Thyroid removal surgery on the 19th. Should I send my 3 children to school or keep them home?

Hi  and welcome to the Online Community, a Community that no one ever really plans to see themselves joining, and so sorry to hear about your ongoing diagnosis.

Your question is one for your clinical team as every person will be different and you need to understand what would make you more clinically at risk then before you heard the word cancer mentioned.

I am 5 years post my last treatment and still classed as clinical at risk and was officially shielding but this did not stop us meeting our granddaughter in an outdoor coffee shop yesterday making sure we followed all the rules. It is also important to remember that COVID is not going away for some time so what is best for your children?....more questions then answers from me.

A cancer diagnosis brings a lot of confusion, stress and many questions but talking with other people who are on the same type of journey helps a lot. 

I had a totally different type of cancer but the Community has various support groups so can I direct you to our Thyroid cancer group as this is the place where you will connect with others walking the treatment journey both as a patient or family.

Follow the above link then choose ‘click to join' or ‘join’ when the page opens. 

You can then introduce yourself, post questions or just  join in with existing discussions by clicking on 'reply'. 

Its always good to talk and the Macmillan Support Services provides lots of information, support or just a listing ear.

The service is open every day 8am to 8pm and it's free to call on 0808 808 00 00 have a look by Clicking here for more information.

You can also email them, use the online chat and we also have our Ask an Expert section, but do allow two working days for replies from our expert team.

Our Online Information and Support Section  is a good place to find information covering diagnosis, treatments and pages covering most types of cancers.

All the very best.

Hi. I can't advise you about what to do about the children but I wanted to share with you that I also had the right side of my thyroid removed after an inconclusive biopsy (plus a small section of the centre) just about 4 weeks ago. the operation went very well and my recovery was speedy including a very acceptable scar! The result was given to me n recovery which helped with my stress levels. I really hope you too will have a 'good' experience and I will be thinking of you on 19th November. Take care. 

Thank you so much for the kind words. My lump is 2.5cm and quite central but a bit more to the right. So the consultant has spoke about removing the right side and middle section. So it’s really good to hear you have had a successful and straightforward’ish experience. Can I ask did you have to stay for the night or were you home the same day. It feels like quite a lot to go through to be sent home shortly after.

Thank you so much for all you help and advice 

I stayed overnight which is the way my surgeon likes to work but apparently it is very common to go home the same day and to be honest I could have managed perfectly well at home but  don't have children at home and remembering those days I think my choice would be to take the extra time in the hospital!! You will need to factor n the current Covid situation which may well mean they will want you to go home the same day. Whichever is the case my experience is that the staff will care for you well.

Thank you.

You said you were told your results after the surgery. This is fantastic as it’s the waiting for results that’s the hardest part. How did you get on. Is this the end of the Cancer journey for you?

Hello. I am very fortunate that my tumours were benign, thank you for asking.

I am coming through a journey that began in the summer last year when I was diagnosd with Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma. i won't go into the details of the treatments because I really hope you won't need to know and I am now in remission! It has left its mark on me physically - some neuropathy -  but I can see that improving slowly as I get my mojo back!

I'll be routing for you on 19th!!

This is great to hear. Stay safe

Thank you .... you too