Thyroxine before surgery

Hi lazodre,

I'm sorry you're going through this and was hoping someone with more relevant experience would reply. In my experience I was misdiagnosed for over 8 years and was very poorly by the time of my surgery. So my thyroid was no doubt struggling by then but I had no trouble with the anaesthetic and I was under for a 6hr op! I didn't have thyroid function tests before though and was not on thyroxin, so not sure if this will help you, I just wanted to reply. (A lump appeared which kicked my diagnosis off). 

If I were you I'd tell your Clinical Nurse Specialist your concerns, hopefully they will be able to explain and reassure you.

I hope your surgery goes well.

Thank you for reaching out and sorry to hear about your experience. Have you got any recommendations for hospital must haves or recovery tips?

Hi, most people have a really good recovery from these ops, I'm probably not the best one to give advice as mine was pretty invasive surgery (it's a bit different with medullary) so my recovery hasn't been as smooth as some. That said, I would say the best piece of advice would be to take your time and allow yourself a realistic time to recover. Set small, achievable daily goals, even if it's just a walk up the garden. Allow yourself time to heal and if you feel rough or fatigued, it's ok to sit still and do nothing! I found that mentally quite a challenge. Looking back I set myself far higher goals than I should have and constantly felt disappointed with myself, when in hindsight there was going to be no way I could achieve them. Also, those around you spouting off about Friends/Aunts/Neighbours/Uncle Tom Cobbly that had thyroid cancer and they're running marathons 3 weeks later? Ignore them! That's not helpful. Everybody's surgery is unique and everyone heals at a different pace. It's ok not to feel ok through this as they say!

As for what to take into hospital, ear plugs a must! Or noise cancelling ear pods even better :) I found the constant noise just awful but I'm not great in crowded, noisy places at the best of times and I was in for a week. When you're home a V pillow is the best way to get comfortable! And as soon as the steri-strips are off and you feel confident with touching the scar, then start moisturising/massaging, I used bio-oil. If you do have to have the neck dissection, you may find your spinal accessory nerve gets bruised, it's hard for them to avoid it. So you may have difficulty lifting your arm (mine was bi-lateral so both arms for me). You may need a bit of help when you get home with everyday stuff because of this but if this is the case, then make sure you get a referral from your surgeon to physio asap and they can very effectively help you recover.

Hope that's of some help. Any more questions just ask and I'll do my best to answer. Hope it all goes well for you x

Hi lazodre,

I was also mis-diagnosed for a while (two and a half years) before my initial hemi-thyroidectomy and so my thyroid levels were low when I had that surgery (3 hrs), but like k9crazy I didn't have any issues with the anaesthetic either. I should be getting the rest of my thyroid out in early December, and my levels are even lower now as I haven't been prescribed anything yet and the remaining half is struggling. I'll only be started on medication after all my thyroid is out. 

Hope this helps you feel a little better and that your surgery goes well this week. Be kind to yourself and  let your body heal at it's own rate. We're all unique, and amazing.

Thank you for your reassurance and I hope your surgery goes well ️