My consultant not even mentioned that to me about having a drain he just said I could be a day case 

Just wanted to say a quick thank you - i am due to have a partial thyroidectomy next week, and currently feeling very nervous and tearful! I have been under GA before (when i was a teenager), but somehow i feel less brave at 31! Like others have said, i have trawled the internet looking for information - your post (and others on this thread) have been the most reassuring things i have read, so thank you!

I hope you are all keeping well x

Honestly- you'll be absolutely fine! The worst part is waiting for your op day to arrive. 
take care and stay safe!

Hi Rosie2021

I remember very clearly how I felt the couple of weeks leading up to the op, I was a bag of nerves but trying to stay positive like you. The anxiousness leading up to the op is much worse than the op itself and afterwards I healed very quickly and was pretty much back to my normal self and working after a couple of weeks. 
The thing I found most helpful after the op was a pregnancy pillow (C shaped one) which propped me up a bit sleeping and also stopped me from rolling on my side. 
I wasn't in pain afterwards, only mild discomfort. 
 

I had my thyroid levels checked at my 2 weeks post op and they were the same as pre op. About 3 months later I started to feel a bit more tired and cold than I normally do so I had my bloods done by the GP. My levels had dropped a bit but were still 'within normal range'. Pre op my thyroid levels were at the running at the higher end of normal (faster metabolism) and my later bloods were at the lower end of normal. 

I left it another month or two but was still getting very cold and had my bloods taken again and they had dropped a little more (but still in normal range) so my GP suggested going on a very low dose of levothyroxine (2.5mg once daily) and see how I felt on that. 

After two months of taking I had loads more energy and wasn't experiencing unreasonable coldness any more so I have stuck on 2.5mg and my levels have rose a bit ( but not to their original levels).  I think I am taking them indefinitely, unless I want to try weening off them and ideally my GP wanted to check my bloods every 3-6months (but that hasn't been so straight forward in these times!) 
 

Neither my GP or ENT surgeon mentioned hypothyroidism in relation to fertility, but I think that's probably because I would have been managed differently and medicated earlier if my thyroid levels were so low that they would affect fertility.

If it is something you are concerned about, you are likely to see you surgeon on the day of your op, pre surgery, so maybe mention your concerns and they maybe able to reassure you. 
 

I wish you a speedy recovery and try a relax before hand! 

Thank you :)

Its really helpful to hear your experience of this as it doesn’t seem to be mentioned much. And as thyroid problems seem to affect women more (I believe - i could be wrong), it seems strange the effect on thyroid hormones isn’t mentioned, as they are key when trying or being pregnant.

I’m also a bit nervous about the wait for results after. I think this is likely to be 6 weeks from what I’ve read on here.

i keep telling myself to chill out but I’ve lost my appetite as I feel nauseous from the anxiety of it, and struggling to sleep, and also to focus at work. Although it was only a couple of says ago I heard I needed the operation so I think my head is in over drive trying to process everything !

i appreciate everyone’s time on here posting and replying - I’ve found all the info really helpful! x

I had my results back in 9 days after the op (I was warned it could be up to 6 weeks) So I hope you have a similar speedy result. My results came back as a benign follicular adenoma so no further treatment was required thankfully. 

In terms of thyroid hormones and fertility, the key will be monitoring your bloods, you could ask your surgeon to write to your GP to ask them to monitor this periodically (your surgeon will write to your GP with the outcome/discharge anyway)

As long as you are monitored and if your levels do drop it is addressed with medication it shouldn't impact your fertility and levothyroxine is safe in pregnancy. You may not need it altogether, it is openly a small percentage of people that do. 
 

I know it's hard to chill out and there's nothing anyone can say to make you feel better at the moment but I definitely felt after that I had worried far more than I needed to and the worry leading up was the worst part of it all! I was exactly the same as you, not sleeping or eating properly and wasn't able to concentrate at work. I am a dentist and couldn't cope with talking to patients as I felt on the verge of tears all the time. Me and my partner(also a dentist, we work together)  decided to take the week off leading up to my op and we just went for long walks each day and spent the afternoons cooking nice meals to encourage me to eat. It didn't take the worry away but I think excluding the pressure from work helped me cope that final week. 
 

Good luck and keep us updated on how you get on. x

Thank you!!! Appreciate you taking the time to respond and share your experience. I feel a bit better now! X

Hey reading everyone's comments on here I'm going in for the same operation on Wednesday I'm a bag of nerves and I have huge concerns about weight gain after the operation. I'm reading all over the internet that I will gain weight after the operation did anyone else experience this? 

Hi

Thank you for telling your story. I've had a goitre for 8 years with normal thyroid hormone levels. The goitre is now deviating my windpipe, I have hoarseness and a sensation of something being stuck in my throat. Been advised that a partial removal is required but I was wondering if there's medication that can shrink my goitre. There's a 20% chance that due to the op I may need to be on thyroid medication permanently post op.  Right now I have the goitre but have normal thyroid function.