Most people are ready to return home within one day of surgery, but take off about two weeks from work to recover. You'll need to refrain from heavy lifting or other tasks that can strain your neck for up to three weeks after your surgery.
You may go home on the same day or stay one or more nights in the hospital after surgery. You may be able to return to work or your normal routine in 1 to 2 weeks. This depends on whether you need more treatment, how you feel, and the kind of work you do.
Returning to Work and Driving: Patients typically take between 5 – 7 days off work following thyroid surgery. Most patients feel back to “normal” by two weeks after surgery. You may drive once you are no longer taking narcotic pain medications and feel comfortable turning your neck, usually about 3 days.
A thyroidectomy is traditionally a minimally invasive surgery performed through a small horizontal incision in the front of the neck. The entire thyroid gland may be removed or just a single lobe, a portion of a lobe and the isthmus or other structures.
Every surgery places stress on the body and although thyroidectomies cause minimal pain and are usually a quick recovery, it is important to take recovery seriously. You may experience a sore throat, hoarseness, neck pain, or difficulty swallowing, but these symptoms are usually temporary.
Yes, some people will see their weight slightly increase, but weight may remain unchanged, or you may even lose weight. Unusual changes in your weight can occur after surgery if you are on the incorrect dose of thyroid hormone replacement medication.
You'll need to refrain from heavy lifting or other tasks that can strain your neck for up to three weeks after your surgery. Soaking or scrubbing the site of your incision is also discouraged for at least one week to allow it time to properly heal. Showering is generally allowed after about one day.
If you're having thyroidectomy because of thyroid cancer, the surgeon may also examine and remove lymph nodes around your thyroid. In some patients, the surgeon uses special equipment to monitor irritation of vocal cords during the procedure to prevent permanent damage. Thyroidectomy usually takes 1 to 2 hours.
Side effects of thyroid removal are hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone), low calcium, tremor and spasms. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland located below the Adam's apple in the lower part of the neck and wraps around the windpipe (trachea).
Your throat may be sore due to the breathing tube your healthcare team placed during the surgery. You may also have a small tube (catheter) in your incision to help drain blood and other fluids that build up. Your surgeon will remove the drain one or two days after the surgery.
Sometimes thyroid surgery affects the nerves to the voice box, which can make your speaking or singing voice sound hoarse or weak. This is usually temporary and improves with time, but in a small number of cases can be permanent.
In addition to following up with your healthcare team and taking your medications/supplements as prescribed, you will want to care for your thyroid scar after surgery. Regularly applying sunscreen to your surgical scar and/or covering it up with a turtleneck or scarf for at least six months after your operation.
The risk for developing a depression is increased around the time of having thyroid surgery, regardless of the extent of thyroid surgery. The risk can persist up to one year after a patient has a total thyroidectomy. This is important to increase awareness of physicians and patients to identify and treat this illness.
Maintaining a well-balanced diet consisting of dark leafy greens, lean meats, fresh seafood, low-sugar fruit, and dairy alternatives that are low in simple carbohydrates and refined sugars. This will help prevent insulin resistance and further weight gain.
After any operation, your body is using a lot of energy to heal itself, so you will feel more tired than normal. With a thyroid operation, there is another reason for tiredness. The thyroid produces hormones which control the speed at which your body works.
Incision. Your incision is covered with a protective tape called Steri-strip. Apply an ice pack to the lower neck the first 24 hours. You can shower and wash your hair as usual the day after surgery, but do not soak or scrub the incision.
If one of the two lobes of the butterfly-shaped gland is taken out, it's called a partial or hemi-thyroidectomy. If the entire organ is taken out, it's a total thyroidectomy. The good news is that thyroidectomies are quite common—more than 150,000 are performed in the US each year—and the procedure is relatively safe.
Head of Bed: Please elevate the head of your bed 30-45 degrees or sleep in a recliner at 30-45 degrees for the first 3-4 days to decrease swelling. The skin above the incision may look swollen after lying down for a few hours.
The 5-year survival rate is almost 100% for papillary, follicular, and medullary thyroid cancers that have not spread outside of the thyroid gland (localized). The 5-year survival rate for papillary thyroid cancer that has only spread to lymph nodes or tissue in the neck (regional) is 99%.
For patients with private health insurance who had a Thyroid tumour - total or partial thyroid removal in a private setting across all of Australia, 66% had an out-of-pocket cost. Of those: Patients typically paid: $650, Medicare paid: $1,500, Insurer typically paid: $1,200. Typical specialists' fees: $3,700.
You should be able to return to work and normal activities after about 2 weeks, depending on how much surgery you need and your type of work. Regular exercise should help you to return to normal activities as soon as possible. Before you start exercising, ask the healthcare team or your GP for advice.
How long will I be hospitalized? Most patients come to the hospital on the morning of their surgery and the majority of patients go home the same day after a 4 hour observation period in the recovery room.
A review suggested that the head of bed should be elevated at 30–45 degrees after thyroidectomy in order to prevent the formation of airway obstruction in the patient caused by laryngeal edema due to surgical manipulation.
After the thyroid removal surgery, you may notice some complications such as increased bleeding from the throat, lower levels of thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism), a laryngeal nerve injury or wound, and lower levels of parathyroid hormones in circulation.
Thyroid surgery is a major operation. Most people recover in a few weeks, but the recovery time may take longer for some people. If you are worried about anything, let your doctor or nurse know. They will be happy to answer any questions.