# 12 days post op-hoarsness



## jiffer (Apr 1, 2013)

I had the left half of my thyroid removed on March 20th. I am still having some hoarsness in my voice and if I talk to long my voice starts to get weaker. Also my neck is still pretty swollen. The part of my neck where the surgery was done sticks out further then my adams apple.

My surgeon tells me this is normal and I need to give it more time. He said if the hoarsness doesnt get better in 3 months he will send me to the ENT for a vocal cord test.

I was planning on returning to work this Wed but I am not sure if i can. My job has me talking on the phone ALL day long.

Is this normal? Am I being impatiant? Should my neck be so swollen 12 days post-op? Should I insist getting a vocal cord test sooner?

I am so glad I found this forum and to see I am not alone in this.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Um. That amount of swelling doesn't sound normal to me. Did you have a drain? Have you been in for a follow-up? I'm wondering if there is a hematoma under the skin...


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## jiffer (Apr 1, 2013)

joplin1975 said:


> Um. That amount of swelling doesn't sound normal to me. Did you have a drain? Have you been in for a follow-up? I'm wondering if there is a hematoma under the skin...


I did not have a drain. I go to my follow up this Thursday. I have spoke to the dr on the phone a couple of time after the surgery and he insists swelling is normal and it could take a month or so for it to go down.

I was having trouble swollowing food before the surgery and now i am post op I am still have problems swollowing food. (not liquids) I am wondering if the swelling is causing the swollowing problem.

I had surgery done by a surgeon who specializes in thyroid surgery. He is not a ENT. He did have me go and see a ENT for a vocal cord test before the surgery just to make sure my vocal cord was healthy. I dont know if i should wait 3 months before seeing the ENT.

One good thing is the lump they removed was not cancer.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

That does sound like more swelling than usual...I wonder if you can get in sooner for your follow-up visit?

With the swelling you're describing, I think it would be a waste of time and money to get your vocal cords checked sooner than 3 months. Let things calm down in there, then reevaluate. Even if there is something wrong, they like to wait a year to see if it heals itself before they do any repair surgery on the laryngeal nerve (vocal cord), so having your throat scoped now, with all the swelling, won't do you much good anyway. It's frustrating, I know. Been there.

Is your voice ALWAYS hoarse now, or only when it gets "tired"?

Is there something else you can do at work temporarily while your neck heals, to give your voice a break?


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## jiffer (Apr 1, 2013)

Octavia said:


> That does sound like more swelling than usual...I wonder if you can get in sooner for your follow-up visit?
> 
> With the swelling you're describing, I think it would be a waste of time and money to get your vocal cords checked sooner than 3 months. Let things calm down in there, then reevaluate. Even if there is something wrong, they like to wait a year to see if it heals itself before they do any repair surgery on the laryngeal nerve (vocal cord), so having your throat scoped now, with all the swelling, won't do you much good anyway. It's frustrating, I know. Been there.
> 
> ...


My voice is a little hoarse all the time but the more i talk it seems to get "tired" and it gets worse. Sometimes to the point of being almost gone.

I tried to get in to see him sooner but he doesnt have anything open before Thursday.

I know the surgeon was highly recommended and he get great reviews online. Both my enodo dr, the ENT dr and my general pract dr said he is one of the best at Johns Hopkins. But the couple of times I spoke to him post op he acts like I am being paranoid and being impatient. I just dont know if it is normal or not and if I should push the issue.

Unfortunately with my job that is the only position I can do there. What really stinks is the time I have been off I dont get paid.


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## jiffer (Apr 1, 2013)

If it is a hematoma is there any other symptoms besides swelling? I dont see a lot of bruising. But it is still very tender and sore to touch. That part of my neck is harder then the other parts of my neck. i am not sure if that means anything.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

I didn't have one, so I'm just repeating what other who did have said...they described swelling, some had a chocking sensation, lots of tightness around the next, etc.

I think having a puffy or "puckered" scar is semi-nomral but if you are talking about a lump larger than your adam's apple, well...I would be concerned about that.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

jiffer said:


> I had the left half of my thyroid removed on March 20th. I am still having some hoarsness in my voice and if I talk to long my voice starts to get weaker. Also my neck is still pretty swollen. The part of my neck where the surgery was done sticks out further then my adams apple.
> 
> My surgeon tells me this is normal and I need to give it more time. He said if the hoarsness doesnt get better in 3 months he will send me to the ENT for a vocal cord test.
> 
> ...


You could have a hematoma. Synovial fluid and blood accumulation. Really; you should have someone in the medical profession have a look see. That does not sound right. This could be impinging on the vocal cords.

Let us know.

Glad you have the surgery over with though. That part is good!


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## jiffer (Apr 1, 2013)

Andros said:


> You could have a hematoma. Synovial fluid and blood accumulation. Really; you should have someone in the medical profession have a look see. That does not sound right. This could be impinging on the vocal cords.
> 
> Let us know.
> 
> Glad you have the surgery over with though. That part is good!


Thanks. i see him this Thursday. He doesnt havent anything sooner because he only works in the office Monday and Thursdays. I dont know if waiting until Thursday is ok. I guess I have no choice.


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## KeepOnGoing (Jan 2, 2013)

On the voice part of your query, I had real problems with my voice after having the left half of my thyroid removed (the removal of the right half caused no problems whatso). I'm a teacher, so this was a major issue for me. I taught for several months using a portable microphone system. Is there any way an amplifier could be used so that you only had to produce a "small" voice, which could be amplified?

Oh, and I should point out that my voice was near enough back to normal within 3 months. I still find singing and teaching PE put it under real strain - but I never could sing in tune, so not much change there! I kept being told to give it time - which was extremely annoying, but true...


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## jiffer (Apr 1, 2013)

KeepOnGoing said:


> On the voice part of your query, I had real problems with my voice after having the left half of my thyroid removed (the removal of the right half caused no problems whatso). I'm a teacher, so this was a major issue for me. I taught for several months using a portable microphone system. Is there any way an amplifier could be used so that you only had to produce a "small" voice, which could be amplified?
> 
> Oh, and I should point out that my voice was near enough back to normal within 3 months. I still find singing and teaching PE put it under real strain - but I never could sing in tune, so not much change there! I kept being told to give it time - which was extremely annoying, but true...


I havent been doing much talking since the surgery. I was curious once your voice went "weak" how long did you have to rest it for it to return?


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## KeepOnGoing (Jan 2, 2013)

I could hardly speak at all for the first 3 weeks. Once I got some voice back, it gradually lasted longer each day as the weeks passed. But I found (and I'm sure there'll be others with different experiences) that, once I'd used my voice for the day, that was it, and I wouldn't be able to speak properly until the next morning. Not helpful if this happens at 10.30am!


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

My experience was pretty similar to KeepOnGoing, sort of. I could speak right away, but with very little volume and almost no variation in pitch. I was very monotone. My surgery was in March. I taught day-long classes two or three times per week throughout the summer and fall, and man o man, my voice really paid for it. Like KeepOnGoing said, after a day of teaching, my voice was DONE for the day until the next morning.


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## KeepOnGoing (Jan 2, 2013)

Oh, and trying to speak when I really shouldn't gave me a very strange headache - fuzzy and lightheaded. That gradually went away as my voice returned.


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## jiffer (Apr 1, 2013)

KeepOnGoing said:


> Oh, and trying to speak when I really shouldn't gave me a very strange headache - fuzzy and lightheaded. That gradually went away as my voice returned.


I am having the same thing! I was wondering if I was crazy when I was getting a headache after talking. Ugg...


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## jiffer (Apr 1, 2013)

I saw dr for post op appt. He said it was a little more swollen then he would like. He used a needle and pulled some fluid out and told me to keep a eye on it. the fuild was clear not bloody. He said it is not a hematoma.

He was concerned with the voice. He is sending me to see the ENT for a vocal test.
We will see how it goes. 

I am not looking for a good scar treatment. What do you guys suggest?


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## Ptbrwn (Feb 3, 2013)

My surgeon said to wait 2 weeks after surgery to use a scar cream. I used Mederma Advanced that only needs to be applied once a day, and I apply sunscreen on it when it dries. I had my TT on 1/21/13 and you can hardly see my scar.


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## jiffer (Apr 1, 2013)

Ptbrwn said:


> My surgeon said to wait 2 weeks after surgery to use a scar cream. I used Mederma Advanced that only needs to be applied once a day, and I apply sunscreen on it when it dries. I had my TT on 1/21/13 and you can hardly see my scar.


I was wondering if I should apply sunscreen or scare cream first.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

I used mederma, which has sun screen in it. I also used vit E lotion at night.


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## Ptbrwn (Feb 3, 2013)

Mederma Advanced is a fairly new product that is applied once a day and does not have sunscreen. It dries soon after its applied, and then you apply sunscreen. I believe that the other Mederma products have sunscreen, but the manufacturer suggests that it be applied three times a day, so I chose Mederma Advanced.


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