Thyroid Cancer, Part 3: After the Surgery

(This is part 3 of a series. Click here to read part 1)

 The couple weeks following my thyroid surgery were quiet ones. I was tired and didn't do much. I wasn't sent home from the hospital with any kind of thyroid hormone replacement, so I didn't know if my lack of energy was because I was recovering from the surgery, or lack of whatever the thyroid usually does, or just because of the 90+ degree weather we were experiencing. 

So about the thyroid hormone replacement... When my cardiologist told me I had thyroid cancer and referred me to Dr. Peller, I assumed that Dr. Peller was going to take care of all the thyroid stuff from there on out. It wasn't until just before I was wheeled into the operating room and Dr. Peller asked me who my endocrinologist was that I realized that I needed another doctor! Dr. Peller, as an ENT, would do the surgery and take care of the incision and what not, but I needed an endocrinologist to take care of the hormone balances and stuff. A friend who had her thyroid removed last year came home from the hospital with the hormone replacement and I was worried because I didn't and I feared it was because I didn't have this other kind of doctor already.

Meanwhile, I took the pills that I was sent home with - the antibiotic and the calcium supplement (TUMS) that I was to take along with my usual ones. I changed the gauze and the bandages a few times a day, and soon realized that the tape that held on the bandages and gauze was more annoying to me than anything about the incision itself! The tape was leaving red itchy marks all over my neck! When the gauze I brought home with me from the hospital ran out, I went to a store and acquired some more gauze pads, as well as some new tape - a paper tape that was supposed to be gentle for sensitive skin. It didn't do any better. It still left itchy, shiny red marks on my skin that wouldn't go away for days. I mentioned my issues with the tape to an elderly lady from church, and she kindly brought me some tape and bandages she had that worked on her sensitive skin. She had paper tape like what I was already using, as well as some band-aids with tapes that didn't bother my skin! But.. these band-aids weren't big enough to cover the whole incision, and when I tried cutting off the pad and just using the tapes, they weren't strong enough to hold up my bigger gauze pads by themselves. 😞 

I went back to Dr. Peller on Thursday (7/29) to have the drain taken out of my incision.  I was astonished at how long the drain was... It had stuck out maybe 3/4 inch, but the entire drain was like 5 inches long! I mentioned my concerns about the hormone replacement, and he told me that since they wanted to do an iodine radiation treatment to make sure they got everything that might have spread, they wanted to wait a little to let all the remaining thyroid hormones in my system get used up before they started putting more in. He also gave me a referral for an endocrinologist and when I got home I was able to make an appointment with a Dr. Barter.

The following Thursday I returned to Dr. Peller's office and got the stitches taken out. The incision looked pretty good, and much to my relief, I learned that I no longer had to wear the bandages!!! It was at this point that I allowed the first photo of my neck since the surgery. It isn't horrible, but I am trying to start a new fashion by wearing a scarf or some other type of neck covering whenever I leave the house.

I don't remember now whether the googly eyes were Hannah's idea or Peter's.

Just last Friday (8/20) I had my appointment with Dr. Barter, the endocrinologist and he took the time to explain to me about how the thyroid works and what the iodine radiation treatment is supposed to do (after looking at the pathology report from the surgery, he agreed that I needed it) and what the hormone replacement will do. He also explained some of the precautions I will need to take after the treatment so I don't expose others to dangerous radiation. Then he sent me across the street to get some lab tests done and told me that when he gets the results from the lab we'll see when we can finally schedule the iodine radiation treatment. I'm still waiting for the results from those tests.

***to be continued***