# 3 weeks tomorrow post TT



## cascais (Jun 16, 2017)

hello ladies,

i thought i'd check in with everyone.

tomorrow it will be 3 weeks that my thyroid was removed .

i stayed in hospital for 3 days, there was some swelling, but eventually it went back down.

i had to drink with a straw for the first few days but that quickly went away. Eating was a struggle also. soup was my best friend for those first 3-4 days.

strangely enough, the nurses didn't allow me to ice my neck, i had brought ice packs with me to the clinic, and i was told by 3 different nurses not to do it, not to put "unnecessary pressure in the neck"...

when i asked the surgeon bout the surgery, he said the thyroid was "very very big" but when i asked him if he thought it was a good idea to have it removed, he replied " i can t put it back in" (not what i was asking). he did mention he wasn t sure removing half of it would have provided enough relief to the pressure i felt in the neck... so i think he agrees a total was what was needed.. but i guess i'll never know.

the scar does not look too bad, i got very worried at first, as with the stitches i looked like a fish bone in the middle of my neck... but once the stiches came out the scar looks much better, still a little tender , but i don t need to take pain killers anymore. i took them for about 3 days , but i stopped codeine quickly, as it wasn t agreeing with my stomach..

i was put on 100 of levothyroxin and on 6 tablets of calcium a day (2 morning, 2 at lunch 2 evening).

today my biggest problem is probably the calcium ( this is also the reason they kept me a day longer than usual as the levels were too low.). the latest bloods from last friday show i should be at 2.5 and i am now at 2.4 so it is not very bad , (sorry i don t have any ranges, i was given the results over the phone). i am to repeat them on friday in the gp to be sure and i am being refered back to the endocrinologist to continue my care i think. i still have pins and needles and tingling in the legs, i assume this i all calcium related .

problem number 2 is my voice which is still horse, ok i i talk low, but since i talk all day in work ( i work over the phone), i asked for an extension to the sick leave till at least friday. if it's not better friday i 'll have to have it extended again...

still off work for now, i am meant to be on holidays next week anyway, ...

any advice on managing pins and needless , with this ever sort itself out...?

when should i expect a repeat bloods for thyroid function, do you think ?

all the best

cascais


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

> i was put on 100 of levothyroxin and on 6 tablets of calcium a day (2 morning, 2 at lunch 2 evening).


Make sure you avid taking calcium 4 hours either side of your levothyroxine to avoid any interaction.


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## jenny v (May 6, 2012)

Pins and needles is usually tied to low calcium, which should resolve itself once you get that sorted out. A lot of us have calcium issues after surgery, sometimes the parathyroids can be shocked by all of the jostling around and shut down temporarily. They usually kick back on after a few days or weeks.

I was hoarse for a few weeks after surgery (I had a "big" thyroid, too), but it resolved itself eventually. I would find my voice would get weaker the longer I talked. Give yourself a break and make sure you go back to work when you're totally ready, if you can!


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