Has anyone had a thyroid gland removed ?

Question

The specialist tells me there is only a 5% chance the lump is malign but advises me to have it removed just in case and to do it in the next 6 weeks . He says the body can function with just one thyroid . Has anyone had the operation or know what the after effects might be ?

Answer 1

While I have not had surgery to have my thyroid removed, I had my thyroid removed via radiation treatment (and now take synthroid daily - 125 micrograms). Also, as a Physician Assistant student I scrubbed into a couple of thyroidectomies (surgical removal of the thyroid gland.) It is a rather delicate surgery, as the area is very close to major blood supply lines that are in the throat. And the thyroid lies very close to a very important nerve called the recurrent laryngeal nerve. This nerve controls speaking, without it your voice is very hoarse sounding all the time. That being said, the risk of injuring the nerve is always minimalized during the surgery. The first thing that is done is identifying that nerve so no harm is done to it. Another problem with the surgery is that your parathyroid glands lie right on top of your thyroid. Your parathyroid glands control the calcium in your body, removal of them means you will have low calcium uptake in your body. Now it seems you will only have one lobe of your thyroid (or half of your thyroid) removed, so you may not experience this because you will still have both parathyroid glands (there are naturally 4 parathyroid glands) remaining on your other lobe. They will still probably test and make sure you are not hypoclacemic (have low calcium in your body) after surgery. Your doctor will also talk to you about the risks and benefits of surgery. Also, read up on thyroid nodules. Most, as your doctor said, are benign, but the ones that are malignant can be very deadly very quickly.

After surgery, your doctor (probably not your surgeon, but your endocrinologist or family doc) will monitor your TSH levels via blood levels. They will make sure it stays within a theraputic range (meaning your body is getting enough TSH in the body). If your body is not getting enough TSH you will be put on replacement medications (like synthroid, what I take) that will get your body the TSH it needs to survive. It may take a while for your levels to reach theraputic range, but don't get discouraged. It took me about 9 months to get regulated and it was awful timing. I was very grateful when I was regulated. And now its been about 12 years, and I feel great. Good luck!

Answer 2

I am a Thyroid Cancer survivor. I had my thyroid removed almost 2 years ago. I never feel good and my levels are always off.Your Thyroid is a master gland in the body, if you can save it,I would.My life has been awful since. If you do have it done,make sure you have a qualified surgeon. There is a 1 percent chance of losing some of the parathyroids during surgery,it happened to me and I have alot of problems

Answer 3

Hi, with only a 5% chance at it and he wants to remove it without knowing concerns me. I think you should seek a second opinion. This is major surgery noting what one mentioned about major blood vessels, nerve damage, etc. They can do a biopsy, with or without anestesia. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer two years ago. The biopsy was uncertain, so then they decided to remove it and if it was cancer, they would remove all. It was and they did. They can do what is called a frozen section and figure out if you have a malignacy while you are in surgery. Thyroid cancer is one of the few that does not act so aggresively. You most likely do not have to make this decision within 6 weeks. You have time, read some and then you will see. Please seek a second opinion. Often times, they prescribe a thyroid medication to reduce the size of the lump and then proceed from there if it doesn't work. I hope this helps.

Answer 4

I had a total thyroidectomy almost ten year ago. I had a malignant papillary tumor on one side of my thyroid that was starting to spread to the other side. It was contained to my thyroid, meaning the cancer did not spread to any other part of my body, thank God!! The surgery really wasn't that bad other than being scared to have an operation and a sore neck afterward because of the position they put you in to remove the thyroid. I lost my voice for a little while too because they grazed by vocal cords, but it came back. Now I take Synthroid every day for the rest of my life which is a small price to pay considering I could have cancer. You only have one thyroid, but your doctor may be talking about removing half of it. If that's the case you may still have to take medication to keep your thyroid levels normalized. Good luck!

Answer 5

My wife had a full thyroid removal about 5 years ago and takes thyroxine daily.(Well meant to...grrrr)

The possible side effects for you having 1/2* removed MAY be the need to take a small supplement of thyroxine. Getting a good balance of the thyroid hormones is essential to maintain both a good physical & emotional wellbeing. Blood samples will be analysed periodically to check your levels & adjusted accordingly.

*In humans the thyroid is a single gland - but shaped like a 'butterfly' with side lobes.

Best wishes for your op.

Answer 6

My thyroid was removed 7 yrs ago with radioactive Iodine I'm on thyroxine and I've been fine , my sister had op to remove her thyroid over 20 years ago and has never had a problem. Good luck , I'm sure you will feel a lot better once you've had your op.xx

Answer 7

My son has had his thyroid removed as well, also use Thyroxin every day. He used to have a very itchy sweaty scalp, his back was always sweaty and so was his hands. He was also a bit moody but that is understandable considering the temperatures in SA can rise up to 40, so it is hot. He is fine now and have no problems. His voice was very hoarse at first but he is ok now. Good luck with your operation, keep well and don't worry to much.:)))

Answer 8

PRETTY MUCH THE EXACT SAME THING YOU DESCRIBED HAPPENED TO ME!!

They told me that the lump on my thyroid had a 10-20% chance of being cancer because it had hurthle cells in it.

They said the best way to find out was to REMOVE the half of my thryoid that the tumor was on.

So, I got the surgery and the tumor was BENIGN. Now, I am living just fine with half a thyroid and do not have to take medicine.

Answer 9

Thyroid disease is one of the most common health problems we face today. From a practical standpoint, there are many ways to approach this issue. Learn here https://tr.im/bmCdy

Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, is a very common problem, and there are many reasons for this, including drinking chlorinated and fluoridated water, and eating brominated flour.

Chlorine, fluoride, and bromine are all in the same family as iodine, and can displace iodine in your thyroid gland.

Secondly, many people simply aren't getting enough iodine in their diet to begin with. The amount you get from iodized salt is just barely enough to prevent you from getting a goiter.

Answer 10

I also had a friend that had a thyroid destroyed using radiation. He takes a pill everyday (I believe it's the same one the lady above me mentioned) and he feels great! I would keep looking around on the net for places like this that discuss it. I'm sure you'll find a bad story but I think you'll find mostly positive results.