Post-op thyroid management

December 31, 2011

Hi everyone (and a Happy and Healthy New Year to you all! - I'll be asleep well

before midnight...),

I was wondering if anyone has any experience of managing hypothyroidism

post-surgery. I know that Dr Peatfield says that surgery is one of the most

challenging things for the thyroid, and so it certainly seems.

The background is: I was diagnosed hypo in June and started on Armour Thyroid. I

was increasing the dose very gradually, starting on 1/4 grain, and had reached 2

1/4 grains by early November (doctor expects I may need 3 grains eventually).

However, at that time I was struck down with a severe disc prolapse in my

mid-spine and, to cut a long story short, had surgery on 9th December to remove

the disc before I became paralysed, as it was compressing my spinal cord.

Because of where the disc was, the surgery was fairly invasisve - they went in

through the ribs, collapsed the lung, and removed the disc that way.

The problem was that when I was lying around a lot immediately before the op, it

became apparent to me that I was on too much Armour Thyroid, as I was constantly

hot, had a pounding heartbeat, and couldn't sleep. The hospital confirmed this

as there were issues with the anaesthetic, which can happen when you're

hyperthyroid. So I dropped back down to 2 grains and everything was fine for a

while, and I was recovering well from the surgery.

Since I've got home and am more active, things have got worse again - cold,

really tired, can't concentrate - so I'm back on 2 1/4 grains. The trouble is, I

still feel really really exhausted and low, more so than can be explained by the

recent surgery. I actually feel a lot less energetic than I did when I first

returned home, and it's getting worse rather than better.

Has anyone got any suggestions for managing this please? Do I just have to

weather the storm? How long is it likely to last before I pick up again?

Could/should I increase to 2 1/2 grains sooner than I had planned? (I'm

currently planning the next increase on 10th January.) Has anyone else got any

experience of post-op thyroid problems? You know what it's like, I can't really

discuss this usefully with my GP...

Thanks - and sorry for the long post.

Becky

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