Aa
Surgery set for me
Hello all, I am a 38 y/o male that is about to be going under the knife next week for a possible TT for a "suspecious" Papilliary cancer it's approx 1.1 cm on the left side. My labs were all normal. What should I expect starting when I wake up after the surgery? I have not been started on anything at all. Really nervous about all this happening to me. It was an accidental finding. Lucky me!!! I see my surgeon on Monday 1/8/06 for the preop and then the surgery is 1/11/06. How long does folks with uncomplicated Thyroid surgeries usually stay in the Hospital? What will happen post op? Just want to hear it from surviviors of this instead of the Doctor. Thanks for the support! Scott
Scott,
If you are like the rest of us you may be acting very nonchalant about this entire thing while freaking out inside. It's not easy to get information about thyroid cancer, especially from doctors, so here is some useful reading information to look at when you can't sleep.
http://www.endocrineweb.com/thyroidca.html
http://www.cancer.gov/cancer_information/cancer_type/thyroid
http://www.answers.com/topic/thyroid-cancer
http://www.webmd.com/hw/cancer/ncicdr0000062709-stage-explanation.asp
http://www.cancerlinksusa.com/thyroid/index.asp
http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/wyntk/thyroid
http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/dept/thyroid/
http://www.thyca.org/
http://www.checkyourneck.com/
I wish I would have known more about my condition before surgery so if you want info, please feel free to look through the links and ask questions! Don't panic, this is very doable and you have TONS of support on this site.
KEEP US POSTED - it's the unwritten law of this site! :-)
We may all be going through tough times but it makes us all feel better to talk about it and support each other. Hang in there - wer are here for you.
If you are like the rest of us you may be acting very nonchalant about this entire thing while freaking out inside. It's not easy to get information about thyroid cancer, especially from doctors, so here is some useful reading information to look at when you can't sleep.
http://www.endocrineweb.com/thyroidca.html
http://www.cancer.gov/cancer_information/cancer_type/thyroid
http://www.answers.com/topic/thyroid-cancer
http://www.webmd.com/hw/cancer/ncicdr0000062709-stage-explanation.asp
http://www.cancerlinksusa.com/thyroid/index.asp
http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/wyntk/thyroid
http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/dept/thyroid/
http://www.thyca.org/
http://www.checkyourneck.com/
I wish I would have known more about my condition before surgery so if you want info, please feel free to look through the links and ask questions! Don't panic, this is very doable and you have TONS of support on this site.
KEEP US POSTED - it's the unwritten law of this site! :-)
We may all be going through tough times but it makes us all feel better to talk about it and support each other. Hang in there - wer are here for you.
Scott,
Well to the club!!! I had a TT on 13 Dec for papillary cancer (8mm tumor with Graves disease). You can read about my surgery if you scroll down to "MJ13's surgery .. Has anybody heard from her" which was posted 17 Dec. This website is very informative on what others have been through with their thyroid disorders to include surgeries & RAI. I'm sure you have a million questions that your doctors haven't answered...so ask away. We're all here to support each other.
Well to the club!!! I had a TT on 13 Dec for papillary cancer (8mm tumor with Graves disease). You can read about my surgery if you scroll down to "MJ13's surgery .. Has anybody heard from her" which was posted 17 Dec. This website is very informative on what others have been through with their thyroid disorders to include surgeries & RAI. I'm sure you have a million questions that your doctors haven't answered...so ask away. We're all here to support each other.
Scott,
Welcome to the club!
Question: how do you know it is papillary carcinoma? Did you have a FNA to determine that? Most of us don't get that diagnosis until after the thyroid has been removed and biopsied in the OR.
What to expect: Most of us stay in the hospital overnight which is usually considered a "same day" surgery. For your surgery you will be intubated so ensure the airway stays open during the surgery (which may cause a sore throat after your surgery). Most of our surgeries takes between 1 1/2 to 3 hours depending on how much the thyroid is "stuck" to the nerves, blood supplies, and parathyroid glands. You will usually have an IV through the night which is a good thing for the pain meds and in case you need calcium.
Watch for cramping or tingling after the surgery. Parathyroid glands are very picky and if they are damaged or just inconvenienced sometimes they will throw a fit and cause problems with your calcium. If you feel cramping or tingling notify the medical staff IMMEDIATELY and tell them to check your calcium levels. This is not an uncommon problem after thyroid surgery.
You will be sent home with a bandage on the lower part of your neck which will have steri-strips or sutures under it. Follow your doctor's advice on how to treat your surgical site. Most of us just have to ensure the site is dried well after showering (using a blow drier on low heat works well). Your surgeon will have you come in for a follow up appointment a week to two weeks after the surgery to check the surgical site. After the stitches or steri-strips are removed you can apply moisturizer to the scar to keep it soft and prevent cracking. Some swear by their OTC or Rx scar creams, personally I loved pure Aloe Vera gel.
If you have a complete TT, you will be placed on thyroid replacement medications. The starting dosage will depend on your weight - many of us start out around 100mcg to 150mcg. Your medications will probably have to me adjusted gradually over the next year to two years. If you don't feel well on your medication, tell your doctor (hopefully you have an endocrinologist). Some of us are very sensitive to certain brands of thyroid medication and will have to try more than one until we find the right one. Your doctor will conduct blood tests on you to check for proper levels.
If it is determined that you do in fact have thyroid cancer you can plan on having a certain type of radiation that target thyroid tissue. Thyroid tissue absorbs iodine so the treatment to kill of any remaining thyroid tissue involved irradiated iodine. Thyroid tissue cannot be 100% surgically removed because of the danger of nerve damage. This is commonly known to the medical profession as I-131 (iodine 131) but is more commonly known here as RAI. This is actually like radiation and chemotherapy all at once. For this you will be taken off your thyroid medication and put on a special diet so any remaining thyroid tissue is starved for iodine. Once you have reached a specific lab-tested thyroid level, you will be given either a pill or liquid to take that contained irradiated iodine. You will have a small dose to scan for how much your uptake is then you will be given a very large dose (I refer to it as the Chernobyl level). After this you will be isolated for a few days (you will be so radioactive that you can contaminate others and harm their thyroids) then scanned to see where the tissue was remaining.
See, piece of cake, right? :-) Actually I probably just scared the heck out of you but, if it is papillary carcinoma, it is one of the easiest to treat and most curable cancers you could have.
Oh, as a bonus, you will also be given a special membership reserved just for those of us who have a great little scar on your necks.
So many of us here have been through it, ask all the questions you want to. I've been through it and so have three of my sisters - it's the easiest surgery any of us have experienced.
Sorry to type so much, I'm just a bit hyperthyroid right now so a bit hyper. :-) Welcome to the gang! Give us more about your background and condition!!!
Welcome to the club!
Question: how do you know it is papillary carcinoma? Did you have a FNA to determine that? Most of us don't get that diagnosis until after the thyroid has been removed and biopsied in the OR.
What to expect: Most of us stay in the hospital overnight which is usually considered a "same day" surgery. For your surgery you will be intubated so ensure the airway stays open during the surgery (which may cause a sore throat after your surgery). Most of our surgeries takes between 1 1/2 to 3 hours depending on how much the thyroid is "stuck" to the nerves, blood supplies, and parathyroid glands. You will usually have an IV through the night which is a good thing for the pain meds and in case you need calcium.
Watch for cramping or tingling after the surgery. Parathyroid glands are very picky and if they are damaged or just inconvenienced sometimes they will throw a fit and cause problems with your calcium. If you feel cramping or tingling notify the medical staff IMMEDIATELY and tell them to check your calcium levels. This is not an uncommon problem after thyroid surgery.
You will be sent home with a bandage on the lower part of your neck which will have steri-strips or sutures under it. Follow your doctor's advice on how to treat your surgical site. Most of us just have to ensure the site is dried well after showering (using a blow drier on low heat works well). Your surgeon will have you come in for a follow up appointment a week to two weeks after the surgery to check the surgical site. After the stitches or steri-strips are removed you can apply moisturizer to the scar to keep it soft and prevent cracking. Some swear by their OTC or Rx scar creams, personally I loved pure Aloe Vera gel.
If you have a complete TT, you will be placed on thyroid replacement medications. The starting dosage will depend on your weight - many of us start out around 100mcg to 150mcg. Your medications will probably have to me adjusted gradually over the next year to two years. If you don't feel well on your medication, tell your doctor (hopefully you have an endocrinologist). Some of us are very sensitive to certain brands of thyroid medication and will have to try more than one until we find the right one. Your doctor will conduct blood tests on you to check for proper levels.
If it is determined that you do in fact have thyroid cancer you can plan on having a certain type of radiation that target thyroid tissue. Thyroid tissue absorbs iodine so the treatment to kill of any remaining thyroid tissue involved irradiated iodine. Thyroid tissue cannot be 100% surgically removed because of the danger of nerve damage. This is commonly known to the medical profession as I-131 (iodine 131) but is more commonly known here as RAI. This is actually like radiation and chemotherapy all at once. For this you will be taken off your thyroid medication and put on a special diet so any remaining thyroid tissue is starved for iodine. Once you have reached a specific lab-tested thyroid level, you will be given either a pill or liquid to take that contained irradiated iodine. You will have a small dose to scan for how much your uptake is then you will be given a very large dose (I refer to it as the Chernobyl level). After this you will be isolated for a few days (you will be so radioactive that you can contaminate others and harm their thyroids) then scanned to see where the tissue was remaining.
See, piece of cake, right? :-) Actually I probably just scared the heck out of you but, if it is papillary carcinoma, it is one of the easiest to treat and most curable cancers you could have.
Oh, as a bonus, you will also be given a special membership reserved just for those of us who have a great little scar on your necks.
So many of us here have been through it, ask all the questions you want to. I've been through it and so have three of my sisters - it's the easiest surgery any of us have experienced.
Sorry to type so much, I'm just a bit hyperthyroid right now so a bit hyper. :-) Welcome to the gang! Give us more about your background and condition!!!
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