Cytomel/Surgery

[lara1228]

Hi all, I posted here a while back, so I guess I am fairly new here.  I was treated in january for Hyperthyroidism with Radioactive Iodine. I felt fine until the spring when it all went downhill.  So now I am hypo.  The doctor put me on 25 mcg of Cytomel once a day.  I've been taking it now for about six weeks I started to feel so much better, but in the past couple of weeks I feel the same as before I started.  My doctor appt isn't for another two weeks.  I was wondering if anyone has been on Cytomel and if it it works for them.

Another question I have is about surgery.  I am scheduled for 8/21/07 to have my right lobe removed along with the nodule that is there.  The nodule was biopsied and came back indeterminate so I was advised by several doctors to have it removed.  It is about 6cm according to the sonogram.  The docs say its a bit smaller than that.  Anyway, I just wanted to ask everyone who has had surgery what I can expect, how the surgery is, what the scar looks like, things like that.  I spoke with my surgeon about the surgery in great detail, but the people who have actually gone through it will know best.  

Thanks!!

Laura

[lara1228]

I feel I need to take more, and I actually did take an extra dosage of it the other day, but I got terribly sick shortly after, but it passed after about an two hours...I will definitely talk to the doc..
Thanks!

[lara1228]

Thank you so much...I really appreciate you sharing your story...

[Venora Moonwind]

I take cytomel 3 x a day. t3 is used up fairly quickly by your body so 3 x a day is close to how your own body would produce it.Talk to your doc.I also take synthroid and I am feeling pretty good these days.
let me know what your doc says.
Love Venora

[shaerich]

Everyone is different with surgery, but I hope my story lightens your worry.  My surgery was done by a general surgeon and my recovery was very easy.  I was in surgery for a little over 2 hours (I THINK... I might be wrong on the time... I do know it was not as long as they originally suggested it would be).  I had glue on my incision rather than stitches and I had no drain.  My calcium was low after surgery (not all that uncommon) but I was discharged the day after surgery.  I had surgery on Friday and I was back at work on Tuesday and felt fine.  My incision was tender to the touch, but other than that I felt "normal."  I took one Rx strength ibuprofen after being discharged and needed no other pain meds (trust me, I take them if I need 'em!)  I'd say it took about 5-6 weeks for the swelling to go away (what I refer to as a speed bump just above the incision) and I had to stay on Tums for about 6 weeks as it took a while for my parathyroids to come back.  I ate soft foods for the first 2 meals I think after surgery and then I was eating normal food the next day.  

My incision is still a little red, but it's very thin and about... oh I don't know... 3.5 - 4 inches long?  I put bactroban on it every couple of days (ointment from a plastic surgoen for a surgery I had on my forehead) and I kept it covered every day for the first 2 months (this is my second week without a scarf and it's SO nice!).  I don't go out in the sun except to get in and out of my car/destination but if I were to go outside, I'd put on sunscreen.  Sometimes I do anyway, just in case.  You can find a little sunblock stick by neutrogena that looks like a mini-underarm deoderant stick (about the size of a chapstick) to carry in your purse.  If I'm in the car for a long time I will put that on just in case the sun is comign in through the window.  I have actually only had one "incident" where someone even noticed the scar and it was b/c I had a lowcut shirt on and my hair pulled back and we were in really close proximity.  If i stand about 4 feet from the mirror, you can't see my scar.  And it's only 2.5 months post op.


Oh... my throat hurt a little for about 3-5 days... like the start of a cold, that never fully came on.

Hope that helps.  If you have any specific questions let us know.