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Any relief for you yet? I had TT in May and still have terrible problems with the tightness, pressure and fullness in my throat. I had an MRI yesterday ordered by my chiropractor. Should get results today. Would love to hear any updates on anyones condition. Thanks, Pami
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to an attorney! i had same thing and its been 18 months and no progress.
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I had most of your symptoms after total thyroidectomy (Hashimotos disease) with a benign mass removed also.

I had a year of adjusting to my Thyroid medications.

My Doctor did my blood panels and made sure he prescribed the right hormones and blood compenents that
were effected with the surgery.

Calcium level dropped, Vitamin D level dangerously low (taking this weekly). I would insist on your results of your panels or having them done.

I have trouble swallowing and have to push on my neck to cause the "swallowing results. I also had several incidents of Shortness of Breath, unable to swallow, sudden impact of not being able to "get up"

I went in and had Thyroid Panel done and it was very low and every time I get hoarse, my panels are low.

I am going in tomorrow for the "sensation of being chocked"
It is very scary and the point is that these can be life saving incidents.

Good Luck and get one of those "child alarms" you hook it on your son's belt loop and you have the one that sets the alarm and your son can also "alarm you". I am curious to see what your panels are (Hormone,Thyroid Panel, Intrinsic Factor) what your lab work reflect.

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I was wondering how you are doing since the 6 month post. I have the same problem and have lost work, multiple specialist, even went to John Hopkins. The days are getting more difficult.

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I am in the exact same position. My job requires that I speak. (I teach middle school). It has been 7 months since my surgery. I have a hard time breathing or swallowing. I can still feel every time I swallow, and I think my surgeon must have captured some nerves in my sutures because my scars still hurt quite a bit. Also, I did not expect my lack of hormones to wreak havoc on my weight like it did. I am heavier than I have ever been. My diet has to be really closely monitored to lose weight I am at a loss. I don't know how to get back to where I was before the surgery. AND, my hair is STILL falling out.

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I am in the same boat with you. I had a Total Thyroidectomy last June. Calcium dropped and Vitamin D dropped very low to 8. I am also taking Vitamin D once a week. My neck is still puffy and numb from the scar up to my jaw. I have trouble swallowing and sometimes choke even if I chew chew chew. I get so tired I can barely move. My voice gets hoarse, I can't sing, can't scream, cough all the time. I also have issues from the drainage tube scare area it hurts still. I was hypothyroid and hashimotos for years before surgery. But now after surgery trying to get Hormone dosage right is just awful. Too much, too little and all the while my mental state gets played with. Good days bad days. Some days I want to sleep all the time. Most days so tired and then can't sleep. Can't seem to regulate my metabolism. I have gained so much weight after surgery even though I don't eat much. I mostly eat fruit and vegs. No one prepares you for this.
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I have to push on the side of my throat to swallow and my Vit D placed me in ICU, I am a pain patient and my bones hurt so bad from the Vit D deficiency.

Every time I get a hoarse throat, I know my thyroid is off. I have gained fifty pounds and cannot fight intractable pain and these sensation but at least I know I am not nuts.

My older Sister who is a Nurse also thinks I am a nut and and doesn't believe hoarseness and inability to swallow are from my thyroid.

Oh and I couldn't get a barium swallow because there is a shortage on barium but the ENT did put tubing down and said it is clear as far as he could see.

Oh well, but I hate the sensation of choking.
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I taught emotionally disturbed middle school students and when I had this problem, I wrote the problem on the board and told the students I would be using visual cues. It is amazing how they understand hand gestures and they are more quiet and get involved like collabarative teaching and they loved it thinking they were the "Teacher" . I found they were more engaged in learning and because we had a rapport, they went out of their way to help. It was like playing Charades but they enjoyed the different learning style and it supported their learning process.

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I had this last June after a complete removal of my thyroid and 50+ lymph nodes from both sides of my neck (due to thyroid cancer). It was so miserable and scary but it got better. It takes time but gets better week to week. My doctor suggested clear thickening stuff from the drug store for water. I was also in the hospital for 3 nights and they gave me an anti-anxiety medicince in my IV that helped and then a prescription one I took for a week. My voice came back and the ability to swallow came back too but yes that is so hard. I feel for you hang in there it will get better. I just went back in to have more cancerous lymph nodes removed on the left and right and could swallow this time. I think your issue was same as mine from June 12, where the surgery was. Try the thickening stuff from a drug store in water and thicker things and know it will get better in a week. Try anti-anxiety meds to help you get through it. Your voice will come back too! Good luck.

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I am so sorry to hear these life expierences. My particular thyroidectemy is not having major effects, yet. My problem is that I was suppose to get two parathyroids removed. The doctor did a sample which proved to be non cancerous, which was a relief. The pre-surgery consultation I had with the doctor, he said i would be on calcium until the other 2 kicked on. I asked about chances of loosing my voice. He said, very rarely. I went into surgery and when I came out, my husband told me the doctor removed my entire thyroid. I was told that the doctor had found it to be abnormal (the doctor and pathologist couldnt rule it was or wasnt cancerous) and DECIDED to remove it then instead of going back and doing another surgery. It turned out the thyroid was not cancerous. The doctor never asked my husband (who was in the waiting room) if he could do the removal or if he should wait for test results of the thyroid. The doctor never came to see me after the surgery or the day after. It has been very emotional and difficult to deal with. The post surgery consultation, I heard it from the doctors mouth. He said he made the decision because of the Possiblity of a neuro-blast tumor I had in 1963 MAY have affected the thyroid. I feel robbed of the decision of this life altering surgery. Testing and medicine for the rest of my life. Weakness and fatigue. Possible hair loss. Does anyone know if this was Legal? Can he remove something without authorization that is NOT life threating?

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Kyle - you are not alone. I'm so sorry to hear about your issues. I suffer(ed) the same fate. I had a 3cm (cancerous) tumor and some nodules removed, along with both sides of my thyroid.... my surgeon smiled after my surgery and assured me there was no vocal cord damage. Imagine my shock when I suffered the same issues you're having now. His response? "Well I meant LONG TERM damage." He also told me he had to stretch the vocal cords to reach the tumor, and followed that with something insensitive like, "They aren't rubber. They don't just bounce back from that ya know?!" Uhhh.... No I didn't know.

Here are my honest answers as I experienced the. Please be aware that we all heal differently. :-D

The choking when swallowing took a few weeks to feel somewhat "safe" good 2 mos. to really feel like I wasn't about to cough myself into passing out. This might be weird, but I found that leaning reeeallly far forward, helped. Might have been psycological - but it worked. You will be able to clear your throat sooner though.

I am 7 mos post surgery - and I have to be honest. It took months to get my voice above much more than a whisper or crackle. And I work on the phone for a living! Luckily - they have voice ampliphiers here. But I had to "train" my kids to respond to a whistle when more than 3 feet away from me - friends would walk-off without much thought and I'd be left with a choice of chasing them, or stomping my feet like an ass! :-) lol! I suggest that you have talk with anyone you're around on a regular basis and anyone you might be going out in public with - ask them to be mindful and patient. I sounded like a frog for at least 4-5 mos. Somehwere around the 6 month timeline, I started to get a stronger voice and can now yell in a quiet(ish) setting - kind of (I still use the whistle tho! lol!). My best friend said last night, "This is the first time since your surgery, that I can kind of hear you in a crowded bar and don't need to read your lips!" THAT was thrilling! I still cannot sing most notes and I had a nice singing voice, with a very wide range vocally. That has been one of the hardest things for me - losing my ability to sing. Also - you don't realize how much of your identity is wrapped up in your voice. It's been a HUGE blow to me. I sang everywhere!

Finally - my breathing - you didn't mention this in your inital post (all that I've been able to read so far) I am 7 mos post-op and still unable to walk a block w/out feeling like I will pass out from lack of oxygen. I used to hike 5 miles on the mountain trails - I got winded, but not completely breathless. Now.... I can't climb 13 steps, or wrestle my puppy/kids, w/out gasping for air. I hate it. I was overweight to start - and am more so now. I was overweight but fit before. I am now just overweight. The whole thing has damaged my self confidence more than I care to admit. I am a positive, upbeat person. Not prone to bouts of self pity - but I do wish I'd been sufficiently forewarned. I have a co-worker who says 4 years later, she still has the breathing issues. But she recently heard there was a "fix." I am working on straightening out my Ins - and I will research it. You should too.

I wish you luck. I hate to sound negative. Really. I am ALWAYS aware that there are people out there who have it MUCH worse. I am alive, and for all intents and purposes - healthy. I have two happy, healthy kids, a job, a roof over my head, etc. I just wish I would've been more prepared.

Take Care, Jody Still - I move forward and laugh every single day. And now, I ALMOST sound human when I do! Good luck to you.

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I had my entire thyroid removed in 2005 due to cancer and my left vocal chord was damaged. mine is so bad that  I can't breath good at all and my airway is only 25% open. I can nolonger swallow solid foods, if I drink liquids too fast it comes out my nose. in 2010 my doctors diasabled me and I am now on social security disabilty and Met-Life disabilty. I can nolonger talk at all and now I find out my thyroid cancer is back even though I nolonger have a thyroid. my left vocal chord is always in the closed position and my right one is almost there due to I wore it out trying to talk. I can't even lift anything or my airway closes, all my neck muscels are sore from trying to talk. food always gets stuck in my throat and sometimes i can't get it down or back up without making myself vomit. lost my job as i was a heavy truck mechanic. i am only 52 years old. my surgery was performed by a profesoir at a major universty/hospital and he told me that vocal chord nerve damage is a risk but in all his years he has never damaged anyones vocal chord nerve and told me not to worry. well here i am now, can't eat can't talk, can't breath. now they tell me my only option is to have a trach pipe installed in my neck so i can breath. well i will die before i get one of those. hope all of you have better luck then i did.

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I also had major complications after total thyroid removal in March of this year.  . I found this post also searching for information on what is "normal" after this kind of surgery.  My thyroid was twice enlarged with a 24 cm x 19 cm mass inside the right side from a goiter.  I then developed a 2cm nodule all benign, but because of Hashimoto Disease. No one ever explained this disease to me, I just assumed it was the goiter. After surgery I also still feel like the same lump is in the throat worse than before. Now the lump feels more in the middle making it difficult to swallow and drink water, but I have also found tipping my head forward makes it easier to swallow. I also have constant tingling in my feet and hands and face. I can't concentrate and feel depressed and moody, all of which have NEVER been a problem before.  My face and hands are puffy and I feel toxic. Some days are worse than others but I have a great nutritionist and endocronologist. Although the levels are normal you can still have symptoms, mine due to Hashimoto Disease. The antibodies are very high and still are a problem,  I can't really figure out how to control. I also have the shortness of breath and not able to finish a sentence. My nutritionist said it is muscular from holding the head wrong, and must be stretched out. Scar tissue is building and also causes a tight feeling. My voice was hoarse as well and still gets weak if I talk a lot but my throat gets swollen with a burning sensation after eating certain foods.  With autoimmune diseases you can have more than one which complicates syptoms.  I am going to be tested for Celiac Disease, because of the severe Vitamin D and calcium deficiency that causes burning and tingling all over. Food allergies that I am now more sensitive to than before and partly the breathing tube that was rammed down my throat are also a problem for burning and swelling. My surgeon did warn me it was a seriously complicated surgery but I never dreamed of this either.  No one ever mentioned all these complications and not too many doctors care to treat them.  It is a major ADJUSTMENT to life. But It's not cancer and I am grateful for that. Good luck to all of you!

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I had a complete thyroid removal due to a tumor the size of a large grapefruit.  I had no problems with my voice or swallowing .  I research every Physician carefully before I decide who to go to.  If a Dr. cannot answer my questions or acts to busy to talk about possibly side effects of the surgery I don't go back, I do more research.  My Sister and my Niece have also had Thyroid removal with no complications.  Your Dr. should do 5 or 6 thyroid surgeries a week to be proficient. Ask him how many he has done, how many complications he has had and what he does to correct the problems.  You should go into surgery feeling very confident about the Dr. you choose.  I have had many years of trying to maintain Thyroid levels.  You can find some helpful advise and a list of good Thyroid Physicians at Stop The Thyroid Madness on the internet.  Hope all of you do well and find your answers.  

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as i said in my post the doctor they removed my thyroid is a head and neck surgeon and a professor and teaches these types of surgeries at university of washington medical center in seattle washington and told me my case is the first he has ever seen with my problems after my thyroid was removed. thanks for your post though.
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