# Update on surgery



## Abcdefg

I'm finally feeling well enough to post about my surgery. It was on Friday 13th. Was scheduled to go in at 7:30 am, but they wheeled me in around 8. There was some confusion on who the anesthestist was: I was told a particular doctor 3 times, but she never showed up, so I had a stand in, who was great as it were. He really tried to calm my fears and make me relax, while answering my questions. The surgeon came to visit before hand too, with his resident. I'm sensitive to IV's, so they numbed my hand with Emla, and gave an injection with lidocaine where the IV would go. He did such a great job putting it in, I don't even have a bruise!

Putting me under took a while- like 10 minutes. I must have been fighting it off lol. Anyway, when I came to, I was in extreme pain. The nurse upped my pain meds and came around every few minutes to check on me. I'd say at first it was a 7/10, and by the time they sent me home it was a 3/10.

My incision is LARGE. For a lobectomy/isthmusectomy, 6 inches seems huge. I had asked the dr previously if he'd just take out the whole thing if it looked "off", but he said no, he'd wait until the pathology came in. They closed me with black stitches :sad0049:, because I'm allergic to the glue (which they patch tested, and my arm swelled instantly). It looks pretty ugly. It's also midline on my neck, and not in the clavicle folds, as he "needed a larger visual field". He said the nodule was 2.2cm? not 3.9 that the US showed. I'm confused about this, thinking he got me mixed up with one of the other 5 operations he did. But my thyroid lobe itself was 7 cm.

They kicked me out at 1:30pm (less than 5 hours after!), but I think I should have been kept in for the whole day. I threw up in the car, and was very ill the whole day/evening. My pain didn't decrease at all until this morning, despite alternating Advil and Tramadol every 2 hours.

I had the start of an infection on Sat, and after a trip to the ER (where they nurses called the surgeon, and he came down), I was given a scrip for an antibiotic, and sent home. It seems to be helping with the redness and healing. I'm still very uncomfortable, and feel like a huge lump is stuck in my throat all the time. I can't eat solids, only mushy stuff. I'm drinking lots of fluids, and find ice water and coffee are the easiest to get down.

I've been very tired, and trying to sleep as much as possible. When I get up, I'm good for about 2 hours, then have to go lay down and rest. Might still be afteraffects of the anesthesia (which I REALLY hope I don't have to repeat for a TT!). It was a very hot weekend weather wise, and no matter how many fans I had on me, I had hot flashes and sweating constantly (ick!). I had a shower on Sunday, and it never felt sooooo good!

Anyway, I've only got help with my son until Thurs, so I hope I'm feeling up to taking car of him by then. I do have another 3 weeks off work though, so by then I should be ok.

To sum up: my surgery WASN'T a piece of cake: it was quite painful, and took 3 days to get over that hangover feeling. Cross em that my pathology comes back benign so I don't have to repeat this!


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## joplin1975

Oh dear, I'm sorry. Really, I am. Six inches for a lobectomy is...rather big.  And infections are very, very rare. So you got a double..no, wait, triple whammy (triple because you are right, you SHOULD have been kept overnight).

I had black stitches too. I hated how they looked, but after seeingmy co-worker's scar, who was put back together again with STAPLES (!!!!), I'm grateful.

Hang in there, it will get better!


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## Andros

Abcdefg said:


> I'm finally feeling well enough to post about my surgery. It was on Friday 13th. Was scheduled to go in at 7:30 am, but they wheeled me in around 8. There was some confusion on who the anesthestist was: I was told a particular doctor 3 times, but she never showed up, so I had a stand in, who was great as it were. He really tried to calm my fears and make me relax, while answering my questions. The surgeon came to visit before hand too, with his resident. I'm sensitive to IV's, so they numbed my hand with Emla, and gave an injection with lidocaine where the IV would go. He did such a great job putting it in, I don't even have a bruise!
> 
> Putting me under took a while- like 10 minutes. I must have been fighting it off lol. Anyway, when I came to, I was in extreme pain. The nurse upped my pain meds and came around every few minutes to check on me. I'd say at first it was a 7/10, and by the time they sent me home it was a 3/10.
> 
> My incision is LARGE. For a lobectomy/isthmusectomy, 6 inches seems huge. I had asked the dr previously if he'd just take out the whole thing if it looked "off", but he said no, he'd wait until the pathology came in. They closed me with black stitches :sad0049:, because I'm allergic to the glue (which they patch tested, and my arm swelled instantly). It looks pretty ugly. It's also midline on my neck, and not in the clavicle folds, as he "needed a larger visual field". He said the nodule was 2.2cm? not 3.9 that the US showed. I'm confused about this, thinking he got me mixed up with one of the other 5 operations he did. But my thyroid lobe itself was 7 cm.
> 
> They kicked me out at 1:30pm (less than 5 hours after!), but I think I should have been kept in for the whole day. I threw up in the car, and was very ill the whole day/evening. My pain didn't decrease at all until this morning, despite alternating Advil and Tramadol every 2 hours.
> 
> I had the start of an infection on Sat, and after a trip to the ER (where they nurses called the surgeon, and he came down), I was given a scrip for an antibiotic, and sent home. It seems to be helping with the redness and healing. I'm still very uncomfortable, and feel like a huge lump is stuck in my throat all the time. I can't eat solids, only mushy stuff. I'm drinking lots of fluids, and find ice water and coffee are the easiest to get down.
> 
> I've been very tired, and trying to sleep as much as possible. When I get up, I'm good for about 2 hours, then have to go lay down and rest. Might still be afteraffects of the anesthesia (which I REALLY hope I don't have to repeat for a TT!). It was a very hot weekend weather wise, and no matter how many fans I had on me, I had hot flashes and sweating constantly (ick!). I had a shower on Sunday, and it never felt sooooo good!
> 
> Anyway, I've only got help with my son until Thurs, so I hope I'm feeling up to taking car of him by then. I do have another 3 weeks off work though, so by then I should be ok.
> 
> To sum up: my surgery WASN'T a piece of cake: it was quite painful, and took 3 days to get over that hangover feeling. Cross em that my pathology comes back benign so I don't have to repeat this!


Well, bless your heart! To crawl to the PC (unless you have a laptop) to let your friends know how you are doing in 72 hours is beyond the call of duty!

Each day that passes will bring a "feel better" about the whole ordeal and I am certainly crossing my fingers for you saying a little prayer also.


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## Octavia

Oh, this is unfortunate. I felt pretty terrible after my first of two surgeries, simply because of nausea, not pain. My fingers are crossed HARD that you won't need a second surgery, but if you do, let them know that you did not react well to the anesthesia, you got sick, etc. Because I mentioned this no fewer than 92 times before my second surgery, the anesthesiologist used a completely different "cocktail" and difference was night and day! (After my first surgery, all I did was vomit for 24 hours. After my second surgery, I was walking around, playing cards with my husband, eating, etc. No after-effects whatsoever.)

I hope you feel immensely better soon!


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## jenny v

Oh, you poor thing! I hope you are feeling better with each day.

I would second what Octavia said about the anethesia--my dad is an anesthesiologist and he always sits with his patients ahead of time and asks them if they get car sick or nauseous easily and changes up the "cocktail" based on that. I've only had two surgeries where I was put under but I made sure to tell the anesthesiologist ahead of time that I get nauseous easily (especially when I had my wisdom teeth out!). If, heaven forbid, you do have to have a second surgery, order them to change up your anesthesia so it doesn't happen again.

And the anesthesia and pain meds can take a long time to work their way out of your system entirely, so that could be why you're experiencing hot flashes and a hang over effect. A friend of mine who had a TT in October said it took a good week before she didn't feel like falling over into a nap every 2 hours or so.


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## Abcdefg

Andros said:


> Well, bless your heart! To crawl to the PC (unless you have a laptop) to let your friends know how you are doing in 72 hours is beyond the call of duty!
> 
> Each day that passes will bring a "feel better" about the whole ordeal and I am certainly crossing my fingers for you saying a little prayer also.


I have a laptop . It's been sitting on my bed since Sat. I was updating Facebook by mobile most of the weekend, but when I felt awake enough to read, I would prop up with lots of pillows and surf on the computer.

Ya, the incision is big, and looked really gross for 2 days. I also have this weird hard, painful lump above it, that feels like a nodule. I asked the nurse before they released me what it was, and she mumbled 'imflamation". Uh.. I don't think so. I'll post a pic of my incision, and hopefully you'll be able to see it.

I'm still not hungry. I've barely eaten anything since Wed. Couple of odd things: my hair when it touches the back of my neck sends shock waves through me. It's really creepy and I can't stand it! I've been trying to grow it out (it's just grazing my shoulders now), but i'm thinking I may have to cut it. The other thing is overall water retention. My feet have been swollen since Friday, and aren't going down. Ugh.

Pic: (notice the bump about 2 inches above the incision)

http://i47.tinypic.com/2dueety.jpg


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## Andros

Abcdefg said:


> I have a laptop . It's been sitting on my bed since Sat. I was updating Facebook by mobile most of the weekend, but when I felt awake enough to read, I would prop up with lots of pillows and surf on the computer.
> 
> Ya, the incision is big, and looked really gross for 2 days. I also have this weird hard, painful lump above it, that feels like a nodule. I asked the nurse before they released me what it was, and she mumbled 'imflamation". Uh.. I don't think so. I'll post a pic of my incision, and hopefully you'll be able to see it.
> 
> I'm still not hungry. I've barely eaten anything since Wed. Couple of odd things: my hair when it touches the back of my neck sends shock waves through me. It's really creepy and I can't stand it! I've been trying to grow it out (it's just grazing my shoulders now), but i'm thinking I may have to cut it. The other thing is overall water retention. My feet have been swollen since Friday, and aren't going down. Ugh.
> 
> Pic: (notice the bump about 2 inches above the incision)
> 
> http://i47.tinypic.com/2dueety.jpg


Could be a small hematoma. You don't have a drain in, do you? If it gets bigger do not hesitate to call your doctor.

Yikes! That is an incision, alright!


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## Abcdefg

Andros said:


> Could be a small hematoma. You don't have a drain in, do you? If it gets bigger do not hesitate to call your doctor.
> 
> Yikes! That is an incision, alright!


No drain, so I'm not sure why I have that lump. It hurts to the touch, and is angry looking.

*wahhhh*, why oh why did he have to cut me so big???? And so high too! The scar is going to be awful. When I was at the emerg on Sat, people in the waiting room were staring at me like a freak.:sad0049:


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## joplin1975

Remember the neck drains really, really slowly and the thyroid is a really vascular thing. So, if it was cut in half, I would imagine there's going to be lots of fluid to drain out! And, the scar itself will lighten tremendously. Just remember to use sun screen and, after a few weeks, start in on a scar massage.


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## Octavia

You'll be amazed a year from now about how good your scar looks...really! I was quite freaked out about mine (bought a whole scarf collection as well as several short-sleeved turtlenecks to get me through the summer without it showing), but now, it's hardly visible (about 16 months later).

Are you still taking the antibiotics? I ask because everything looks so reddish.

Did you have a drain at all after surgery? If not, I might suggest taking your naps in at least a semi-upright position, to give the drainage somewhere to go other than your neck. I just wonder if you've had more drainage than the surgeon was expecting. But as Andros said, don't hesitate to call the doctor's office about that lump...really.


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## Octavia

jenny v said:


> I would second what Octavia said about the anethesia--my dad is an anesthesiologist and he always sits with his patients ahead of time and asks them if they get car sick or nauseous easily and changes up the "cocktail" based on that.


Good for your dad, and especially good for his patients! My anesthesiologist did not ask (it would have been a resounding "yes"), and I did not know to mention it prior to my first surgery! I paid the price.


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## Abcdefg

I had this thought: maybe that little bump IS a nodule they did a biopsy on? It has a tiny hole in the center like a pin prick. The entire area was puffed out and huge prior to surgery due to the largest tumour, so maybe they found it during surgery? Hmmm

and yes, the entire area is still very red. I'm taking 300mg 3x a day of Clindamycin, so hopefully that'll nip the infection in the bud. What's noticeable is the bruising . From under the incision, down to my chest is green and yellow bruising. Ew.


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## Abcdefg

Starting to feel better . No pain yesterday or today, just that weird "full throat" and tugging sensations. I ventured out of the house to drive my kid to daycare, and it wasn't as difficult as I'd thought. The lasting effects from the surgery is fatigue-I get pretty tired after being up and at'em after about 2 hours and need a nap. The incision is still not healed yet. I guess it takes another week or 2?


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## joplin1975

When do you get those stitches out? I felt loads better as soon as those were out (for me, 10 days after surgery). The pulling sensation was really minimal then.

I had stitches out and steri strips off completely -- so nothing covering the incision -- at 12 days. The incision was healed in that it was closed, but it was still a little tender to the touch and pinky-red.

Just keep taking care of yourself -- take those naps when needed -- and once you get everything straightened out with the medication, it'll feel loads better!


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## Abcdefg

The doctor didn't tell me to have the stitches removed? My follow up is on the 30th, think he'll do it then? I never had steri-strips or any kind of dressing. It's been open/uncovered the entire time.


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## joplin1975

Yes, unless he's using stitches that dissolve.


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## Abcdefg

joplin1975 said:


> Yes, unless he's using stitches that dissolve.


I've had those type of stitches before. After 3 weeks, they didn't dissolve, and I had to have them removed. The ones in this incision are quite lumpy looking, especially the end loops. I might call his office and enquire, cuz if it needs removal, I'd rather it be sooner than later when it could affect the scarring.


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## joplin1975

Ah, if you've got end loops, then the stitches will need to be removed. That's what I had. 










It was super easy and totally, completely painless for them to be removed. He snipped one end loop and pulled the other side through.


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## Abcdefg

Only problem is, the loops are now under the skin- its grown over it. Utoh.


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## joplin1975

Umprh. Well that *sounds* strange...

Feel free to post a picture if you are up to it!


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## Abcdefg

you can see on the left where the loop was


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## joplin1975

Well, the incision looks nice!

You might want to call if you had a problem with dissolving stitches in the past, because I don't see how they could remove anything.


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## Abcdefg

Thanks for your advice . I hope it's looking good, because I'm very self conscious of it.


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## crimebuff

Just wanted to tell you I had the exact same problem although your's looks much better than mine did- I had the surgery on May 21 so it's two months now. My stitches were supposed to disolve and I had a bunch of these little pimple-like dots exactly like yours especially at one end-some smaller in the middle- the doc said some people basically reject the stitches and often the stitches 'spit' out. He told me to come back in 2 months and if necessary they could "revise" the scar-then I got on the internet and did my own research and learned that by deeply massaging the pimple , they could spit the stitch out and you could take a tweezer and pull it out. I did that where I could-if you massage the pimple, you can feel what feels like a metal point-its not metal,just feels like it. that is the stitch which will hopefully make its way out- you only have that one at the end so that's really great-the incision looks really good. At this point everyone is telling me how much better mine looks and it does, but i was cut really high so I can't hide it with jewlery and its too hot for scarves, and I wish mine would fade faster...oh well


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## Octavia

WOW - that incision looks UNBELIEVABLY good to me!!!! Seriously! That will be practically invisible before you know it...and I am absolutely not feeding you a line of BS. I really mean it! (Dare I say I'm jealous?)


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## Abcdefg

Octavia said:


> WOW - that incision looks UNBELIEVABLY good to me!!!! Seriously! That will be practically invisible before you know it...and I am absolutely not feeding you a line of BS. I really mean it! (Dare I say I'm jealous?)


Thanks . I'm trying my best to pretend I don't have it at all :ashamed0005:. At what point can I start putting aloe or scar cream on it? I don't want to touch it until it's completely healed.


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