Thyroidectomy-Practical Post Op Info Needed

[mrsomes]

4 weeks TT post op.  Have some practical questions.  Do the creams on the market really help fade the TT scar?   My surgeon wants me to put zinc oxide on the scar every time I go out in the sun for a year but he isn't convinced that there is much that can be done to fade the scar any quicker/better.   My neck is still tight (off and on).  My surgeon said that this is normal and can last for 6-9 months as everything heals and gets back to  normal.  My question...is there anything that can be done to get rid of that choking sensation?   The sensation isn't  there all the time and I've been drinking decaf tea and gargling with salt water which helps somewhat but I was wondering if anybody  had any tricks for getting rid of that feeling.  6-9 months of dealing with it is quite daunting.    Thanks

[gimel]

Can't imagine why the doctor would not want to see you sooner than 4 months after the TT.  By now, your thyroid hormone level must be very low and you need to be taking replacement thyroid meds.  I'd call the doctor's office and explain how badly you are feeling and that you need a prescription for thyroid med.  If they don't want to give you a prescription before testing, then you should insist on getting in for tests right away.  Don't take no for an answer.

[StefuuunnyCorps]

Hi everyone had my TT almost 3 months ago. And now Ive been feeling some tightness and choking sensation in my throat. Plus, every after eating I feel nauseous and throwing up. My body feels so weak and I don't know what to do. My doctor's appointment is not until next month. This feeling is giving me the urgent to go to the emergency room every time. I'm turning really freaked out at times and scared. Please I need some advice! Thanks!

[Liz94]

I used Bio-0il that you can get at Walgreens on my scar. It was only pinkish and raised for about a month and then it pretty much disappeared.   Seriously, you cannot even see it anymore.

[Sophia787]

Thank you for a great forum to plug into....I had my total Thyroidectomy 3 weeks ago and had no idea what to expect. All I knew was I wanted to get that swollen, nodule ridden gland out! There is a period (about a week following) of great relief...your body still has enough hormone to feel normal..the mass is gone, you can swallow...just having to deal with a different discomfort.

Week 2 starts a whole different scenario (for some), many heal differently....I am one. I was one of the unfortunates who has loss of voice, so that has been very trying on my spirit...I am told it will come back..and I can hear an actual tone when I attempt to speak, so I know that is true. Has anyone else had that? How long did it last?

I have been hormone restricted to prepare for RAI since there was papillary cancer found on one nodule.The natural hormone is pretty much depleted and I know I have about two more weeks  to live with a body out of balance.

What you will notice is a different sensation of discomfort....a lump feeling behind the surgical site. A feeling of a mass when you swallow and lots of tightness in the neck. The trauma to the delicate tendons, nerves...all those important parts and pieces that have been traumatized, are not able to bounce back too fast, so don't get discouraged. This is what I am trying to tell myself :)

There are good days and bad...it takes a great deal of patience and support around you to make it tolerable as you are dealing with two issues...one, the healing of the surgery;..two, the imbalance of hormones until you are clear to get on a new regiment.

My greatest fear is the weight gain, depression...the "in-between" things that you deal with on top of the "healing discomfort"...until you can get back on synthroid. It all makes it hard to wake up with a smile. It helps to read forums like this, talk to folks who have been through it all....the only thing that comforts me at this point, is that that monster that was in my neck..swollen mass, that was choking me, literally...is gone.

Don't feel like a pain in the you know what to call the surgeon with questions...it is better to hear "that is normal" than to live with all the discomforts, mental and physical...and to wonder and worry. All I can do at this point is keep focused that in a few weeks, a few months...my life will be at a better place. We will all get there....one day at a time.

[mrsomes]

Thank you redheadaussie for reminding me that I'll have a white line if I just use the zinc oxide on the scar.  Nothing like drawing more attention to the area!   LOL!  Anyway, thanks for the feedback.   My Dr did mention the massaging of the scar but not for a while longer.  Any other feedback on how to get rid of that choking feeling in the meantime would be much appreciated.  I'm constantly clearing my throat which I'm sure is making it all worse.  My Dr says that you actually get used to the feeling but I can't fathom that yet.  

[redheadaussie]

I had two surgeries so my scar is a little wider than others. I used Manuka Honey first up as I scar pretty easily, being a fair skinned redhead! This helped heal the scar pretty quickly. I did an experiment years ago when I got hit from a felled limb off a tree. Both mylegs had deep cuts from a branch. I had heard Manuka Honey heals things fast, so I put some on one leg and not the other. I have a faint scar from where I didn't put it on and no scar where I did! The one where there is no scar was actually deeper and longer cut!
  I then switched to natural almond oil. I really don't believe in putting chemicals on my skin as I have seen research to show these end up inside our bodies. i still use Rice Bran Oil (yes! The cooking oil!) on my hands and neck regularly. I will put up a pic of my scar nearly 2 years on, from my first surgery. May 07.
If you look at the pic of me in the blue dress you can't really see my scar at all.
Sunscreen is a big issue! I prefer to put it all over the neck not just on the scar or you WILL have a white line there! Zinc oxide is fine but like I said you will get a white line there if you don't put sunscreen elsewhere!  Sunscreen is the only one chemical thing I use on my skin and I try to just keep out of the sun as much as I can to avoid using it in the first place.

[hope4thegoodstuff]

I had my TT end of march...My scar looks like a papercut except it's about 3" long.
I started with vitamin e oil right after the bandaid came off at 10 days and maybe about  6 weeks out I switched to Mederma...I got mine at wally world.  It's just less than 20 bucks for a tube with the sunscreen in it.  I am told by a lot of medical professionals that it looks great...I'm like you..it's not fast enough...

Also, a massage therapist checked out my scar...this would be 8 - 10 weeks out and she felt that the scar tissue was sort of balling up in there.  She did something....a very light message on the scar...the next day it felt like it was laying flat and that helped the feeling that there was something in there that was trying to choke me...

There may be other things that can be done.  But we're kind of at the end of my knowledge.  

[mrsomes]

Doing ok.   Physically I'm more tired than I expected.   Dr says it's because I had 2 surgeries...1 TT and then 1 for bleeding.    The hardest part is getting my mind around this whole experience.   I know that 4 weeks is still new but I'm terribly impatient and have trouble seeing the end.  Have never been really sick before or had to deal with anything like this so it's a little scary at times.  I have to remind myself that I am 100% better than I was just a few weeks ago and it will get better.  Plus the information on this forum has been invaluable to me.  It's one thing to talk to your Dr; another to get info from people who have been there.  Thanks to all of you.