 2 weeks! @ weeks where did the time go? Over in the UK – well in Scotland anyway its ENT surgeons who perform surgery.

With regards to someone asking about why people would take RAI over surgery – I suppose its the fact that no one really wants to go for an operation.

xx

[Author]

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