My Total Thyroidectomy

I had my thyroid surgery last Tuesday, and it went very well.  I thought I would share my experience for anyone who might be facing thyroid surgery in the future.  The surgery was scheduled for 7:30 in the morning, and we were told to report at the hospital at 6:00.  I was taken right back to be prepped, and during the prep, I had the best iv experience I have ever had.  They numbed my hand before inserting the iv, and it was so quick and painless that way!  Many different members of the surgical team came through to talk to me, and I had to answer a lot of questions (many of them multiple times).  As I talked to the anesthesiologists, I expressed my strong desire to avoid nausea (after a bad anesthesia experience in the past), so they gave me something called "triples" - two pills and a bitter drink and told me that they would also give me something in my iv during surgery.  I was taken to the OR shortly before 7:30, and the last thing I remember was my nurse arranging my arms for surgery.  I wasn't expecting to fall asleep before my surgeon even arrived in the OR, so it was kind of surreal to wake up in recovery afterwards and know nothing of what went on, who was present, or how long it had taken.

My surgery ended up being more tedious than anticipated.  My thyroid was wrapped around my trachea on both sides, so it was difficult to remove.  My nodule was also bigger than expected.  My surgeon said that is was about the size of a golf ball.  He told Jim that it had the word, "Titleist" written on the side.  :)  He was confident that things had gone well, though.

In the recovery room, I got very hot at one point and was feeling a bit panicked, but the nurse removed some of my blankets and fed me a few ice chips, and I started feeling better.  Two of the main possible  thyroidectomy complications are vocal cord damage and calcium deficiency.  I was quite encouraged to find that my voice was pretty strong in recovery.  After a while in recovery, I was taken to my room (I had a nice little private room), where Jim was waiting.  As soon as we got to my room, I climbed off the gurney and went straight to the restroom.  While I was there, I started feeling nauseated.  I got sick once, but I really think that it was more breathing tube related than stomach related.  After that initial sickness, I didn't have any more nausea.  My throat and neck were sore, but it wasn't horrible.  I rested throughout the day, and I used an ice pack on my neck and sipped ice water for my throat.  I ate soup and ice cream for lunch and dinner.  My parents and one of the pastors from our church came up that evening to visit for a little while, and after they left, I was feeling good enough to send Jim home for the night.  I was able to get several hours of sleep that night.

My view from my hospital bed

Wednesday morning, I had a low-grade fever, so the nurses encouraged me to keep drinking lots of water.  My surgeon came in late morning and told me that I could go home.  He encouraged me to take deep breaths and to try to cough.  He said that the fever was because my lungs were trying to readjust after having the breathing tube in there.

Flowers from my parents

I came home from the hospital Wednesday afternoon and have been doing a little better each day since then.  I've managed the pain with Motrin, ice packs, and a heating pad.  My throat pain went away after a couple of days, and my neck pain has gotten considerably better.  I haven't had any calcium issues, but they have me taking Tums 750 three times a day for a month, just to be cautious.

My parents were here for the week of my surgery, and they were a huge help to us!  They cooked, cleaned, ran errands, and took care of the kids and me.  They left Sunday morning, and since then, we've been on our own.  My neck was feeling pretty good by Monday, but I was starting to feel the effects of not having a thyroid.  I was very tired and emotional.  I had not been able to start my hormone replacement medication immediately after surgery because we were waiting on the pathology report.  I was thrilled when my surgeon called Monday afternoon to tell me that the pathology was back and that I did not have cancer!  Later that afternoon, my endocrinologist called to tell me that he had called in my prescription and that I could start my medication Tuesday morning.  I have been amazed at how much better I have felt since I started the medication!

Happy mail from my sister and brother-in-law

I went back to see my surgeon yesterday.  He removed my remaining bandages and told me that everything looks good.  He told me that I could go back to being a normal person.  :)  My neck looks kind of rough, which is to be expected 10 days after surgery, but I have hopes that it will end up looking pretty good after a few months.  Until then, I will be covering my neck with scarves (to hide my scar and to protect it from the sun).  I had bought a few new scarves before my surgery, and my sister and my cousin had each sent me one this week in the mail.  My friend, Kristen, stopped by my house on Tuesday with a big bucket full of scarves that my friends at church had gotten for me.  I was so touched that they would support me in this way!  Their gift made my day week!

Scarves from friends at church

I'm sure I will have more to share about my thyroid journey in the weeks to come, but I wanted to update on my surgery and recovery so far.

My Thyroid Story, So Far

I have blogged about some bits and pieces of my thyroid situation during the last several months, but since I am approaching another step in the whole process, I thought I would share my whole thyroid story, so far, all in one place.
Until last fall, I had never really thought a lot about my thyroid.  I knew I had one, but I didn't really know much about what its purpose was.  I have learned a lot about the thyroid and all the different thyroid problems since then!  The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that produces hormones that control your metabolism.  Problem thyroids can be over-active, under-active, enlarged, or lumpy.

I went to see my doctor last fall, and while I was there, he noticed that my thyroid was enlarged.  He told me that is is quite common for women to develop a thyroid problem after having a baby (Maddie was about 6 months old at that time), but he sent me for an ultrasound to check it out.  My ultrasound showed that I had a 5 cm nodule (growth) on the left side of my thyroid.  My doctor referred me to a surgeon, who recommended removing the left side of my thyroid (a partial thyroidectomy).  My surgeon sent me for a biopsy, because though uncommon, nodules can be cancerous, and if cancer is found in the thyroid, the entire gland must be removed.  I had my biopsy in November, and the results showed that I had a benign follicular nodule.  When I saw my surgeon again, he said that though my nodule was large, it was benign, and since it wasn't causing any breathing or swallowing issues, we could wait 6 months and reevaluate it.
In the meantime, I saw my doctor again.  He sent me for a second ultrasound, and he referred me to an endocrinologist for a second opinion.  The second ultrasound showed that my nodule had grown to 6 cm.  I saw the endocrinologist for the first time in May.  He ordered a bunch of blood work, and he sent me for a second biopsy.  The blood work said that my thyroid levels were in the normal range, but my second biopsy showed that I had a follicular lesion of undetermined significance.  My endocrinologist felt that just by the nodule size alone, I should really have the left side of my thyroid removed, but with the atypical biopsy results, he recommended getting it done this summer.

After my second biopsy

I set up another appointment with my surgeon, and Jim and I went to see him a few weeks ago.  As we talked through the surgery with him, he recommended my getting a total thyroidectomy - removing the entire thyroid.  With a partial thyroidectomy, there is a chance of not needing hormone replacement medication afterwards.  However, if I got a partial thyroidectomy, and cancer was found, I would have to go back and have a second surgery to remove the rest of my thyroid.  A total thyroidectomy would require me to be on thyroid medication for the rest of my life, but after the surgery, I would be able to just move on with treating the cancer (if needed) and recovery, without having to go through another surgery.  After some research and prayer, I have decided to go ahead with a total thyroidectomy on August 6.
We were able to fit in a little trip to South Carolina to see my family last week, and my parents have come back to Michigan with us to help with the kids during my surgery and for a few days after I come home.  From what I have read, the surgery should not too bad, as far as surgeries go.  I will have a scar on my neck, which should fade to almost nothing after a year or two.  I have been adding some scarves to my scarf collection and pinning scarf-tying tutorials on Pinterest in hopes of covering up my scar as it heals.

My current scarf collection

If I do end up having thyroid cancer, I will probably have to go through a radioactive Iodine treatment a few weeks after my surgery, which will kill all of the remaining thyroid tissue (and hopefully any remaining cancer cells).  That would most likely involve another hospital stay and at least several days of being quarantined from my family since I would be radioactive!  It would also delay the start of my hormone replacement therapy, which would cause me to feel pretty rough for those weeks between the surgery and the radioactive Iodine treatment.  We are obviously hoping that I do not have cancer, but we are praying for grace and strength to get through these next few weeks, whatever they hold.
I will update about my surgery and whatever the following weeks hold for me as I can.  It is difficult to go through the uncertainties of medical procedures, and I hope that by sharing my experiences, I can be a help and encouragement to others who face this situation in the future.  I would appreciate your prayers on Tuesday morning as I have my surgery!