shortness of breath and upper chest tightness after total thyroidectomy

Deni,
I had my total thyroidectomy back on July 21. It's now Oct. 1, and I'm just NOW starting to feel half-way "normal" again! I've been doing some neck stretching exercises, and that seems to help some. My throat feels very small, too, and some of the nerves in my throat are still not working right on one side. I have to take a drink of water to make food go on down sometimes! My tumor was very embedded, so my surgery was pretty extensive I guess. I'm still hoping sometime those nerves will heal. My voice is still weak and hoarse. If the recurrent laryngeal nerve has been cut, that one vocal cord will never get unparalyzed. So I have been asking everyone to pray that God will heal it for me.

I used to make a "wheezing" sound when I took in air, too, but that finally subsided after about 2 months. I still get shortness of breath, too. I don't know WHAT they do in this surgery that causes that! I had an echocardiogram to make sure I didn't get congestive heart failure from the anesthesia, but I didn't, thank goodness! So I don't know WHAT it is!

Good luck to you! I know it's frustrating! Hang in there!

Pat

Relieved to hear I'm not the only one struggling with chest pain/tightness and shortness of breath post thyroidectomy. Mine was performed 2 months ago and now whenever I exercise I have rapid heart beat to the point where it hurts and painful breathing. After a long day at work (I'm a therapist) I experience a sore throat and little voice left. Ugh. All suggestions welcome.

Wow, I can't believe I am not the only one who feels this way. It sounds weird but I feel a little bit better reading that other people are having the same problems and that I am not just going loopy. I am 32 and have had a total thyoidectomy in December 2010. That was nearly 4 months ago. Originally the drs (GP and Endocrinologist) kept telling me that my symtoms (ie. heart pulpitations, shaking, exhausted, hard to breath, disinterested in life) were not related to my large nodules on both sides of thyoid. The nodules were that big that it looked like I had a fat band around the base of my neck. Finally after every test possible, they did a CT and discovered that my trachea was compressed more than half and that was why I was having extreme difficulty breathing and even surviving each day. I then had the total thyoidectomy within one month, and since the surgery don't really feel that much better. My breathing is a bit better than it had become but still not normal. I have been to several drs who have all said that it takes time and the surgery was fine....... I have now convinced my dr to let me have another CT scan to check if the trachea has opened back up to normal. Apparently if your trachea has been compressed at all it can take a LONG time if at all to go back to where it should be. My dr has told me that shortness of breath is not related to the total thyoidectomy. I can't even carry my daughter, walk quickly, play around or last more than a minute on the treadmill without feeling like I am going to faint and not get a breath. It feels like something is tied around your neck and stops you breathing properly. pretty much every night I am struggling to breath. I am an asthmatic but take medication for it. This is definiately a shortness of breath in the throat area not the lungs/chest. My advice is trust your body and how you feel. I think most drs only work off mainstream reasons for these feelings (depression...) This is a very long process.

After reading all of the problems after surgury. I would rather go with the cancer for I would not want to live like that and would never take those poisonous pills.I am in no pain now and have no symtoms.

It gets a lot better, don't worry, I have been through this. I had a complete Thryroidectomy 10 years ago. At first I was very worried with these same symptoms and got the same usual lack of information from my Doctors. I did speak with the surgeon and he explained this is common due to the surgery. It has taken time, but it gets a lot, lot better and now I only get these symptoms when I have a cold etc. I would not let this keep you from the surgery, as when I think of how I was before the surgery and now years one, it's worth it. So I don't think any of you are going crazy, it's all part of it and very difficult for a while and please believe me from my experience it really does improve with time. I felt like these problems resolved in about 1 - 2 years, as I said I now only suffer with them when I have a cold, which I do now and guess what, having them again, but I know what they are and they will go away again. :-D :-D

I am 5 1/2 years out of a thyroidectomy.  I have had voic problems from the beginning.  I can no longer carry a tune.  I frequently become hoarse.  My voice is often breathy.  I also lose my voice.  Sometimes I'll go months with no problem with laryngitis, then all of a sudden, my voice is gone.  It might be gone for a few minutes or as long as 3 days.  Ususally I develop a hoarseness, which then goes into a complete voice loss; alternatively, I feel my lower throat starting to tighten, and when I attempt to speak, the voice is gone.  Within the past 5 or 6 months, I have started to have a small amount of pain in my lower throat right before and during the laryngitis.  I have no trouble breathing.  Sleeping, and thus relaxing, does not restore my power of speech.  It's a mystery.

Has anyone else had this problem for this long a time?  My doctors can find no reason for this...

It's now been almost a year since my TT. I mainly get hoarse now when I have a cold or bad allergies. I'm still having the same difficulties, though, with breathing when I do anything strenuous at all! No one can explain that one! However, my recurrent laryngeal nerve WAS cut during the surgery, due to the cancerous tumor extending up OUT of my thyroid, right where the nerve is located!

I am reading every post in here and could relate to everyone here.  I for one have not had surgery on my thyroid since the doc felt no need since my biopsy of my three nodules were benign.  I get checked every six months. I feel every symptoms like everyone here.  My shortness of breath, tiring easily, not sleeping well, burning sensations in my neck and back. Heart papitations.  My symptoms started over 5 years ago when I always woke up tightness on the chest and shortness of breath.  I have been taken to the Emer room so many times and they always think it can be heart related due to my age [mid 40's] but they always ruled it out.   I went to a pulmonologist and they could not pin point that I had asthma.  IF I have a cold my breathing gets worst.  I do have an inhaler now and when I feel short of breath, it does help me which is all weird.   I do suffer from Acide Reflux and they pin it to that too.  I also have a raspy voice on and off.  I was very healty until I diagnosed with Hyper Thyroid.  I took meds for two years until doc claim my count T4 was now normal but my symptoms never went away.  I need rest more often than not, to feel better.  My primary care doc claims it can be due to my overweight but I was always overweight so why now.  If fact if I go swimming or just walking, that same night I would feel miserable not better.  I have had no results either.  I have been so frustrated with no answers yet.  I just deal with my problems now.  I did notice however that I started taking multi vitamins every day for the first time in my life with extra B12 and Folic Acid, Vitimin D every other day {I dont recall where I read to take these vitamins but I did]  and started feeling much better and even my symptoms were less present.  So I thought is it my imagination.  I finished one bottle and have not taken any for 3 weeks.  Now I am feeling horrible again.  I wonder if Thyroid issues gives you a deficiency somewhere in your body.    So I am off to GNC again to feel on all the vitamins and see if I start improving again.  I hope I do.  Its very scary to me thinking if I am having a heart attack or not every time I am short of breath, but I have learned to calm down because like I call them oh, I have another "attack" but lord willing it will go away.  I noticed I will be up at least 2 to 3 hours and if I drink water for a while and urinate a couple of times my body will calm down again. I get the feeling that something toxic is present and once I flush it all away, my body relaxes and I am able to get back to sleep.  Anyways, I feel for everyone here, I have this problems for five years now with no result what so ever. 

Has anyone tried alternative medicine?  I've been treated for Lyme disease with both antibiotics and herbs and homeopathics.  It's so-o much better but has left my thyroid a mess..I guess that's common with lyme.  I was told to start with treating the adrenals.  You can't heal the thyroid if the adrenals are not functioning well.  I'm losing my hair and have shortness of breath.  I just started a homeopathic for thyroid..we'll see.  It was successful with Lyme disease so hopefully it will help my thyroid as well.
Just a suggestion...if you're fed up with conventional Drs, consider a Naturopathic physician.

Good luck everyone!

Hey! Sorry to hear about your complications. I to am having similar problems. Mine is mostly just wheezing a lot and having problems breathing for time to time. I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma in 2006 and since then I have had 3 surgeries and 3 radioactive iodine ablation therapies. My surgeries consisted of a thyroidectomy, partial neck dissection and a complete neck dissection. And just recently I have started wheezing extremely bad. I fear it's from the multiple surgeries but also wonder if it could be allergies as well. Nevertheless I'm sure I'll figure it out soon enough because I am still getting check ups for the cancer.

I had papillary cancer and my thyroid was totally removed.  I have some nodules on my lungs, that was found in a heart test. No doctor was concerned until they found out I had thyroid cancer.  I have a CATScan this Friday.

I am 59 years old and was very heathly and had no problems health wise. After having a total thyroidectomy my body will not shut down to fall asleep, i also have shortness of breath. After my surgery i had shortness of breath real bad 17 hours a day untill i went to sleep, could not do anything . I found out that my generic synthroid meds were not working on my body so he change me to name brand. I still cannot work or have much of a social life beacuse i get so winded. I also want to say ive never smoked,drugs of any kind, i excerzed regular, not over weight at all but now i went to having a great life to no life ever since the surgery which has been 5 months. Its been very depressing but i pray every day that i will get better, if i dont i may have to go to a lung doctor. People dont realize what not having a thyroid can do to someone also all the things it controls.

Hang in there,

Cathy

LJ, I can tell you that the problem with lying on your back will get better in time. However, a year and a half later, I still get winded when I try to do anything even half-way strenuous!! I was just walking fast into Target this morning and got out of breath! NONE of my doctors can explain it. It IS related to the surgery, because I was fine before the surgery! You're right -- we know our OWN bodies and when something is not right. Good luck to you, and I hope things get better. I've just decided that it's going to be a permanent part of my life and accept it, as I don't want to go to hundreds of specialists who can't figure it out either! Best of luck to you!

I had exactly the same symptoms and did the same tests (all negative). Also, I am a doctor, so I have an idea about what is going on. What was the solution? Try more in the gym, try to run, try to do a little better every day, but try constantly. Try to be motivated. You will be feeling much better after 2-3 weeks. I did so...

I had a total thyroidectomy 5 weeks ago and had chest tightness and shortness of breath the first 4 weeks. I still have some shortness of breath with even a little bit of exertion but the tight feeling is gone. Yay! Glad to read the other experiences to know this isn't unusual. I've had asthma for over 20 years and allergies all my life, but this chest tightness and shortness is different.