Hello all,
I was wondering if anyone could share their post-surgery experiences of pain? I've spent quite a lot of time reading through forum posts here (feel like I know quite a few of you already! hi all!), but not sure if my current experience is at all typical or not. I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer a couple of months ago, which although small (7mm) seemed to have spread quite aggresively to a lot of neck lymph nodes which were enlarged.
I had pretty extensive surgery 3 weeks ago to remove my thyroid, all my neck lymp nodes on the right, and a number of lymph nodes on the left. Think I was in surgery for 7.5 hours. Spent a week in hospital post-op, with a drain in my neck at the side and also at the front for a few days. Pretty extensive scar that goes up to my right ear, with loss of sensation all around the wound.
The pain that's bothering me the most right now is this incessant right shoulder pain that the max dose cocodamol seems to do nothing for. I can't tolerate having a bra strap anywhere on the shoulder at all. Obviously this isn't at the wound site, but I'm assuming it's somehow connected with having all my lymph nodes out at that side. Has anyone else experienced shoulder pains like this?
Also having sharp stabby lower jaw pains on that side (again, totally resistant to pain meds), but had these pre-surgery too - worried that it's somehow got into my jaw bone. These pains were what actually got me investigated and diagnosed in the first place, when my dental surgeon ordered scans after she couldn't find a cause, but still no closer to finding out whether they're related or not. Anyone else had jaw pain related to their thyroid cancer?
Grateful for all your responses
