Thyroidectomy

Neck Pain and Stiffness The neck is put in an extended position during surgery, and many people avoid moving their necks afterward. This can lead to neck pain and stiffness. Using pain medication after surgery may reduce discomfort, making it easier for you to keep moving your neck so that you have less stiffness later on. Applying a warm compress may also help. • Gently turn your head to the right, then roll your head so that you are looking at the floor, then gently roll your head to the left. • Gently tilt your head to the right and then to the left. • Rotate both shoulders forward in a circular motion. • Slowly raise your arms overhead, and then slowly lower them back down against your body. Most often, neck stiffness lasts for only a few days to a few weeks after surgery. If yours does not, talk to your surgeon about seeing a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation (a physiatrist) or a physical therapist who can work with you to improve the flexibility of your neck and design an exercise program to restore your neck mobility. A Sore Throat Thyroid surgery is often done under Hoarseness and Voice Problems After surgery, your voice may be hoarse or whispery, and it may feel tiring to talk. This is very common and expected during the first week or two after surgery. While around 1% of people may have damage to the nerves supplying the vocal cords, around 5% to 10% of people will have temporary symptoms due to irritation of the nerves during surgery or inflamma...

GENERAL INFORMATION Your doctor may recommend that you consider thyroid surgery for 4 main reasons: • You have a nodule that might be thyroid cancer. • You have a diagnosis of thyroid cancer. • You have a nodule or goiter that is causing local symptoms – compression of the trachea, difficulty swallowing or a visible or unsightly mass. • You have a nodule or goiter that is causing symptoms due to the production and release of excess thyroid hormone – either a toxic nodule, a toxic multinodular goiter or The extent of your thyroid surgery should be discussed by you and your thyroid surgeon and can generally be classified as a partial thyroidectomy or a total thyroidectomy. Removal of part of the thyroid can be classified as: • An open thyroid biopsy – a rarely used operation where a nodule is excised directly; • A hemi-thyroidectomy or thyroid lobectomy – where one lobe (one half) of the thyroid is removed; • An isthmusectomy – removal of just the bridge of thyroid tissue between the two lobes; used specifically for small tumors that are located in the isthmus. • Finally, a total or near-total thyroidectomy is removal of all or most of the thyroid tissue. (Figure 1) The recommendation as to the extent of thyroid surgery will be determined by the reason for the surgery. For instance, a nodule confined to one side of the thyroid may be treated with a hemithyroidectomy. If you are being evaluated for a large bilateral goiter or a large thyroid cancer, then you will probably hav...

Total Thyroidectomy • Care notes • • • • • • What do I need to know about a total thyroidectomy? A total thyroidectomy is surgery to remove all of your thyroid gland. Your thyroid gland makes hormones that control your metabolism, body temperature, and heart rate. Your thyroid gland is shaped like a butterfly. It is found in the front lower part of your neck. You may need a thyroidectomy if you have thyroid cancer or a growth on your thyroid. A growth that is not cancer can still become large enough to cause breathing problems. You may also need this surgery if you have hyperthyroidism. This means your thyroid creates too much thyroid hormone. How do I prepare for a total thyroidectomy? • Your healthcare provider will tell you how to prepare for surgery. You may be told not to eat or drink anything after midnight on the day of surgery. Your provider will tell you which medicines to take or not take on the day of surgery. Blood tests are used to check the amounts of calcium and thyroid hormone in your blood. You may be given antithyroid medicine to lower the amount of thyroid hormone made by your thyroid gland. • You and your surgeon will decide the kind of surgery that is right for you. A thyroidectomy can be done in several ways. Your surgeon may make an incision in your lower neck. This is called a conventional thyroidectomy. An endoscopic surgery means small incisions are made in your neck. Tools and a small camera are put into the incisions. The camera helps your surge...

Scarless transoral thyroidectomy or transoral vestibular approach (TOVA) allows for the safe and total removal of the thyroid or parathyroid glands with absolutely no external scarring to the neck. Of all so-called "scarless" thyroid surgeries, the transoral technique is the only one that is truly scarless. Although other types of thyroid and parathyroid techniques may not leave a scar on the neck, they do leave a scar at the alternative incision point, the armpit, hairline or nipple. Benefits of the TOVA are two-fold: It preserves the natural appearance the neck and leaves no external reminder of the operation and provides a quick and easy recovery. The transoral vestibular approach leaves no wound on the neck because the thyroid gland is accessed through three small 3-10 mm incisions inside the lower lip. Through these incisions, small laparoscopic instruments (about the diameter of the pen) are passed under the skin and down to the thyroid or parathyroid. Standard laparoscopic techniques are then used to remove the affected gland, which is placed inside a bag and removed through the middle incision. The incisions are closed with stitches that dissolve on their own. Many individuals who need their thyroid or parathyroid glands removed are potential candidates for scarless thyroid surgery. Ideal candidates for this type of scarless thyroid surgery may have the following diagnoses: • Thyroid cancer nodule less than 2 cm • Thyroid removal for benign conditions such as goite...

Thyroid removed? Now What? Have you recently had your thyroid removed? Are you suffering from symptoms AFTER having had your thyroid removed? Maybe you are gaining weight or losing your hair? If so, then this is the article for you! In this article, we will take a deep dive into 5 things that I think every patient who has had their thyroid removed should know. We will touch on topics including what you should be expecting once your thyroid has been removed, why it’s so difficult for patients to lose weight without a thyroid, how to naturally improve your thyroid function even after it has been removed, and more! If you aren’t sure what to do after thyroid removal then you are in the right place. DOWNLOAD NOW 5 Things you should know if you have a thyroidectomy I’ve treated hundreds (probably more than a thousand) of thyroid patients in my clinical practice and I’ve run into many patients without a thyroid. These patients are certainly more difficult to treat than run-of-the-mill thyroid patients but I’ve learned much in my years of treating them. While they are more difficult, it’s still possible to help them lose weight and feel better. It just takes the right approach… With that in mind, here are 5 things that I think you should know if you’ve had your thyroid removed based on THIS experience. #1. You are now HYPOTHYROID. This is probably the single most important thing that you understand if your thyroid has been removed. Once your thyroid is removed you are now conside...