Partial Thyroidectomy

[pinkmarshmalloww]

Hi everyone. I'm having surgery tomorrow to have half my Thyroid removed along with a 5cm goitre compressing my windpipe.
I'm just looking for some honest experiences from people of recovery after the surgery, especially with pain, mobility and eating.
Did anyone have trouble eating? Did you have to stick to soft foods?
Were you able to move around without too much trouble?
My partner is off work for a week luckily and i do have 5 children, youngest being 6 months old.
I'm so worried 🥺
Thank you

Hello OP, I’m following as I’m having the same surgery at the end of the month (and will have a 4 week old baby!) so here in solidarity with you ☺️

Hi, I am also having a hemithyroidectomy tomorrow! Happy to support each other if you want to DM me?

I had a partial thyroidectomy about ten years ago. From what I remember, I think I ate easy to swallow things.
I remember feeling restricted in my movement a bit, but I think after a week there was a big improvement. I was cautious about the stitches.
What I found most annoying was not being able to wash my hair. I ended up going to a salon so I could get my hair washed and that was tricky as I couldn’t lean back normally.
I was worried about my voice changing, but it was fine, although I don’t think it is as strong as it was before. I could bellow across a playground if needed, but I couldn’t do that after in quite the same way.
The scar healed well. I tried to keep it covered from the sun as much as I could.
The bonus from it, is that I have a medical exemption card now and don’t have to pay for prescriptions. Got to find the silver linings.

I had half my thyroid removed a few years ago. Mine was for suspected cancer but did not involve my windpipe. The lump was about 2.5cm.
I don't remember too many problems with pain, mobility or eating (they came round with toast for breakfast on the ward and I was fine with that).
I was able to sit up in bed before going home doing a puzzle book.
You may have a drain next to the incision whilst in hospital which is a bit awkward to carry to the bathroom especially whilst still out of it from the anaesthetic! (I accidently pulled the emergency cord whilst on the toilet!).
I think I suffered most with tiredness. I was given a 2 week sick note but I needed much longer just to feel normal again.
Go easy on yourself and allow lots of time for rest.

I had a hemithyroidectomy followed by full thyroidectomy in 2016. My tumour was 4cm and unfortunately turned out to be cancer, but quite honestly, I've had worse colds. The surgery was so straightforward, the only reason I couldn't go home the following day was that I was bleeding quite a lot so had to keep the drain on for three days. However, I had no problems eating and was very lucky to be in a private hospital and the food was fantastic! I remember clearly having scampi and chips the day after my surgery, so there was no need to only eat soft foods. And as @YesRachelItIsMe has said, your prize is the medical exemption card. I hope this reassures everyone here waiting 💐

Thank you for everyone's replies.
I had the surgery yesterday and have now been discharged and back home.
Very tight skin feeling around the wound and stiff neck. Can't move my head around too much. Eating and drinking fine but finding my throat is TMI
clogging up a bit with phlegm and I can't cough strong enough to clear it 😩😩
@Lazysundayafternoon2024 sorry for the late reply. My anxiety took over and I couldn't think much of anything else.
How did your surgery go? How are you now x

@hereismydog congratulations on baby ❤️

If you have any questions please free to ask 😃

@pinkmarshmalloww I had this exact surgery a couple of days before Christmas. The phlegm feeling is from being intubated and does pass after a couple of days. My growth had grown a fair bit since my last scan (7cm) so the incision had to be extended slightly to allow the surgeon to dig around under my collarbone but other than that, it all went to plan. The relief of not having it pressing on my windpipe anymore is amazing!

My scar is currently quite sensitive but healing well. After a couple of weeks, you can start doing gentle massage with something like bio oil or a plain moisturiser and wearing either silicone strips or applying a silicone gel. I recommend the Cica Care strips, and my friend recommends Dermatix gel. The silicone really helps to flatten and smooth out the scar, as well reducing the redness.

Other than that, I've just been feeling tired. That's to be expected after surgery, but could also be because the remains of my thyroid (which also has modules) may not be working properly - bloods tests in a few weeks should show what's what. Do the exercises you probably got a leaflet about to keep up good mobility - I was back driving after 10 days because the exercises had made such a difference and meant I could easily check all blind spots without any pain or restrictions.

Oh, and sleeping propped up a bit (even just an extra pillow) made sleeping much more comfortable for the first few days at home.

Hope you are all ok!
dH had this last year. Went back to work after 2 weeks. Had to be signed off again 2 weeks later. The whole half a thyroid/GA really made him tired. Took about 3 months to be back to normal. Luckily thyroid all ok now and he's back to normal.

I, too, found the phlegm from having been intubated the worst bit. So much so that when I had to go back for the second side to come out (?cancer became actual cancer) I asked the lovely anaesthetist to prescribe me some saline nebulisers for the first 24 hours whilst I was still in hospital, which loosened things up beautifully so I could cough it out. I found that eating took off pretty quickly, but when with fairly easy to swallow food the first few days. After the first half came out my bloods were fine, but obviously needed thyroxine after they took out the rest.

Hey! Glad to hear your op went well. Mine did too, just waiting on results now. The phlegm was horrible but thankfully has subsided now and my neck pain is easing off. Sadly though I think my vocal cords are damaged from the surgery as I can't talk more than a whisper. Is your voice OK? Can anyone reassure me that my voice will return soon? Its very lonely without a voice.

Sorry I'm just jumping on here.

My mum recently had part of her thyroid removed, she later had to go on and get the other half removed. Her voice was very quiet for a few weeks afterwards, but it is getting stronger. She can't shout or sing but has been referred to speech and language therapy to help with this. Hope this helps.

I am 2 and a half years on from having half my thyroid removed for similar reasons @pinkmarshmalloww

After the initial recovery period, I had some tightness around the wound site for a while. But apart from that, was pretty back to normal in a few weeks.

The scar is still slightly visible but nit too bad. I used Bio Oil every day for about 6 months which helped.

No thyroid meds as the remaining half works well. Hope all is going well with your recovery - be careful with lifting small dc in the next few weeks!

Hi everyone and thank you for all the replies
9 days post op and my voice seems really sensitive again today after being loads better for the past few days. Anyone else experience the voice being temperamental?

Also developing a lump under the scar line that's following it if that makes sense? Like a wotsit shape 😅If anyone else experienced this?

Hey @pinkmarshmalloww - yes, to both questions! My voice is still up and down like a pubescent boy's, and I still can't raise my voice, sing, or shout. I have my follow-up appointment in about 3 weeks so will raise it then, but I understand that this isn't out of the ordinary.

My scar is worse on one side than the other, and I suspect that there was some damage caused by skin retractors. I have a small, bean-shaped lump under the scar on that side that's really sensitive to any touch and again, I'll raise this at my check up. I'm still keeping on with the silicone scar strips, which are really helping to smooth and flatten out the rest of it.

How are you feeling in yourself? I'm just really fatigued (more than being tired) and am either red hot or freezing all the time, there is no in between!

Hiya. Thank you for your reply.
I've also been feeling fatigued daily. My bedtime is getting earlier and I'm usually falling asleep on the sofa before then. I've had a few hot flushes as well, usually in the evening and they make me feel sick.
I've also noticed that my neck can feel like it's tightening up if I'm chewing a lot on a meal. It's really hard to explain but it feels like all throat is tensing up giving me feeling like I can't breathe freely and I go all hot and feel pressure in my jaw and head. I can't wait for my follow up appointment to ask about it all.
I'm pretty sure panic sets in though and doesn't help at all 😩
Still unable to successfully pull off a full yawn 😅

I don’t have children but I had a partial followed by the rest a few months later, honestly it was fine! You get a drain in your neck that you have to carry around with you but it’s not heavy and where I was they had little bags to carry it in when you went to the toilet etc. I will say the most uncomfortable part is having the drain out, it’s like a weird pressure that pushes on your windpipe and then they yank it out 🤢 but that was the worst part IMO.
i didn’t have to take any painkillers, but everyone’s different, no problem if you do need them, they did offer me them but I didn’t need them.
your voice will likely be hoarse for a few weeks, and I found the scar was swollen and felt weird to touch, but that soon went down 😊
good luck I hope it goes okay for you!

oops didn’t see your already had it! But my advice still stands for anyone looking at this thread in the future 😃

I'm due for my op on Tuesday! Starting to get v nervous!! How was sleeping after the op? And pain?

@ALS26 sleeping at home after my first night in the hospital was fine. I'll attach a picture I found off google of how I sleep 😂
Ive had worse sore throats with a cold than the pain I feel from the wound. The only thing that's really bothered me is the tightness feeling around my neck and feeling stiff and restricted.
Someone has posted above about asking for a saline nebuliser in hospital or I think you can find them for sale online. Phlegm was a big problem for me after surgery and my cough wasn't strong enough to clear it and I wish I had one.

That's great you were able to sleep like that and gives me hope 😅 I was expecting I'd be sleeping sat up in a pillow fort for at least a week! How was the neck drain? I'm dreading that part too!

@ALS26 I didn't have a drain, I don't think they're used as standard now as often not needed. You might be lucky and get away without one.

I specifically requested not to have one and my surgeon said that's how he works so I will be having one 😅 hopefully won't be for long if others don't typically have them!

How was your pain straight after? And what pain relief did you take x

Paint straight after was fine. I was given a dose of morphine in recovery and was sat up chatting after half an hour or so. I was very, very dry and thirsty and I drank loads - maybe 4/5 cups of water and 2 cups of tea spread over a couple of hours. I felt well enough to get up and use the toilet when I needed to go. I ate a tuna mayo sandwich about 2 hours after the surgery without any problem, and I can't remember what it was, but I had an evening meal once I got my bed on the ward. I was given a dose of oramorph at bedtime and again at breakfast. After that, I was discharged, although it was a long time before I got my meds and discharge letter but I was fine without any pain relief. I went home with dyhydrocodeine and paracetamol but I didn't feel like I needed any painkillers at all after a couple of days at home. The scar was tender, but not the kind of pain that painkillers would help, if you know what I mean?

I really hope your surgery goes well and that the drain isn't too much of a bother for you.

I had a partial about 6 years ago. Also removed some nearby lymph nodes at same time.
I didn't have a drain.
I was worried about swallowing, but that was completely fine. A little scratchy (like at the start of a mild cold) from being intubated.
The wound itself felt sore like a bruise & a cut, unsurprisingly! But there wasn't that proper pain from the insides like you often get with surgery (eg nothing like youd have in post c-section pain), and it didnt effect muscles etc particularly. Turning my head was a bit odd at first.

@pinkmarshmalloww @MounjaroMunchie Have you had the results of your hemithyroidectomy yet? The wait is killing me. I called ENT today (which wasn't fun with no voice) to be told that they STILL don't have the results. They said it would be up to 10 days but I am getting very impatient, lol!

@pinkmarshmalloww I have a lot of the symptoms you're describing. I'm still off work, literally doing nothing all day and I'm asleep by 9pm. I have tightness around the neck and I can't eat meat as its too dense but everything else seems OK to eat. I have a lump above my scar which is strange.

My biggest concern is my voice though, it's really getting me down. I hope it comes back really soon. I don't have a follow up until April :(