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Thyroid just removed, a few questions
My thyroid was removed Friday after finding a lump in April and then having a suspicious biopsy in August. The plan was to take the right lobe and isthmus, send them to a pathologist and either take the whole thing or leave the other lobe depending on what he found, but the surgeon said as soon as he saw and felt it, he knew it was cancer and took it all right then. Cancer was confirmed and my entire thyroid was removed. I was released the next day and am doing pretty well. The muscles in my neck are still pretty sore but the incision doesnt hurt at all. It does have a finger sized lump above the incision, but the underside is totally flat.
I was started on levothyroxine right away although its likely I will need to do at least 2 doses of radioactive iodine and have to stop taking it. Is this normal or do most doctors wait to have a person start on the thyroid meds until after the radioactive iodine? I have to go back to see my ENT surgeon and my endocrinologist on the 29th to discuss what we are going to do next. Is it possible that I may start to have symptoms of hypothyroidism in the mean time or do I still have enough of my own hormone circulating that it wont be a problem for a few weeks? Could I show symptoms of hyperthyroidism? Im worried about what comes next, mostly just not knowing what comes next. The initial report is that it is papillary cancer, but beyond that I dont know anything.
Thanks for your help,
Jill
I was started on levothyroxine right away although its likely I will need to do at least 2 doses of radioactive iodine and have to stop taking it. Is this normal or do most doctors wait to have a person start on the thyroid meds until after the radioactive iodine? I have to go back to see my ENT surgeon and my endocrinologist on the 29th to discuss what we are going to do next. Is it possible that I may start to have symptoms of hypothyroidism in the mean time or do I still have enough of my own hormone circulating that it wont be a problem for a few weeks? Could I show symptoms of hyperthyroidism? Im worried about what comes next, mostly just not knowing what comes next. The initial report is that it is papillary cancer, but beyond that I dont know anything.
Thanks for your help,
Jill
I am almost exactly 4 months post op and am probably just a few weeks away from getting my synthroid dose just right. I will more than likely wind up taking 88 mg. This is what I was started on after surgery but it initially made me too hyper. It's been 4 months of gradually raising, lowering and raising again my dosage. I have become very, very aware of when I'm crossing over from being hyper to hypo. It was difficult in the beginning. I was wiped from the surgery (had complications). Add to that the way you feel when your levels are not correct and I just felt like I couldn't deal with anything. That feeling has mostly gone away. I'd say I'm about 90% right now. The worst part of it right now is my impatience. I've had blood work about every 4 weeks or so which has been good because the tests have caught "trends" so my meds could be changed before I felt really bad. After reading some other posts here I consider myself one of the lucky ones. Make sure you keep communicating with your doctor, write down how you feel and pay attention to what your body is telling you. You'll be fine.
Well get ready to learn patience. It took up to a year to get me on the correct dosage. I had the RAI before surgery (TT), I did not end up having cancer, so I was put on medication right after surgery.
It does take a bit to get you on the correct dosage, maybe not a year for you, but just be patient, get your blood work done (usually 4-8 weeks after every dosage change), keep your doctor informed of ANY new symptom you are having.
I stayed on the same dosage for 10yrs. (200mcg) then for some reason went hyper again and went through another year of dosage adjustment. Now on the same dosage for the past 3yrs.
It does take a bit to get you on the correct dosage, maybe not a year for you, but just be patient, get your blood work done (usually 4-8 weeks after every dosage change), keep your doctor informed of ANY new symptom you are having.
I stayed on the same dosage for 10yrs. (200mcg) then for some reason went hyper again and went through another year of dosage adjustment. Now on the same dosage for the past 3yrs.
Thank you for your reply. How long does it usually take to get a dosage figured out? I am taking 100mcg a day right now but the doctor said we will probably need to increase it. Once a dosage is stabilized, does it usually stay the some or will I need to change it often?
I think it is usual to start you on thyroid hormone straight away. As you no longer have a thyroid you are not producing hormones. Waiting several weeks before starting meds would push you hypo, which would be very unpleasant and not good for health. You will have to adjust meds anyway, but that takes time. Depending on your dose you may get hypo symptoms anyway...
Can't comment on the RI as that's outside my experience, but guess they do that to catch any remaining thyroid cells. Others will chime in here.
Can't comment on the RI as that's outside my experience, but guess they do that to catch any remaining thyroid cells. Others will chime in here.
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