Papilary cancer

Hello Italiangirl

Had one side removed at end of last year and post op pathology confirmed stage 2 follicular cancer. Pandemic delayed the decision on what to do next but I had the remaining thyroid removed a week ago. I was started on 175 levothyroxine as I am a bit heavier than you but currently I feel have recovered well and have much less neck pain than after my first operation. I am sorry to hear you have been feeling exhausted and run down. I wish you well with your op and hope that this is the next step towards a good recovery for you..  

Hi Italiangirl

Your exhaustion could be due to taking the extra thyroxin. It’s unusual to have this when you still have half your thyroid. Without a blood test to indicate your need. 150 mg is quite a big dose anyway.

I would like to wish you well with the completion. They will probably do some blood tests while you are in....or maybe mention this when you see the doctor. It’s much easier for them to do a quick check while you are there.

Best of luck, and please let us know how things go.

Hey Italian girl,

I was 25 when diagnosed, I’m 28 now and honestly it does get better! I can relate to the shock of being young and having that diagnosis but fortunately it’s one of the most treatable cancers. They put you on high Levothyroxine to start with then lower it until your levels are all settled. With no thyroid it’s not massively effected my life, I get tired easier now and get health related anxiety but I definitely managed to close the book once all my treatments were completed and move on with life! Unfortunately my levels have been out of whack recently I think due to doing more physical work, but I am being seen by all the right people to settle them again. 
lydia x

Hello Lydia,

my boyfriend is going to be undergoing full thyroid removal next week. It’s abit scary but he is very healthy so I am hoping he will make a full recovery. If you have any advice at all on after care that I may be able to help him with in regards to treating the scar or just general comfort please let me know your recommendations on that?

thanks so much

jords 

Hey Jords,

Sorry to hear he has to have this done. I had staples with my operation because I presented with a lump in my neck so I had to have a total thyroidectomy and left neck dissection. I had 20 staples which to be honest barely bothered me at all! Even having them removed I didn't really feel anything and I wasn't in any pain when I came round from surgery. My whole neck just felt a bit tight and I kept my head down a lot to avoid stretching the area. I was given chloramphenicol ointment to put on the wound, this is usually used to treat conjunctivitis but it helps prevent infection apparently! I took it easy for a while after but the scar is in a natural neck crease so is barely noticeable even now. I did have odd side effects after surgery such as my body temperature and appetite were a bit allover the place for a few weeks but soon settled. Please feel free to message me if you or your boyfriend have any questions or if I can help at all with sharing my experiences. 

Lydia x

Hello Lydia thank you so much for coming back to me! Really appreciate it!

they have said that they will be giving Pete dissolvable stitching so I’m guessing that’s different to the staples? Not sure if that’s better or worse but sounds as though you had a good recovery despite some side effects. How did you find speaking and eating?

we have been informed there is a risk that vocal chords could be damaged. Not sure what types of food I can give him on release from hospital but any advice would be most appreciated.

thanks so much for your time.

jords 

Hello! So sorry for the late reply

I had my second operation 4 weeks ago now. I had desolvable stitches both times and they healed absolutely fine. Even though i was allergic to all the dressing lol. I stopped breathing this time i went under though so ended up in ICU for 24 hours. Breathing, talking and eating was fine although i lost my voice for a few days.

I've had the camera up my nose down my throat a fair few times now and my vocal chords have been okay. 

Just make sure he rests for the first few days after. I find this hard due to my children but I'm not one to rest lol. 

Good luck! 

If you have anymore questions just ask :) 

Hello, no worries on the late reply at all. Thank you for sharing this information with me.

so was there a reason you had to have a second operation because they have only mentioned one operation to Pete so far & then iodine treatment 2-3 months after.

i will make sure he gets plenty of rest the first few days. Would you recommend he try’s to talk in the first few days or is it better to rest it? I am just so scared he will lose his voice which will be scary so we’re not sure what’s better to do.

mainly just want to get an idea of what types of foods are best to have during his recovery etc

thanks so much 
jords x

Hi Jords,

Yeh so I had dissolving stitches when I first had the lump removed which led to my diagnosis. Unfortunately I was allergic to them and the scar looked horrible so my surgeon cut the whole ugly scar out during my thyroidectomy. I didn't loose my voice at all, a little croaky but only due to being on oxygen which gave me a dry throat. Eating was fine! Just ate very slowly to start but barely had any appetite anyway. Had a lot of porridge to start off with but I could eat most things if I ate slowly. Sorry to give you an allergic reaction horror story, I believe this is very rare but I had never had stitches before so couldn't have known. Some people do lose their voice temporarily or just get a croaky voice but I believe a complete loss of voice is rare. They will also check his calcium levels to check the parathyroid isn't damaged, luckily mine wasn't and again I think this is reasonably uncommon but just something to be aware of.

Lydia x

I had one lump on the right side removed and then a a few months later i had another two lumps on my left side. 

Talking straight after is fine. No need to rest your voice. The drs and nurses will be talking to him anyway. It might be a bit croaky after but it should come back and be okay. 

When i was in ICU i had a chicken wrap about 5 hours after the op and having had CPR. Just had more softer foods and nothing sharp or too hard x