Thyroid coming out June 27

[danie17075rm]

I met with the surgeon.  I went over every symptom I have had.  He said I can very well have a pituitary problem, but my endo needs to deal with that, as it is not what he specializes in.  The doctor was nice.  It's a teaching hospital so I also had to deal with students.  He said that even though I might have a pituitary problem, most of my tests and symptoms are completely consistent with hashimoto's.  I am positive for 2 types of antibodies (that was new information).  He said that the thyroid has to come out, even if I have other problems.  My thyroid is causing too many issues and he said it felt all rubbery.  He actually made all the med students come in and feel my thyroid as it is apparently the "perfect" text book hashimoto's thyroid.  You can even feel the edges of mine. YAY, at least my thyroid is good for something lol.  I said I'm glad it can be of use to someone and they said, "hey we will get to see it when it comes out too" lol.  He said that radiation would not have been a good choice for me.  My hashimotos is so bad that different parts of the thyroid uptake the iodine at different rates.  He said this would have been really bad for me, and surgery is definitely the best option.  He can just remove it, and I will finally have a steady dose of thyroid hormones.  He also said that I should not be too expectant that this will cure everything.  He said it plays havoc on the nervous system, and sometimes it doesn't get entirely better.  He is going to examine the parathyroids while he is in there, but he really wants me to try and raise the vitamin D before surgery.  They had an opening June 1 for surgery, but I really wanted some time to take this in.  My surgery is schedule for June 27.  A few weeks before that I have a pre-op appointment and a few weeks after surgery my post-op appointment.  He said since I have an autoimmune disease, getting rid of the thyroid doesn't always help the autoimmune problem.  UGH.  I'm kind of scared that it won't make me feel better after what he said, but I do know it will give me a constant flow of hormone rather than too much or too little.  SO, that is the news.  The thyroid is going bye bye.  I don't know how to feel about it yet. At least I have some time to think. I hope this is the right decision!

[danie17075rm]

It does give me hope =).  If I didn't know these people personally, I might be running fast in the other direction lol.

[danie17075rm]

That is the big choice you have to make.  My endo would rather have had me choose RAI.  I didn't because I have a 5 year old son and I am a single mom.  I couldn't really be away from him that long.  It just never felt like the right option for me.

When I seen the surgeon he was happy I chose surgery.  He said I definitely made the right choice.  With the different rates my thyroid takes in iodine it could have been a long and horrible journey of my thyroid dying off.  Sometimes it can even be unsuccessful.  It takes a lot longer to get on meds and get to the right place.  Surgery however has greater risks, if you you look at it differently.  It is all up to the individual!

[Brucergoldberg]

what about RAI as opposed to TT?   Now that is something i would consider!

[Barb135]

People who are feeling well, rarely seek out forums like this...... I'm sure there are a lot of people who have had successful TT, that we don't hear about.  At least you know people who are feeling well, following TT, so it's possible.....

[danie17075rm]

I know 3 people as personal friends in real life that have had their thyroids removed due to hashi's. Two of them are old ladies now and have had no problems ever.  In fact, they were really surprised about the symptoms people have afterwards.  The one lady said her doc made her wait a year trying meds over and over while she still had her thyroid.  She bounced around and it couldn't be controlled.  She said it was horrible, and at some points she couldn't even lift her legs to walk up the stairs.  She said he removed it because there was no controlling it and she has felt great ever since.  One girl went to school with me (same age) and lived a few miles from me.  She has hashi's and it was causing problems.  She did not have nodules (like me) just a big goiter.  When her thyroid was removed they found she had cancer on the actual thyroid! That one concerns me the most.  She said for 2 weeks she was kind of a zombie and stayed with her mom for help, but after that she was great.  She said she leads a normal happy life now without any problems.  Actually, I forgot, I know another lady related to my sister's hubby.  She also had problems.  They removed hers because it was suspicious for cancer (she had cancer in other areas of her body).  She felt great for several years (but died later of cancer in other areas).  I know a friend of a friend that had her larger goiter removed and she is fine, but she didn't really have problems to start with.  I have heard other accounts on here and online of course, but usually people are posting on here because they need help.  These are the ones that it didn't go smoothly with (this would be the case for any surgery).  I try to keep that in mind because of all the individuals I know personally who are feeling better.

What is going on with yours?  Are you going hyper?

[Brucergoldberg]

This has been a very interesting thread for me as I have wondered the same thing, what would happen if i had my thryoid out and just went on replacement.

Today was the worst day ive ever had since i started this mess a year ago.

SO today I get a call from a friend who is pain doctor at a hospital in Calfornia.  He tells me that one of his patients who he was giving a back injection to told him that she had her thyroid removed because of hashimotos and is doing 100% better. Words of encouragement!  Now im seriously wondering if this might be good.

My harvard endo told me that they only do them for hashis when the goiter is too painful.

Have you talked to anyone else who has had this done?

Bruce