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?
