# Partial Thyroidectomy - what is involved



## Fonsini (Jun 6, 2015)

So it looks highly likely that I will have to have at least half of my thyroid removed, and from what research I have already done it seems like a partial removal is definitely an option that surgeons can provide, but I have a few questions for those who have either been through the procedure or who have knowledge of it.

1. Can a "piece" of the thyroid be removed or is it the entire lobe (left or right) that has to be removed.

2. How many people have suffered permanent debilitating side effects from such surgery (voice loss, swallowing difficulty, persistent pain etc)

3. What size of scar am I looking at - is there a "keyhole" option or is this likely to be a cut extending from the mid line all the way across the throat ?

4. What is the recovery period, how much time off work is typically required ?

5. Does a partial (lobectomy) still require lifetime meds or does the "half Thyroid" have enough mass to handle the required hormone production ?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

1. Can a "piece" of the thyroid be removed or is it the entire lobe (left or right) that has to be removed.

The nodule itself cannot be removed. You have to remove the whole thing or a lobe.

2. How many people have suffered permanent debilitating side effects from such surgery (voice loss, swallowing difficulty, persistent pain etc)

Not me. I was up and about a few hours after surgery. No pain, no issues with voice. I had french toast the following morning for breakfast. Re-roofed the house 11 days after. My biggest complaints were heartburn from not eating that day and hot flashes/jittery feelings from the thyroid dump during the process. My life is infinitely betters sans thyroid.

IMPORTANT NOTE: success of surgery and long term lack of complications is dependent on the skill of the surgeon. They should be being 100s of thyroid surgeries a year. If not, don't even consider going to them.

3. What size of scar am I looking at - is there a "keyhole" option or is this likely to be a cut extending from the mid line all the way across the throat ?

Mine is less than two inches long and barely noticeable (I can post a picture, if you'd like). This was for a total with a central neck dissection. Ask how your surgeon will close the incision. If they say staples, run out of their office.

4. What is the recovery period, how much time off work is typically required ?

I took two weeks off of work but could have easily gone back after one week (for a low-stress office job). If you have a physically demanding job, two weeks.


----------



## Fonsini (Jun 6, 2015)

joplin1975 said:


> 1. Can a "piece" of the thyroid be removed or is it the entire lobe (left or right) that has to be removed.
> 
> The nodule itself cannot be removed. You have to remove the whole thing or a lobe.
> 
> ...


Superb information - thank you so much.


----------



## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Fonsini said:


> So it looks highly likely that I will have to have at least half of my thyroid removed, and from what research I have already done it seems like a partial removal is definitely an option that surgeons can provide, but I have a few questions for those who have either been through the procedure or who have knowledge of it.
> 
> 1. Can a "piece" of the thyroid be removed or is it the entire lobe (left or right) that has to be removed.* Not sure of your health history - Having the entire thyroid removed would make it a whole lot easier to stabilize on replacement med's *
> 
> ...


I was petrified to have my thyroid removed and postponed it too long. I have to say my life is "normal" or as close to normal as one can be with thyroid disease.

Good luck in your decisions.

Find a doctor who performs 4-5 surgeries a week. My surgeon was a general surgeon who was focused on endocrine and about 35 years old. She was THE BEST!!


----------



## RosewoodStation (Jun 10, 2016)

Hello, I literally had surgery yesterday morning. It was my first surgery ever. Once I knew a lobectomy was needed, I researched the local surgeons recommended by my endocrinologist but found that none specialized in thyroid. I expanded my search to find one in my statewide insurance network and found a specialist two hours away. Glad I did, because she has been great. I share the advice given by someone above...choose a highly experienced thyroid surgeon if you can. The best ones will recognize signs of malignancy faster, take extra care to preserve/protect your parathyroids and vocal nerves, and minimize your incision/scar. I was incredibly nervous and fearful...but the solid nodule I had on my left side (though just barely apparent in the mirror) was so large it had shifted my windpipe out of position. The 5cm+ nodule must have grown very slowly because the surgeon was surprised I hadn't been bothered by choking symptoms or difficulty swallowing. Today am back home with some soreness that has steadily improved since yesterday in the recovery room. I have a 4cm horizontal midline incision closed with glue and strips, and I am wearing a little ice-bag around my neck. If I was a little older (I'm 50) she might have been able to hide it in a neck wrinkle  Taking just tylenol. Honestly my throat is more sore inside from the breathing tube during general anesthesia, but not awful...using a throat numbing spray to help that. I'm told the scar will become a very faint white line that is barely noticeable...if my nodule had not been so large, the scar would be only 3cm. It is a scary thing to face, but I'm glad I did it sooner than later. I am taking a week off work, as recommended. Next steps will be to get pathology results, which hopefully will be benign as expected, and then monitoring to determine if I will need thyroid meds since I still have a right lobe. Some helpful stats from my surgeon: less than 3% of her surgeries result with vocal nerve damage; about 25% of lobectomy patients will require thyroid meds; only 10% of patients regret thyroid surgery. Good luck to you!


----------



## Isthmus123 (May 19, 2016)

In response to your first question, yes you can have "part" of your thyroid removed. I had a nodule closer to the middle of my thyroid removed so my Isthmus was removed; the surgeon said all in all about 10-30% of my thyroid was removed and not one lobe or the other.

My scar is right where a natural neck wrinkle is so you can't even see it after a few months of healing. Serious complications are rare, and I only took a week off of work but probably could have worked 5 days after if I had to.


----------



## my3gr8girls (Mar 18, 2016)

My isthmus was also removed, leaving only the right lobe. I'm not sure why, but I think that's the normal procedure when they do a lobectomy. I kind of wish they had left it because 6 weeks after the surgery, my TSH had gone from 2.11 to 4.63, and now I require hormone replacement. I don't know if the isthmus makes hormones or not.

Liz


----------

