Total Thyroidectomy on Feb 5th, for those of you that have been there, I'd like some advice

[KJ5854]

Hello all!  A few weeks ago you all answered alot of questions from me regarding thyroid surgery, cancer etc. as I was planning to have a total thyroidectomy.  I'm having the surgery because it was discovered on Dec 5th that I have numerous nodules on my thyroid, I have Hashimoto's, and they found cells suspicious for cancer in one nodule.  Well, my surgery is four days away now scheduled for Tuesday, Feb 5th.   I'd like to get some insight into some things from experience of those of you who have been through it.

Did you experience calcium problems in the hospital or at home?

How was your voice right after surgery?  If it was abnormal, when did it return?

What could you eat after surgery?  Do I need to stock up on mashed potates? :)

Could you swallow pills after surgery?  I take numerous vitamins & supplements and hope I can keep taking them after surgery.

When you were recovering at home, did you need alot of pain meds?

How long was it before you could do normal daily things like laundry, cooking, cleaning etc?

Any tips for being comfortable in the hospital and upon returning home?

I feel good right now so I'm enjoying my last four days with my thyroid. I'm not looking forward to trying to figuring out the correct level of meds after my surgery.  I've never been on thyroid meds so it's all new to me there.  Of course, I'm praying for a benign diagnosis so I do not have to go through the RAI because then there are no meds for weeks and I've heard all about hypo-hell!  And then just trying to find the right thyroid med seems like a long ordeal as well.  I'm a little scared about that.  

Any advice or thoughts you have about a tt surgery recovery are appreciated.  I'm hoping to hear from alot of you because I want to be prepared for this.  
Thanks :)

[pep88]

Hi.  It (the surgery itself) was not that bad for me.  I was on pain meds right after the surgery in the hospital.  My bad experience was the nurse.  She over-medicated me.  She gave me one dose of pain meds, and when that wore off, she thought I'd need that dose plus half more...  I didn't ask for, nor want any more than what I'd already had, and I thought I was going to die!  The nurse kept saying "I think you need some anti-anxiety meds", and I COULDN'T BREATHE!!!  Was she was trying to kill me?  The machine that monitors your breathing via your finger kept beeping loudly everytime I fell asleep (meaning I stopped breathing).  And they wouldn't come in!   I finally had them call my mom (who is a retired nurse practicioner) to come and make sure I didn't stop breathing!!  Ahhhh, help these days!!!!

That was the absolute worst part of the entire experience, too many pain meds.  And the nausea that came with the meds.  I wouldn't swallow pills in the hospital because I thought they'd make me sick.  I made them put anything and everything in my IV.  I have a problem with nausea from most of the meds they give you for surgery... I came home after two days and only took one pain pill there.  My voice was fine, I could eat anything I wanted... I started interacting with my family and doing very small chores almost right away.  Of course I had to stop and rest or nap as well.

I have had issues with calcium and vitamin D.  But most came strongly after the RAI.  I'm sure all that radiation can't be all that good for your vitamin levels...  
  
The only one "hint" I have for surgery is:  I  carried a picture of my 5 year old daughter with me (actually on top of me, after they put me under...)  To let the surgeon and his "crew" that I was a person with a husband and a child and to treat me as such.  Not a number on a conveyer belt with a bad thyroid.  I wanted to send a clear message that I intended to heal quickly and be back for my beautiful daughter and my LIFE!!!  Everyone I spoke with post surgery commented on it, and (the desired goal acheived...) they remembered me as a PERSON!

Good luck with your journey.  Let us know how you come through.  We'll be here!

[Thypatient]

Did you experience calcium problems…  ~ At home, starting about two days later.  Resulted in going to ER to be told to take more calcium.  A week later the same happened but this time I ended up staying in the hosp for 2 days on a calcium IV drip.  Things are better now, 18 mths later, but I still take calcium and vit D.  Also take mag sometimes, as leg cramps do occur.  Have to say, I also had a parathyroid gland removed, so calcium problems may have come from that too.

How was your voice…  ~ Was a little hoarse but not for too long.  Throat was sore for about 24 hours.

What could you eat…  ~ I could only eat sherbet in the hospital.  I’m not crazy about that level of sugary foods but the coolness helped.  I could eat other soft foods a few days later, slowly incorporating solids.

Could you swallow pills…  ~ I could swallow pills, including my vitamins, but not until the next day.

When you were recovering at home…  ~ Pain tapered off pretty quickly so I didn’t take pain meds very long, maybe a day or two – I’m not big on pain meds anyway.

How long was it before you could do normal daily things…  ~ I could function after several days but fatigue and short endurance lasted a while.  I think doing minor things to get the blood flowing but also having plenty of rest periods helps.

Any tips for being comfortable…  ~ Try not to strain neck.  If I was getting up out of bed, it was better to roll onto side and roll of the bed feet first so I was on my stomach, then using my arms to heist myself up.  Otherwise, my neck would hurt.  Hope that makes sense.  

…not looking forward to trying to figuring out the correct level of meds after my surgery.  I've never been on thyroid meds so it's all new to me there…  ~ I barely took any meds myself, but luckily, I didn’t have to do much figuring, as blood tests guided how much and when more was needed.  I’ve had my meds increased only once so far and that was a week after surgery.  One thing I could recommend, that an endo told me to do and made such a difference, is taking med first thing in the morning, then waiting 2 hours before eating or drinking.  Waiting 1 hour is usually recommended but when I changed to waiting 2 hours I felt the side-effects I’d been experiencing subsided.  Others might argue this but I know it works for me – even though it’s not easy.

~ I pray you have a perfect post-surgery pathology report and that everything is benign.

Best wishes.

[Thypatient]

Just wanted to add something regarding meds... I was originally prescribed a generic thyroid med.  But then the endo prescribed a brand name and that too made an improvement in how I was doing.  Others might also argue the merits of this...

Again, best wishes.

[darksuns]

I had my TT on Dec. 11th. :)
i suppose my surgery was a bit different so i guess i should explain it to you. I had two nodules one on each lobe. One on the right they suspected was cancer. They went in there, took out the right side of my thyroid, biopsied it, no cancer. Then they just took the nodule off the left lobe. They sent the nodule from the left lobe to pathology just for good measure. While they were waiting for an answer, I had another completely unrelated surgery. (30 minutes with my neck open on the table.) Then they found out the nodule was cancerous and took the whole rest of the thing out. Now, these are my answers. The incision in my neck was open for almost 2 hours. They think that's why I have more muscle problems...... :)

My calcium