Surgery

Have you ever had surgery?  I haven't....but I will be in about 15 days.  I get to have a total thyroidectomy.  (I get to have my large thyroid removed)  Why, you ask?  Because I have large cystic nodules that won't go away.  They are so large that this December the doctor stuck a needle in one of them (on the right side) and pulled 20cc's of fluid out. (Yes, I could feel it when I swallowed and yes, you could see it with your naked  eye).  Also, my thyroglobulin levels are high which can indicate tumors/malignancy.  So the whole thing needs to come out.  Fun huh? 

Here is what I have to look forward to (from the internet/Endocrine Surgery-Thyroid):

Benefits and Risks of Surgery


Thyroid surgery can remove one-half (thyroid lobectomy or hemi-thyroidectomy) or all of the thyroid gland (total thyroidectomy) to establish with certainty whether a goiter or nodule is cancer or not. Surgery to remove an enlarged thyroid can relieve compression of nearby structures and improve symptoms in patients with related difficulty swallowing, cough, or shortness of breath. Thyroid surgery can also cure certain forms of thyroid gland overactivity associated with goiter or nodules.

Thyroid surgery almost always requires hospitalization and anesthesia. The incision causes pain for a day or two after surgery, and it leaves a scar, which is usually relatively inapparent after a year. As with any operation, bleeding and infection can complicate thyroid surgery.

Behind the thyroid gland, there are two sets of important structures that can be accidentally injured during the course of a thyroid operation. The recurrent laryngeal nerves run along side the windpipe on their way to the voicebox (larynx), where they control the muscles that move the vocal cords. If one of these nerves is cut, smashed, or has its blood supply cut off, then a person will suffer some degree of voice loss.

This vocal cord paralysis can lead to a range of voice changes, ranging from losing a high octave or two while singing to the inability to shout to a severely disabling whisper of a voice. If both recurrent laryngeal nerves are injured, then a person may have difficulty breathing and require that a hole be created connecting the windpipe with the front of the neck (tracheostomy).

Four parathyroid glands are also located behind the thyroid: two on each side. If the parathyroids are accidentally removed or injured, then the patient's blood calcium levels drops-resulting in tingling, numbness, and muscle cramps. Rarely, a severely low calcium level can lead to throat spasm or a seizure. Fortunately, these complications are unusual in the hands of an experienced thyroid surgeon; mild injuries often resolve spontaneously over days or weeks after surgery; and there are treatments that can improve matters.

So, that will be fun for me, right?  What if my voice is different? I could become a singer.  Maybe I'll be like Phoebe off of the Friends show, when she gets sick and then has a sexy raspy voice. "Smelly cat, smelly cat. what are they feeding you? "  I could be like, the next Janis Joplin...or maybe an Opera singer if it goes the other way?.   I'm a little nervous to have a surgery.   The End.