Thyroid Surgery Recovery Photos & Progress Reports
My thyroid surgery went well and according to plan.
It began around 9:00 a.m. on a Friday and I was home at about 3:30 p.m. that same day.
My surgeon reported to my mom that he was pleased with how it had gone, and he gave her some take-home instructions.
I was actually in more pain that I had expected (or hoped for!). In the recovery room, they asked me to rate my pain from 1-10 and my answer was 8.
They asked if I wanted something for the pain and I remember thinking in my just-out-of-anesthesia haze "Uh, hello, do you even have to ask?... I said EIGHT!"
Before I left the recovery room the pain was down to 5. I also had a shot of pain medication right before I left the hospital. At home, I had Vicodin every 4 hours for the first 2 days.
Actually getting the pain pills down was a bit tricky because swallowing was a complete bummer -- thanks to the double-whammy of having a tube stuck down my throat during surgery and the fact that it was surgery on the neck itself.
So I crushed up my pills at first, and mixed them in some pudding. But that didn't really work. So I tried cutting up the pills instead. But even in small pieces I was afraid I would choke. Somehow I managed, but it was still scary. Thankfully, that got better each time.
I had to sleep on my back for the first couple of days, and I spent most of the first 2 days of recovery in my recliner with my head propped to either side with a small pillow. It was one of those u-shaped travel pillows that I also used when sitting up (in my recliner), because it was difficult to move my head or hold it up.
On the third night, I was able to sleep on my side, as long as I was careful not to twist my neck. Also that day, I stopped the Vicodin except at night.
At 5 days post-op, I was feeling a lot of pain in my neck above the incision. It was definitely painful to touch my neck, and it hurt to even tilt my head back. It felt like extremely sore muscles.
This was also the day that they told me the biopsy they tested was benign (yeah), and they assured me that the pain I was experiencing was perfectly normal. I was feeling the pain more since I had stopped taking the meds as much.
Removing The Pads Over The Incision
This picture was taken 5 days after my thyroid surgery.
The surgical strips are supposed to come off by themselves 7 to 10 days post-op. It's hard to believe there are no stitches, just that tape.
It was originally covered by a thick gauze pad; they said to take that off the day after surgery.
That wasn't fun...
The day after surgery, my first thought was "I don't want to take off that pad, it's nice protection." Then I realized that I should take it off before the nurse called to check on me later that day -- in case I had any questions for her.
So I was in the bathroom and I wanted to see if the tape would hurt when I tugged it off. I started to gently pull it off. It didn't hurt, so I continued. I could see the first part of the incision, and it didn't look too bad, so I continued. Got to the other end, and it had bled a little and stuck to the pad. I pulled it off carefully, and since it didn't hurt I continued and got the pad all the way off.
Immediately, I felt a "whoosh" which must have been all the blood leaving my head, because I was sure I was going to pass out. I took 2 steps to the bathroom door and realized "yep, I'm really going to pass out" so I leaned against the door for I don't know how long. I must have nodded out for a few seconds, because when I "came to" my hands were shaking and I couldn't remember why I was there. Then my legs went out and I went down, knocking my eyeball into the door handle. (I should have a black eye but thankfully do not!)
So now I'm on the floor, and I managed to get the door open. I crawled to the end of the hallway where my mom (who was visiting to help during the first days after surgery) checks me over to make sure I didn't break open the incision (I didn't) or do something obvious to my eye (again, no). Then she says, "They told me I was supposed to help you take that off." Well, no one told me that!
So that was an interesting, but brief, post-surgery freak out.
About Those Sticky Pads...
And now for a post-surgery pet peeve of mine.
At home, I discovered 2 of the little pads they put on you (to hook you up to the monitors and stuff). You know, the kind with the little metal node on it?
Well, those and the big bandage I took off my neck left that sticky tape residue. It's impossible to get off, and those sticky spots got gunky and dirty. I spent a lot of time peeling the stickiness off my body in the days after surgery. I wanted to use my GooGone, but I couldn't peel it off my neck because it would hurt!
So when I did talk to a nurse, they said "No, it won't come off with soap and water. You'll have to use rubbing alcohol." Also, the same is true for removing the yellow betadine from your skin. Now why couldn't they have told me that ahead of time? And wouldn't it be nice if they could send a small bit of it home with you?
That's one of the little things that could make the post-surgery process a bit better, if you ask me.
How Many Days Off Work?
They told me I could go back to work basically as soon as I could drive, but that I should plan on a week or so.
My initial plan was to go back at 5 days post-op, and I could have if I had to, but I really wasn't ready.
I felt I could drive if I had to, but I would've been worried about turning my neck. Not to mention the fact that it would have been really uncomfortable all day at work. So I took a full week off work and will be back on the 10th day after surgery.
In addition to being tired, I think I will have to watch how much talking I do. A phone call of more than 30 minutes causes my throat to throb.
Today is one week after surgery and the pain is much better. I still don't have complete mobility of my head in all directions, but I felt good enough to drive today. Still have pain in my neck (to move or to touch).
UPDATE: 17 Days Post-Op
Returning to work after 10 days seemed completely probable - turns out it was too soon. I had no idea how much you move your head and neck when other people are around you -- vs me at home by myself not looking at anything!
After 2 days at work (Monday and Tuesday) my neck and shoulder muscles were all tensed up and sore. I spoke to my doctor's nurse who agreed taking the rest of the week off would be a good idea, also leaving me another weekend.
So I went back for real today -- Day 17. I can tell a huge difference from last Monday and feel much better today.
The surgical strips finally came off on Day 15, with a little help from me. They were barely holding on at that point. The scar itself looks pretty good, and felt much better after a gentle washing in the shower and cleaning up with the rubbing alcohol.
My doctor saw it today and said it is healing perfectly. I do feel a "thickness" surrounding the actual line of incision. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but the doctor said it should go away in about another month. I'll keep ya posted!
UPDATE: 1 Month Post-Op
Ok, so things are healing nicely. I decided I should include a picture of my whole face, since all along you've only seen my neck! Please remember it's weird to take a picture of yourself, and my hair's doing a dippity don't.
I think my scar is healing very well, and so does my doctor. He says everything is good and normal.
Above and below my scar are "ridges." I can only describe it as "thick". It has decreased drastically, and I can definitely tell it's going to be gone soon. I can feel the thickness inside too, and the doctor says it's just the internal healing.
I am surprised at how tender the scar area still is.
I have been using (my doctor-recommended) Mederma - Skin Care for Scars Soothing Gel. And it really does! It feels and looks like Neosporen, but it dries a little thicker -- almost like it's creating a waterproof shield or something. And it's difficult to get it off. Regular washing doesn't do it; I basically just wait for it to flake off.
I rub it in 2-3 times a day, per the instructions. Once I wanted to get all the old stuff off so I rubbed it vigorously... MISTAKE! Do not do this! Man, did it hurt.
As for everyday pain, the scar is still tender -- both to the touch and just when I move my head. Parts of the scar do not hurt at all, and a couple of parts do. It's all quite bearable, but more tenderness than I was expecting for a month out. But since I've definitely seen everything continue to improve, I'm not worried. I can move my neck as far as I could before -- in all directions -- but I need to do it slowly. A quick jerk or flinch is not good. So just imagine how much I love sneezing! Or the time my sister's parrot flew at me -- ya gotta duck!
The other part I wasn't expecting is what my doctor calls "voice fatigue". My voice sounds normal to others, and mostly to me too, but it feels on the verge of hoarse all the time. And after a regular day in the office (I work in customer service at a university - talking all day) my throat feels sore. I'm not sure how loud or strong it would feel if I had to yell or shout. So some days I come home, turn OFF the phone and put ON the ice pack.
I also need to carry a stick of sunscreen around. I can already feel the sun burning on my scar through my car window -- and I'm an outdoor girl. So this should be lots of fun.
Well, thanks for reading my little thyroid story. I'll come back periodically with scar photos.
Check out the Thyroid Cancer Blog from a thyroid cancer survivor!
Here's a photo of my neck at 3 months post-op:
