anyone has a recommendation for a thyroid surgeon in St. Louis, MO? What was your experience with him or her? Need thyroidectomy due to large nodules, possibly cancerous per statistics not biopsy. So far, the surgeons that I have met, seems to be matter of fact, not very concerned about scars or thyroid medications. Any help welcomed.
Trina
So, I hope that by now, you are on your way home or home and just resting, feeling good and relieved!
I hope that you do come back and let us know how you are doing!
I had my total thyroidectomy August 6, about a little over a month ago. It was fine. The only thing that bothered me was the anesthesia. I stayed in the hospital over night and was home the next morning before 11:00 a.m. I started taking my meds two weeks ago but they made my heart palpitate so I had to stop taking them for 3 days and start back them 1/2 the pill on the 4th day. Right I feel better and not palpitating like that anymore. I have to go back to the Dr. in October to get labs done and see if my meds need to be adjusted even more. Right now I feel fine but I also take HBP meds and had to stop taking those while trying to get my thyroid meds correct. I have to take my BP 3 times a day and for some reason with the thyroid meds my pulse seems to be slower. Anyway, hopefully the Dr. will get me all under control. My incision from the surgery was not stitched or stapled they used durabond surgical glue to close it. I still have glue on my incision and the Dr. told me not to try to remove it just let it wear off on it's on. I'm still sore and tender but he says that will go away probably in about 8 weeks. ANyway, I am doing fine and you will be okay. God bless you during your surgery.
My surgery is at 10:30am central standard time. I can't believe it is only 10.5 hours from now! Please send good thoughts and prayers my way. I will be back on here in a few days telling you all how I made it through surgery and that I am doing great! :)
Best of luck to you on your surgery tomorrow.
All will be well and you will be on our thoughts.
BTW: you are correct, you should not have watched a TT on youtube.
Now that you have, think positive and and let your dr handle the rest.
Take care and keep us posted.
Terri
Not sure on getting a sedative in the AM, but I guarantee you'll like the pre-op cocktail!! As far as the thyroid meds - I've seen it both ways. Some start it right away, some wait to see if they need RAI. You'll know a lot more tomorrow! What time is your surgery?
Will they start me on thyroid meds immediately after my surgery tomorrow?
Yup, I am more afraid of the anathesia . Seems alot of people are, I wonder why that is.
I wonder if I can get a sedative as soon as I arrive in the morning?
Best of luck to you tomorrow!!!
I was absolutely terrified before my surgery - not the thyroid removal, the scar, or the potential cancer...but the anesthesia. I was beside myself....so much so that I burst into tears when the nurse asked me if I was nervous. They gave me a sedative before the anesthesia, and it was the best thing ever. I don't remember a thing after that until I woke up in recovery.
I did not have a difficult recovery at all, and I'm so glad I got that poisonous gland out. I hope you feel the same afterward!
Good luck!!!!
You will do great! It is like anything.. you are saying goodbye to something ... but after it's gone ... so will your worries!!!!
C~
partial 1/07
Look at you!!! It's almost time to get that nasty nodule out!! Shame on you for watching You Tube the day before. ;-)
You will be just fine. Actually, when they wheeled me into the OR, it was so stinkin' cold in there. Between that and my nerves, I had the bed shaking from my body shaking! The nurse went to get me some warm blankets (from an actual warmer!), while the anesthesiologist explained that he was going to put something in my IV that would make me drowsy. The warm blankets came at the same time that the shot went into my IV, and I swear to you......I thought I'd died and gone to heaven!! I was suddenly NOT scared, so relaxed and incredibly warm. I asked the guy if I could take a six pack of whatever he shot in my IV home with me!!!! It was awesome.
Not kidding, I don't remember a thing until I woke up in my room. Not the recovery room, mind you - but my actual room. They told me that they talked to me in recovery - probably doing the "squeeze my finger" and all - but I don't remember it at all.
No catheter here either. As I said before, I didn't have any pain in my incision either. I had to go to the bathroom right away when I woke up, but when I tried to move, I got really nauseated. They put more of that anti-nausea stuff in my IV and I was fine.
As far as weight? I've always struggled with mine too. I put on about 30 pounds in a very short time right before my thyroid problem was detected. I gained around 5 more after I had my TT, because I was so hypo - in preparation for the RAI. They're keeping me hyper for cancer suppression, and I've been able to lose about 12 pounds so far. I'm working on getting the rest off.
Like the other poster said, everyone is different. I was hoping the weight would drop off, but it isn't any easier to lose now than it was before. But it's not any harder either. Hope that all helps!
Good luck tomorrow. I'll be thinking about you, and please post when you feel like it to let us know how you're doing.
Lori
I forgot, i gained weight, but i maintained a normal weight level once my dosage was adjusted. Everyone's body is different. I had always maintained a healthy weight.
Yes, i had the weight loss even though i constantly ate, rapid heart rate, always on the go, insomnia, headaches and would get hot flashes. My regular PCP at the time treated me for 6 months (in that time never did blood work) for guess what?? give up?? Anxiety...Yep, she just insisted I had personnel issues. The only thing she ever did was change my headache medication when i kept going back because they would not go away. It took a goiter and for me to be diagnosed with hypthyroidism/graves disease. It took another doctor 15 seconds to diagnose me (asked me to stick my hands out in front of me-they would not stop shaking). I was very lucky my regular PCP was out...
Well I did something I should not have. I watched a TT on you tube! Yikes! It looked horrible. Thankfully it will be done while I am completely out and not knowing what is going on,unlike having a tooth pulled or something. I didn't feel anything when I had my wisdom teeth out BUT I heard everything(gross) and could feel the pressure of how hard the dentist was pulling and such. Being aware made it worse I think. How sure are they that giving you a sedative when you get to the hospital won't interfer with the anathesia and such? If it is totally safe, I am going to ask for a sadative as soon as I get there. I have to wait 4 hours after getting there before the surgery to start and I thats a long time to go stir crazy in. SEDATIVES HERE I COME! hahahahahehehe!
Good luck and God bless! We will be keeping the light on...
<<>>Margie
Honey I am a large woman too and my neck was big..actually smaller with my goiter out...LOL...dont worry about your weight I am sure they deal with people like us all the time.
They never mentioned my weight and I did just fine..=)
With all the prayers you will have going up how could something go wrong..
Dana
Good luck, you will do fine, and just Know that you will soon be the one that can answer all the questions for someone else who will feel just like you do now and really need your advice.That will be your purpose through all of this and thats the reason you will wake up and get through all thats to come. Prayers are with you.
Wow! 80 pounds! Did you have any symptoms that indicated you had or goiter or at least one that big?
Just thought of something else. Will having my thyroid removed make it harder or easier to loose weight? I have been hypo for a while now I suspect but have never been on meds for it. I have a really really hard time loosing weight normally. Some other things that plague me are bad skin, thin hair, heart palps, menstral problems, fatigue, brain fog and aches and pain general. Do yall think these will get better or worse once I have my entire thyroid removed?
Mine only took that long because I had a huge goiter by the time they figured out what was wrong with me. I weighed about 80lbs and had a football players neck by the time they figured what was wrong.
I am glad to hear that another larger woman went under and come out ok. I am very obese and I worry about the safety of operating on someone so large. The doctor hasn't said a thing about my weight in reguards to the surgery so I guess it is ok. I have a fat neck so I wonder if that will make it harder?
It took yall 5 hours!!!!???!!!??? Wow! The nurse told me it would take about 2 and 2.5 hours and I was freaking out about that. 5 hours, yikes!
So I can ask for a sedative when I get there? That would be great! I suppose it doesn't interfere with the anethesia or other vital things?
I did not have a catheter either. I think that is why they tell you no food or liquids after midnight before the surgery. I did not wake up either and it took them 5.5 hrs as well. I do not remember anything except I only got as far as 97 on the counting backwards
You will be just fine.
GET YOU A NECK PILLOW....LOL one of those you use while traveling that goes around your neck...it was a life saver for me.
YOU WILL BE FINE !! I was the same way worry worry...=)
I was like the above poster about the counting but I do remember telling them how did I expect a woman of my size to lay on that tiny operating table. The nurses thought that was SOOOO funny, I was on something strong to make me NOT panic. I asked for something before they took me down because I was terrified. My hubby said when they wheeled me away and he said he loved me I held up both arms and gave the thumbs up...LOL.
My neck hurt SO BAD when I woke up and I had a head-ache but my nurse told me if I could have seen the way they had my head I would see why my head and neck hurt.
You will be just fine though, I slept most of the day after surgery then I wanted to call and talk to everyone from the hosp to let them know I WAS ALIVE....LOL. We will all be here waiting to hear from you.
GOOD LUCK & BIG ((((HUGS))))))
Dana
i never had a catheter in with my surgery and the chances of waking up are so slim its practically impossible i was under for 5 hours with no problems the aneathatists are well trained and are with you during surgery you will be monitored please try not to think bad thoughts when surgery is over the aneathatists will bring you round and you will go into recovery where you will be watched before you know it you will be home and it will be over