Tightness, fullness, painful neck post Thyroidectomy

So thankful to find others with same symptoms as my 15 year old daughter. She is so upset because she is in constant pain and feels tightness, pain N trouble swallowing! She had a half of thyroid romoved 6 months ago and can't bear to even rub maderma on the scar sight. She also has discoloration all above and around scar area. The surgeon and pediatric Endo say "wow we have never seen anyone with this" it makes it worse for her. Please post if anyone finds out what to do. She had an ultrasound done and we r waiting on results.

HAD THYROID SURGERY  DEC 2012   MY NECK FEELS TIGHT CAN FEEL BUMPS WHEN I TOUCH NECK IS THIS A NORMAL NECK HAD A HUGH GOITER SO NECK IS SO SMALLER IS THIS HOW ALL FEEL

I'm wondering if you found out anything since this last post. I too am going through something very similar - but I am almost 8 yrs post-surgery and had symptoms for very long time. What could it be? Just had a ultrasound and waiting to speak with the doctor, but I don't think they found anything. I want an explanation as to why I feel a choking, or pressure feeling on my neck.

Argeles wrote:

Guest wrote:

Its been 5 weeks since my total thyroidectomy. I am also experiencing the tightness, pulling and stretching feelings in my throat, at times it feels like there is a choke hold around the base of my neck. One of my recurrent laryngeal nerves was damaged, so I am hoarse but my ENT scoped my throat and said the nerve does have movement and is not permanently damaged. He also monitored it during surgery and knows it is still intact. As a side note, I still have puffiness around my scar, but have been applying Mederma and massaging it as my ENT recommended, the incision area is not painful. However, at this point I don't really care what my scar will look like, it's the constant feeling of being choked that has me alarmed. Could this choking sensation be related to the damaged RLN? I was perfectly fine before this surgery, and only had it to remove numerous abnormal growths on my perfectly good thyroid! I will be seeing my ENT this Tuesday so he can scope my throat (again) to try and figure out what is wrong, and may send me to a specialist. I am very concerned when I read posts where this choking sensation and feeling of tightness has not been resolved after months! Has anyone gone through this and finally found the cause and relief from these symptoms? I am very scared this is going to be with me the rest of my life. I cannot find my symptoms described as a complication of thyroidectomy on any medical website. Please post if you are going through this or have been through this and found the cause and relief. Thanks.

I had cosmetic neck lift surgery almost 6 months ago ; it was my 2nd such surgery in 8+ years; the first time no problem; this time I have exactly what you describe.

Did you find out the cause and get relief. My surgeon prescribed steroids; no help. He has offered to inject a steroid and local anesthesia into the area, but I have thought it is not likely to help. I don't know.

Thanks for these exercise suggestions. I am finding them helpful. I also noticed how tight my throat area was when doing the first exercise you described. I had a TT 3 weeks ago and the tightness and choking sensation is bothering me greatly. I will do any exercises that help!

I had my TT in October 2011. I have the same exact feeling of tightness. It is not all the time. It is usually worse at night and during my period it is horrible. during my period my entire neck in the front is sore and tight. I feel like my lymph nodes are swollen and my clavicle bone hurts a lot. I also get the tightness in my chest and throat and I was told it is unrelated. Dr said it is allergies but that just doesn't seem right to me. I am so concerned and annoyed that no one is listening to me o my symptoms.

I had a TT 3 weeks ago and also suffer from this tightness and feeling of choke hold around the base of my neck. My voice is weal and tires also. I saw my surgeon on Monday which wasn't helpful. saw my ENT the same day who was helpful. He said the "strap muscles" in my neck were as "tight as a rope" and this was pulling the larynx down, thus making me feel the tightness and making it hard for me to swallow food. He thought time should improve things...I teach childre with disabilities and need my voice to work well. I have booked to have an assessment with a Speech Pathologist who works particularly in this area. She said she would be able to give me exercises that should help. I am also seeing a physio weekly who is giving me neck stretching exercises and tips on massaging the scar and around the scar which is still swollen. I can't imagine living permanently with this tight sensation in my throat. I think I would go round the twist!

wish I could have good news. I had total removal in 2005. It is now 2012, and the tightness and difficulty swallowing are worse than ever before. All tests reveal I am technically ok, but they have no hope that this will improve. I cannot even talk for more than 1 minute without my throat becoming so tight, I can't breathe easily. I have quit talking to anyone because of it.

Glad I found this sight to know I am not the only one who suffers from the tightening in the throat.  It comes and goes.  It has been close to 30 years and I still have the problem.  My doctor thinks it is my stomach.  I feel like the rest of you, it goes with the surgery somehow.  

Since no one (even 26 doctors and numeorus tests) dont have an ansewer, them maybe it could be nerve damage. I know nerves around the throat get all frazzle up during surgery, and some of the permanent nerve damage the surgeons talk about might be manifesting in the form of chocking and fullness sensation. I just had surgery, June 14 and just started to have this sensation for no rhyme or reason. I think we should approach this more agressively from a neuro perspective, is my only explanation.

Unless you have had this choking feeling, it is impossible to understand how terrible it feels. You feel like someone is choking you and it really is scary to me. That probably makes it worse the more I get upset about it. When I had the goiter, it did not choke me any more than now.

Hello,

 

Yes, I agree it is a terrible feeling;  this is something that just happened to me.  As I may have posted before, I had a cosmetic lower face lift with no problems after in 2003.  I recovered "on schedule" perfectly.

 In 2006, I was diagnosed with a small, 5 mm, thyroid nodule on the right side that was asymptomatic. The only reason it was diagnosed at all is because a new internist I saw thought the right side of my thyroid felt a little enlarged on palpation [he is the only doctor who felt this on a routine exam], and ordered an ultrasound which is when the nodule was picked up.  Mind you, I had no neck discomfort at all with this.  That was followed by an Nuclear Medicine study which concluded that I had a subcentimeter [5mm] nodule that was "hot" and functioning OK with the rest of the thyroid.

In 2007, 2008, 2009, every year I had a monitoring US.  I may have missed one or two years.  Just this past Fall, 2011, I decided to have my neck lift [now 8 years old] "touched up."  I had it done by the same surgeon who did it in 2003.  My neck had no discomfort prior to the November , 2011 surgery.

For the first 6 weeks post op, I thought I was recovering as to be expected.  Around Week 7, I began to wonder if I should still have these sensations.  By week 12 post op, it was bothering me so much that I went back to the surgeon.  He gave me a course of Prednisone which did nothing.  He offered for me to come back and he would inject a local anesthetic with an anti inflammatory in hopes of breaking up what he thought my be a neuralgia.  Most , but not all, discomfort was on the right side.  It was kind of a moving target.

I decided not to do that and around late April, it started to go away; it was like 99% gone, and I was about to let the surgeon know that;  then I got very busy and did not get to it.  By the end of this May, 2012, the symptoms returned as bad as before,  at times worse, mostly right side again.  I had my "routine" US for 2012, and this time it showed the old 5mm nodule, but now finding a new, deep in the right side nodule of 7 mm  "possibly corresponding to the parathyroid gland",  Another nuclear medicine study was suggested.  I started to research the parathyroid glands and found the website for the Norman Parathyroid Center in Tampa, Florida.  Now I am under evaluation for hyperparathyroid disorder.

I would suggest anyone with any thyroid problems/ nodules, growths, etc., with or without discomfort, visit the Norman Parathyroid website and READ EVERYTHING .To be reassuring, most thyroid and parathyroid nodules or growths are not cancer, but the nodules can cause problems because they may be dysfunctional or secreting too much hormones and cause systemic problems.  Certainly, any scar tissue from prior surgeries, or nodules that my be pressing on structures can cause discomfort or pain.  In my case, my US report says that the nodules are "hypervascular" which means they are getting a strong push of blood and may be causing pressure on the trachea and other structures.

I am medically savy because of my profession, but I did not know much about the parathyroids and the degree to which various scans are not accurate;  all scans can do is give a clue. The parathyroids happen to sit [2] on each side of the thyroid; each the size of a grain of rice if they are normal;  they are anatomical neighbors, but have completely different jobs than thyroid. It is blood testing that is most important. Also, I learned that the best scans are not accurate alot of the time and that some less savy surgeons do much more thyroid surgery than is necessary, and that any doctor that tells you they are investigating only one side of your neck, is ill informed.  Finally, any discomfort and/or pain problem is always aggravated by stress and anxiety , anywhere in the body. 

MY BIGGEST ADVICE IS FOR YOU TO READ THE NORMAN PARATHYROID CENTER WEBSITE FOR A CLEAR EXPLANATION OF EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE GOING ON IN THE FRONT OF THE NECK.  IT MAY OR MAY NOT BE RELEVANT TO YOUR SITUATION, BUT MAYBE.

 

Good luck and I will post the outcome of my own situation when I know it.  I am having the correct blood studies next Friday;

One more point, if you find out you have any parathyroid involvement, [not thyroid] supplemental calcium, Vit D may be making your systemic symptoms worse;  I have been told to stop all supplementation until my evaluation is completed and for one full week before I have the first round of blood work;  Read the Norman website to understand why.  And also know there is a limitation to the best scans and that there are many false positives and false negatives.

Hello Marsha,



I have same syntomas that you experience. I had removed my whole T. Nov. 2011. 8 months later i feeling same S. you mention above...

I am 3 1/2 years post-op for right lobectomy and I have on-and-off numbness and fullness in my throat. It feels like something is in there and at times, like someone is tightening their grip around my neck. I think this is par for the course for some of us.

I too had a total thyroidectomy in Jan. 2009 with many lymph nodes followed by radioactive iodine. I still have tightness and fullness in my neck and lately sore throat/neck. Had an ENT scope- normal, endoscopy- mild acid reflux but still worried. When I last saw my surgeon, one of the best in NYC, he said scar tissue. Thank god my ultrasounds have been fine. Do I have to live with this? I would love any feedback.