Advice about total thyroidectomy

[WorriedDaughter1]

My mother will probably have to undergo a total thyroidectomy for suspected cancer.

I'd appreciate any information from anyone who's been through it. She's in her mid-seventies and not in great health on the whole, so I'm worried about her undergoing the procedure.

What questions should we ask the doctor? Is there anything that will make the surgery easier? I've never had any experience with going through surgery, so any advice would be helpful.

I've had a total thyroidectomy but for an overactive thyroid and I'm in my thirties.

For me, the procedure was very straightforward, operation was quick. I had no side effects such as my voice being affected. I was awake and eating not long after, had one night stay in hospital ( I also had it done privately), but if I'd been operated on in the morning I probably would have gone home the same day.

I wasn't in too much pain at all, after first couple of days, and despite having a 13 month old my recovery was good. My husband took two weeks off because of our son, but if we'd been childless I wouldn't have needed him at home past the first couple of days.

It's taken a while to get my thyroxine levels correct and I had to take calcium tablets for a while as there's a danger the parathyroids said can be damaged.

I appreciate I may not be the type of person you wanted replying but happy to answer any questions if I can. The main concern for me was the real risk the vocal cords can be permanently damaged, but the surgeon explained the risk nationally but also his own personal risk percentage which was a lot lower.

Best wishes to your mum.

Thank you, PreschoolYes, for your reply. I'm feeling a little better after reading your post! I'm glad to hear that it was a straightforward procedure and a quick recovery.

Try not to worry ( yes, I know, easier said than done!) - your mum will be fully checked over by the anaesthetic pre-assessment unit well in advance of surgery, and any medical issues flagged up and optimised by the anaesthetists before the surgeon gets near her.
She’ll be fully monitored during the procedure - every breath, every heartbeat, her oxygen and CO2 levels, her blood pressure, the lot.
The surgery is very superficial, via the front of the neck, and there’s no major blood loss or physiological insult. It should be done in about an hour and a half, and your mum will be monitored in the recovery room too. She won’t be discharged to the ward until they’re sure that she’s pain free and that there’s no swelling in the wound that could compromise her airway.
I know it seems a big deal to you, but it’s “just another day at the office” for us!

Thank you Babdoc! That's good to hear.

I've read about nausea being a side effect of general anaesthesia. Is there anything that could reduce that?

Yup, we routinely give intravenous anti sickness drugs along with the anaesthetic. Most post op sickness is due to the pain killers - opiates are notorious for it - rather than the anaesthetic itself. Modern agents cause very little nausea.

I had thyroidectomy on dec 22nd and hosted 9 people for Christmas dinner on 25th! First day was sore then less and less every day.

Thanks again, Babdoc. That's reassuring.

Heinztomatosoup, that's very impressive!

Thank you for all the responses. I'm not as worried now as when I first got the news.

@heinztomatosoup women are such bloody babes!! Could you imagine a man doing that? My husband had a week of for the snip

Haha! Yes you are right!

I had mine done in 2012, I was 36. Surgery was straightforward, one night stay. Minor discomfort for a couple of days but soon passed.
In the immediate term it can take a little while to adjust your artificial thyroxine levels but once sorted it's no problem.
Going forward, bio oil the scar when healed and be sure to use sunblock so it doesn't discolour

I had a bilateral central neck dissection and total thyroidectomy in April. I was in theatre for 6 1/2 hours but my cancer had spread to my lymph nodes and I had tumours on both sides of my thyroid. I was in hospital for 2 nights, I could have gone home after 1 night but felt very weak.
I took it easy for a couple of weeks and slept quite a lot. I didn’t fee very hungry and struggled to chew for the first few days. Your mother would appreciate soup, rice puddings and yoghurts to eat.
I was very conscious of my scar and wore scarfs.

Thank you Minxmumma and I'll stock up on the bio oil!

Doublethecuddles, I hope you're recovering well now. Thank you for the tip about easy-to-eat foods.

Had mine done in August. I am 60 and in good health. Procedure was straightforward- one night in hospital. Sore throat for about a week because of intubation- nothing more than the sore throat you get with a bad cold. Ate cold things like yoghurt, stewed fruit and ice cream for a couple of days. Be very disciplined about massaging the scar- special cream prescribed by doctor then when it ran out I used rosehip oil. Cover with a scarf ( or sunblock) to prevent discoloring. Mine is almost invisible after 4 months.
I had no problems adjusting to Levothyrox - have had dosage reduced - here in France we get regular blood tests.

Thank you flowersun. I'm glad to see that everyone says that their surgery has been uncomplicated. Thanks everyone, for all the information!