Guest guest Posted January 6, 2003 Report Share Posted January 6, 2003 wrote: > I was told that I am having all of my right lobe removed, and then 95% of the left lobe removed. However, when I got the pre-admit paperwork it says, " Total Bilateral Thyroidectomy " . Does that mean that they will remove all of both lobes, or since they are planning on leaving me only 5% of the left lobe it counts as a total in the paperwork??? Also, what are the risks of reoccurrence if they leave 5% of the left lobe? Then again, maybe there are some benefits for leaving it??? Total thyroidectomy, subtotal thyroidectomy, near total, etc. - they all add to up to about the same thing; they take almost all of the thyroid, leaving only the parts touching or surrounding sensitive areas like the larynx, etc. The advantage of leaving 5% is that they're not risking damaging sensitive nerves, etc., but you won't get to keep that little remnant; the RAI will kill it off, which is as it should be. Once all thyroid cells (malignant or benign) have been killed off and your thyroglobulin (Tg) levels are zero (or <2 or undetectable, depending on the lab), you can be monitored for recurrence with RAI scans and Tg tests. Any increase in your Tg level indicates a recurrence. If they left the remnant, they'd never know if the Tg was cancer or not. (not a doctor) NYC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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