Lucky me, I’m scheduled for a parathyroidectomy, with possible thyroid nodule removal (AND the possibility of a thyroidectomy if the nodule turns out to be cancerous).
Anybody have any personal experience with any of these procedures being done?
Your stories, please. Thanks.
[hijack] i woulda expected Zaphod Beeblebrox or Dentarthurdent to respond to this… 
[/hijack]
nope, no personal experience, but i’ll send ya some good vibes
vibe, vibe, vibe, vibe, vibe…
Been there…
Total thyroidectomy, radiation a few months later, been on thyroid hormone ever since. It’s been about 8 years now.
What questions do you have?
Me too, me too!
I had a total thyroidectomy 8 years ago as well, shortly after my second daughter was born. I’d been feeling tired, gaining weight like mad, and my hair had been falling out, but since I was postpartum no one thought of those as thyroid symptoms. It was only discovered because I happened to see a lump on the front of my throat. That turned out to be a large nodule right on the isthmus of the thyroid. There were others throughout the organ, and, as my surgeon wrote in his notes, “The presence of giant multinucleated cells was noted.” This wasn’t cancer, but I understand it was a precancerous condition and they removed the entire thyroid as a precaution. I didn’t have any radiation therapy afterwards. Most nodules do turn out to be benign, and even when they’re not, the vast majority of thyroid cancers are very curable. If you’re worrying about that, please ask your doctor for some solid statistics - they’re really reassuring.
The surgery wasn’t bad. I had an excellent surgeon who explained the procedure thoroughly. My main worry was that the nerves to my larynx would be damaged, but my voice was back to normal after a few months. My doctor was able to leave at least a couple of my parathyroid glands intact. He explained to me that if they were all removed, I would have to be watched for calcium deficiency, since they regulate the level of calcium in the blood. I’m sure your doctor will let you know what you need to do to prevent any problems. I recovered pretty quickly, and aside from some numbness in the skin of my neck (which has all but disappeared over time), I didn’t have any problems. My scar was pretty prominent for a year or so, but it’s become less noticeable with every passing year, and no one notices it now unless I point it out.
I’ve been taking thyroid hormone daily all this time, and I’ve had very few problems. I have complete blood tests done every year, and I’ve learned the symptoms of high and low thyroid so I know when to call my doctor and adjust my dose. It really hasn’t been that much of an inconvenience to me.
I found this site, which has a lot of information about thyroid disorders. I hope it helps. I know I was really pretty apprehensive about having surgery, but in the end it wasn’t bad at all. I hope yours goes as well.
One other thing…
Your doctor probably told you what the parathyroid does.
It regulates calcium intake.
I am taking a LOT of tums each day for a calcium suppliment. (about 12)
For those who have never found it, your thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland with the smallest center part of the butterfly centered on your adams apple.
The parathyroids (there are 4) are at each of the points of the butterfly.
If your cheeks (on your face) are tingling, then there is a good chance you are low on calcium. That is a quick and dirty test.