As a general rule, do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before, and arrive at least two hours before your scheduled surgery. Most often you can take your routine medications with a sip of water. Medication guidelines prior to surgery will be discussed at your pre-operative visit.
Follow your doctor's orders and listen to your body. It is normal to fatigue more easily after a surgical procedure. Walking is a low impact exercise to keep you active and speed up recovery, while gentle neck exercises and stretches can help to prevent neck stiffness or soreness.
Depending on what medications you take, this may be all, some, or none of your usual morning medications. Wear something comfortable and loose-fitting. Don't wear any lotion, cream, deodorant, makeup, powder, perfume, or cologne. Remove nail polish and nail wraps.
Most people are ready to return home within one day of surgery, but take off about two weeks from work to recover.
You may have some trouble chewing and swallowing after you go home. Your voice probably will be hoarse, and you may have trouble talking. For most people, these problems get better within 3 to 4 months, but it can take as long as a year.
We typically have the patient maintain head elevation while in bed during the first week. This reduces swelling and discomfort. We suggest no heavy lifting or vigorous activity during the first week. We would request that the patient not travel out of the DFW area during the first week.
The majority of the studies indicate a net increase in weight following total thyroidectomy, with the greater gain occurring within the first 2 years following surgery.
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.
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.
Get ready the night before surgery.
Typically, you will need to take a shower with a special antiseptic soap, wear clean clothes, and stop eating and drinking at midnight the night before your surgery.
Showering will help prevent surgical site infections. You may shower the night before and the morning of your surgery, but avoid aggressively scrubbing the area of the surgical site. Wash your hair with shampoo first. Using a clean washcloth for both showers, wash your body with a liquid antibacterial soap.
You can shower 24 hours (1 day) after your surgical drain is removed. If you don't have a drain, you can shower 48 hours after your surgery. Don't tilt your head backward (like you're looking at the ceiling) during your shower for 4 weeks after your surgery.
Typically, there is not a lot of pain involved with thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Rarely narcotic pain medication will be required, but it will be available to you if needed. Most patients only need acetaminophen (Tylenol) for discomfort.
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.
It is recommended to avoid excessive coughing or throat clearing as these activities put extra strain on the neck and may increase the risk of bleeding. The feeling of something in the throat should clear on its own in several days time. Some patients experience temporary hoarseness or difficulty swallowing.
If a specially trained and experienced surgeon performs a thyroidectomy, it's generally very safe. Complications are uncommon, but the most serious possible risks of thyroidectomy include: Bleeding after surgery that could lead to acute respiratory distress.
Patients with hyperthyroidism commonly experience weight gain after thyroidectomy. This occurs due to the reduction in circulating thyroid hormone, thus ameliorating the weight-lowering effects of elevated thyroid hormones (4,5).
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.
Your Diet During Recovery
You can eat whatever you like after surgery. Try to eat healthy foods. You may find it hard to swallow at first. If so, it may be easier to drink liquids and eat soft foods such as pudding, gelatin, mashed potatoes, apple sauce, or yogurt.
A: Thyroidectomy (surgery to removal all or part of the thyroid) may be required for patients with hyperthyroidism, goiter, thyroid nodules or thyroid cancer. Thyroid operations can last from 45 minutes to 3 hours.
As a general rule, do not eat or drink anything after midnight the night before, and arrive at least two hours before your scheduled surgery. Most often you can take your routine medications with a sip of water. Medication guidelines prior to surgery will be discussed at your pre-operative visit.
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.
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.