thyroidectomy recovery

[helsurf]

hi Dr,

i am having a near total thyroidectomy on 3rd june, whats your oppinion on how long i should be off work? (i am a nurse in a nursing home, which is a pretty strenuous job, lots of heavy manual handing!)

also how long to get back to sporting activities such as surfing :)

thanks Dr

[pilgrim7]

I had a partial thyroidectomy in 1974 then total in 1980.  It only took about a week before I returned to work.  I was riding a dirt bike within two weeks.  Maybe slightly foolish.

That was 28 years ago.  Now I am 54 and in very good health.  I get a blood test once a year to see if I am taking the right amount of Synthroid.  I've been on the same dosage most of the last 28 years.

I recently had a stress test, simply because my dad had a double bypass at 58.  The Cartioligist gave me an A+ after ten minutes on the treadmill.  Most guys my age only go 7 or 8 minutes.  I could have easily gone longer but the doc stopped me.

Don't get me wrong... not having a thyroid has not done this for me.  It's staying active, exercising and not eating too much, which most people do.

Good luck.

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

It depends on the surgeon - would talk to him/her.