What are the procedures prior to the operation? Before the surgery, the doctor will brief you on the type of surgery, any areas that need removal and confirm your family and personal medical history, including any allergies you may have.
An X-ray of the chest area, electrocardiogram and various blood tests including ones to check on thyroid functions maybe necessary before the operation.
You will be asked by medical staff to sign a consent form prior to the surgery. If you have any questions about the surgical procedures or related complications, please also consult the doctor before the operation. Should you be unsure about the risks of anesthesia, please also make enquiries with your anesthesiologist.
2.
How is the surgical process like?
Thyroidectomy is conducted mainly through a transverse incision at the lower neck.
Once the neck muscles are parted and positioned to one side, the recurrent laryngeal nerves, a vocal cord nerve and the parathyroid gland which controls the body’s calcium concentration are retained. The thyroid is then carefully removed.
Some of the patients only need to remove parts of the thyroid gland, particularly if they are benign ones. If it is thyroid cancer, the attending doctor will also pay attention to whether any neck lymph node metastasis is present. If that is the case, “modified neck dissection” may also be required.
Generally speaking, the surgery takes 2 to 3 hours. The wound will be sewn together after the procedure. Patients need to be placed under observation for an hour or two. They will be able to go back to their hospital rooms to rest once their condition stabilizes.
3.
Will the surgery cause any discomfort?
Thyroidectomy is carried out under general anesthesia. Intubation is crucial to help maintain breathing when the surgery is in progress. After the patient regains consciousness from the anesthesia, they may feel a slight pain or discomfort in their throat. Swallowing could also be difficult but these are all normal post
surgical symptoms and will all disappear within a day or two after the surgery.
Should the patient wish to get out of bed to exercise, it is best to be attended by
others to avoid falling and injuring oneself.
4.
When can I check out of the hospital after the surgery?
Under normal circumstances, the patient returns home 1 to 2 days after the surgery.
5.
What are some of the things that require special attention after leaving the hospital?
Once the patient leaves the hospital, it is best to follow the doctor’s advice and take their medication on time. When it comes to taking care of the wound, while neck wounds tend to heal faster and that stitches need not to be removed, do put a waterproof bandage on. The patient can still shower but should avoid swimming.
6.
Will thyroid surgery cause any complications?
Whichever type of thyroidectomy chosen, its safety and effectiveness are basically recognized. Some of the more common complications include a coarse voice, lowered blood calcium and a bleeding wound.
7.
Why is it that doctors say calcium tablets are needed after the surgery?
A few patients would have most of their thyroid gland removed. From time to time, the parathyroid functions may be affected and this can induce a drop in blood calcium. This will then cause numbness in the limbs and muscle spasms. Doctors will then prescribe oral calcium tablets and vitamin D supplements.
Under most circumstances, the parathyroid functions would recover in a few weeks so medication would no longer be necessary. However, certain patients’ parathyroid functions may not have fully recovered even more than six months after the surgery. Should the doctor confirm that to be a permanent hypoparathyroidism, life-long calcium and vitamin D supplement treatments are necessary (but such cases are very rare).
