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Post Thyroidectomy questions
I am 3 days post-op for a total thyroidectomy. The surgery itself went fantastic. I am now home and basically feel awful. I am having some troubles with low-calcium. My Docotor told me to just keep eating tums. About how long will this go on for?
I am now taking 100MCG of synthroid. How long does it take for you body to get used to it? I've noticed that soon after I take it I feel a liitle sick to my stomach. Also I am starving, but when I go to eat something, I don't want it. Any ideas on what may be causing that and how to maybe get past that and be able to eat?
Any thoughts would be much appreciated!
I am now taking 100MCG of synthroid. How long does it take for you body to get used to it? I've noticed that soon after I take it I feel a liitle sick to my stomach. Also I am starving, but when I go to eat something, I don't want it. Any ideas on what may be causing that and how to maybe get past that and be able to eat?
Any thoughts would be much appreciated!
I have been taking my Synthroid with my Cozaar and a Vit. D3 each morning. My TSH levels have risen. So from what is posted I assume I should not take anything else when I take Synthroid.
For the first week or two I had nausea about an hour after taking my synthroid but that went away totally.
I wake up, make my coffee, go online for 1/2 hour and then eat. I've gotten used to the "new" routine.
I still cannot take my Synthorid too close to other meds so if I have a sinus headache in the AM sometimes I take my sudafed first. But I'm pretty much regulated as it's been 2.5yrs since my surgery .. 1/2 was out and other side didn't work again :(
C~
I wake up, make my coffee, go online for 1/2 hour and then eat. I've gotten used to the "new" routine.
I still cannot take my Synthorid too close to other meds so if I have a sinus headache in the AM sometimes I take my sudafed first. But I'm pretty much regulated as it's been 2.5yrs since my surgery .. 1/2 was out and other side didn't work again :(
C~
In response to your question about fitting in calcium with synthroid, I found that if I went too long without calcium my legs became numb and my hands basically locked up. So for the past two nights I set my alarm for 4 hours before I plan on getting up and take some calcium while still in bed. That way when I do get up, enough time will have passed for me be able to take the synthroid. I then take more calcilum 4 hours afer synthroid, and then some more before I go to bed. This routine has worked pretty well so far.
Wow! Thank you all so much for your input! You were all so helpful! It would have been nice if I was told some of this info before I left the hospital.
One more question: does anyone think it might be a good idea to break the synthroid tablet in half and maybe take one half in the morning and one half in the afternoon? The synthroid is also making me feel very jittery.
One more question: does anyone think it might be a good idea to break the synthroid tablet in half and maybe take one half in the morning and one half in the afternoon? The synthroid is also making me feel very jittery.
oops..meant to read HEAL lol.
Got a new cordless mouse and its got a mind of its own :)
Got a new cordless mouse and its got a mind of its own :)
ocono
Dont take your calcium anywhere near your T4 med.
Take your T4 med in the morning and your calcium late afternoon or after dinner.
You are stopping the T4 med from absorbing into the bloodstream if you take too close together and it is excreting out in your urine and bowel if not absorbed properly.
You should allow 4 hours for vitamin/supplements after taking T4 med. I wait until night time to take the calcium/D3 combination.
It doesnt affect my sleeping and neither does the Vit C, Cranberry capsule (great if you suffer from UTI's ) and Mega B Plus.
I have suffered from UTI's for a number of years on and off before RAI last year and since taking one cranberry capsule (10,000) a day I have had not one UTI.
Beats drinking gallons of it and being on antibiotics.
Kell125
You have just had a major op...give your body time to hell Hun.
Take 'baby steps' to start with.
You will get there.
Dont take your calcium anywhere near your T4 med.
Take your T4 med in the morning and your calcium late afternoon or after dinner.
You are stopping the T4 med from absorbing into the bloodstream if you take too close together and it is excreting out in your urine and bowel if not absorbed properly.
You should allow 4 hours for vitamin/supplements after taking T4 med. I wait until night time to take the calcium/D3 combination.
It doesnt affect my sleeping and neither does the Vit C, Cranberry capsule (great if you suffer from UTI's ) and Mega B Plus.
I have suffered from UTI's for a number of years on and off before RAI last year and since taking one cranberry capsule (10,000) a day I have had not one UTI.
Beats drinking gallons of it and being on antibiotics.
Kell125
You have just had a major op...give your body time to hell Hun.
Take 'baby steps' to start with.
You will get there.
I also had my thyroid and 1 paathryoid taken out 4 days ago. In he first few days I felt great except for some neck pain and talking pain. Now I have muscle ache. Doc said take pain pills. I was hoping I would feel better. This morning was the 1st day of takin my synthryoid 150 mcg. How can I fit in my calcium and my thryoid pill all in the morning? When will I feel better?
ocono
ocono
Hi, I'd like to add a couple of things to the above suggestions. First of all, I've worked in the pharmaceutical field for over 20 years, so I may have something to offer, I hope :)
Tums is actually a good source of calcium. That is all it is, but that's how it works for stomach issues as well. You can get regular strength (500mg calcium carbonate), extra strength (750mg calcium carbonate), or ultra (1000mg). It's just a chewable form of the calcium carbonate in many supplements. If you take 2000mg a day, you should do well. There are also many supplements with Vitamin D or VitaminD3. Combined, the vitamin d helps the body absorb the calcium. Always take your thyroid med at least 1 hour before a meal, but be careful. You should not be eating or drinking anything with vitamins or minerals after that hour. Anything with calcium, for example should be consumed at least 3 to 4 hours after the thyroid medicine. So, if you're like me (total thyroidectomy), that means coffee w/o a dairy creamer or milk. I learned this over time, but I used to have cereal and coffee just 1 hour later, but that binds with the medicine. So now, even though the recommendation is every morning before breakfast, I eat what I want for breakfast, wait 4 hours, take my medicine, then wait 1 or 2 hours for lunch. No dairy in my lunch, so no yogurt, cheese or milk. The most important thing is that you take it every day consistently. I have a problem remembering sometimes, but that is no matter what routine I follow. I just am that way. Unfortunately, you may be on calcium supplements for the rest of your life, just like thyroid hormone. My surgeon removed a parathyroid to check that the cancer had not spread. I still have 3 more, but I will have to take the calcium supplement forever too. For the first few days after my surgery, I ate jello, pudding, and had those soups you heat up in their own container. They were easy to drink, and more sustaining than jello. Anyway, there are a lot of calcium supplements you can try. Viactiv is a great one, it's chewy like a soft candy, comes in some yummy flavors and it has the vitamin d you need. Citracal makes a chewable, fruit flavored tablet that my mother loves. Then there are the tablets you swallow. So many options, it really isn't an awful thing to deal with. Maybe an annoyance, but with everything else on our plates, just a minor issue. Hope my experiences have helped some. Have a fantastic weekend!
Tums is actually a good source of calcium. That is all it is, but that's how it works for stomach issues as well. You can get regular strength (500mg calcium carbonate), extra strength (750mg calcium carbonate), or ultra (1000mg). It's just a chewable form of the calcium carbonate in many supplements. If you take 2000mg a day, you should do well. There are also many supplements with Vitamin D or VitaminD3. Combined, the vitamin d helps the body absorb the calcium. Always take your thyroid med at least 1 hour before a meal, but be careful. You should not be eating or drinking anything with vitamins or minerals after that hour. Anything with calcium, for example should be consumed at least 3 to 4 hours after the thyroid medicine. So, if you're like me (total thyroidectomy), that means coffee w/o a dairy creamer or milk. I learned this over time, but I used to have cereal and coffee just 1 hour later, but that binds with the medicine. So now, even though the recommendation is every morning before breakfast, I eat what I want for breakfast, wait 4 hours, take my medicine, then wait 1 or 2 hours for lunch. No dairy in my lunch, so no yogurt, cheese or milk. The most important thing is that you take it every day consistently. I have a problem remembering sometimes, but that is no matter what routine I follow. I just am that way. Unfortunately, you may be on calcium supplements for the rest of your life, just like thyroid hormone. My surgeon removed a parathyroid to check that the cancer had not spread. I still have 3 more, but I will have to take the calcium supplement forever too. For the first few days after my surgery, I ate jello, pudding, and had those soups you heat up in their own container. They were easy to drink, and more sustaining than jello. Anyway, there are a lot of calcium supplements you can try. Viactiv is a great one, it's chewy like a soft candy, comes in some yummy flavors and it has the vitamin d you need. Citracal makes a chewable, fruit flavored tablet that my mother loves. Then there are the tablets you swallow. So many options, it really isn't an awful thing to deal with. Maybe an annoyance, but with everything else on our plates, just a minor issue. Hope my experiences have helped some. Have a fantastic weekend!
Hi there. I had two surgeries for my thyroid so I know what you are going through.
The low calcium is often an issue in full thyroidectomies. The parathyroids are often bruised, damaged or accidentally removed. They are only the size of a grain of rice so it is very easy to do this. (Although a skilled surgeon should not ever create this issue!)
You can have calcium supplements with magnesium in it to help the low calcium. Also taking a small dose of Vit D will help to absorb the calcium directly. The Tums are fine but not really good long term. Your calcium may go up naturally in a few weeks, or like me, you may have to take calcium for a lot longer. (Now 16 months on since surgery!)
I too had the sick to the tummy feel for quite a while when I first started the replacement thyroid medication. You do get used to it after a while.
100mcgs is the start dose usually after a TT. You will still have thyroid hormone circulating in your body for a few weeks yet. So your first thyroid test levels may not be the correct ones for you untill at least the 12 week mark. It really depends if you were hypo or hyper before surgery or not.
The eating thingy, well, I have always been like that! I get really starving then go to the fridge and get all the stuff ready, then think...bah! Really can't be bothered.
It is important to eat well though and you really must tell yourself to eat. Maybe having smaller meals spread out over the day might work. I do that. Instead of big lunch I break it down to a late morning and then an early afternoon smaller meal. Not always convenient, but it works for me!
I am not sure if you know, as they rarely remember to tell you in the hospital, not to eat immediately after taking your Synthroid. You MUST wait a minimum of at least an hour, longer is preferable, and do NOT take any other medications for the same amount of time when you take the Synthroid. Reason is that is gets absorbed into the food or other medications and is not able to be absorbed into the blood stream. Replacement thryoid medication is a hormone and a very sensitive one at that.
Taking extra calcium normally works within a few days. Hopefully you will feel better soon!
Cheers
The low calcium is often an issue in full thyroidectomies. The parathyroids are often bruised, damaged or accidentally removed. They are only the size of a grain of rice so it is very easy to do this. (Although a skilled surgeon should not ever create this issue!)
You can have calcium supplements with magnesium in it to help the low calcium. Also taking a small dose of Vit D will help to absorb the calcium directly. The Tums are fine but not really good long term. Your calcium may go up naturally in a few weeks, or like me, you may have to take calcium for a lot longer. (Now 16 months on since surgery!)
I too had the sick to the tummy feel for quite a while when I first started the replacement thyroid medication. You do get used to it after a while.
100mcgs is the start dose usually after a TT. You will still have thyroid hormone circulating in your body for a few weeks yet. So your first thyroid test levels may not be the correct ones for you untill at least the 12 week mark. It really depends if you were hypo or hyper before surgery or not.
The eating thingy, well, I have always been like that! I get really starving then go to the fridge and get all the stuff ready, then think...bah! Really can't be bothered.
It is important to eat well though and you really must tell yourself to eat. Maybe having smaller meals spread out over the day might work. I do that. Instead of big lunch I break it down to a late morning and then an early afternoon smaller meal. Not always convenient, but it works for me!
I am not sure if you know, as they rarely remember to tell you in the hospital, not to eat immediately after taking your Synthroid. You MUST wait a minimum of at least an hour, longer is preferable, and do NOT take any other medications for the same amount of time when you take the Synthroid. Reason is that is gets absorbed into the food or other medications and is not able to be absorbed into the blood stream. Replacement thryoid medication is a hormone and a very sensitive one at that.
Taking extra calcium normally works within a few days. Hopefully you will feel better soon!
Cheers
I wish i could say I did not know this feeling. When I am on synthroid I feel this gaping emptiness and it's almost painful. It starts right under the solar plexis and it feels as though someone could put their fist clean thru to my backbone. It is not pleasant. Eating doesn't always help, sometimes I even feel worse until I get the noon meal in me and it needs to be substantial, but I think that I have found something that is working for me. I stopped eating my beloved cheerios in the a.m. (I really hate to eat heavy in the morning.) I found that eating more protein in the morning helps. It stays with me longer. I nuke a mixed up egg in the microwave for 40 seconds. throw on a slice of cheese and put it on a toated english muffin. This morning I tried it without the muffin and it didn't stick. With the muffin, I'm usually good for several hours. I tried to add a slice of ham, but that's just too much for me. I don't eat until about an hour after I get up. I wake up take my synthroid, take a bath, do my hair, get dressed. You know keep busy to keep from thinking about how my stomach thinks my throat has been cut. I saw that comment on Quigley Down Under. and one other. My stomach feels like my belly button has been rubbing blisters on my back bone. Sound familiar.
Oh yeah and tums? I know they have calcium in them, but are you having heartburn? Maybe with the stomach upset, but I don't know, maybe someone else has a different feeling about that. I take 1000 mg of calcium a day and vitamin d too. The D makes your calcium more efficient.
I hope this helps. But just keep trying different things. I keep trail mix in my desk just in case of the empty tummy syndrome. It gets bad.
Oh yeah and tums? I know they have calcium in them, but are you having heartburn? Maybe with the stomach upset, but I don't know, maybe someone else has a different feeling about that. I take 1000 mg of calcium a day and vitamin d too. The D makes your calcium more efficient.
I hope this helps. But just keep trying different things. I keep trail mix in my desk just in case of the empty tummy syndrome. It gets bad.
I am sorry to hear you are feeling so bad.
I only had half of my thyroid removed, so my situation is not the same as yours. My other half isn't working and I have been taking 75 mcg of Synthroid. I was told to take synthroid an hour before eating or drinking anything besides water. They also said to wait at least an hour before taking other meds.
What works best for me is to take it with a big glass of water and go back to sleep for about an hour. This way I can eat something or at least drinkg my morning Dr. Pepper when I do get up and start getting ready for work.
My TSH is still a little below normal but the ENT who did my surgery doesn't want to increase meds. I am going to see me regular doctor soon to have TSH Free T3 and Free T4 to see if anything needs to be adjusted as my blood pressure is high and feeling weird lately.
Hopefully someone else has other advise for you.
take care,
Lynn:)
I only had half of my thyroid removed, so my situation is not the same as yours. My other half isn't working and I have been taking 75 mcg of Synthroid. I was told to take synthroid an hour before eating or drinking anything besides water. They also said to wait at least an hour before taking other meds.
What works best for me is to take it with a big glass of water and go back to sleep for about an hour. This way I can eat something or at least drinkg my morning Dr. Pepper when I do get up and start getting ready for work.
My TSH is still a little below normal but the ENT who did my surgery doesn't want to increase meds. I am going to see me regular doctor soon to have TSH Free T3 and Free T4 to see if anything needs to be adjusted as my blood pressure is high and feeling weird lately.
Hopefully someone else has other advise for you.
take care,
Lynn:)
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