If You've Had a Thyroidectomy (removal) Do You Regret It?

If you’re getting your thyroid removed it’s usually for a really good clinical reason like thyroid cancer.

i have a goiter (not obvious but the doctor can feel it) and i had it biopsied and the doctor called me up on a friday afternoon when i was at work and said “the pathology report says “some suspicious cells.” you probably have thyroid cancer.” she referred me to a surgeon. I left the job and called my supervisor who was very supportive. She said “why are you going to a surgeon? they will want to do surgery?” i spent the weekend crying and upset. i got the pathology report and it did say “some suspicious cells.” that was all the report said – 3 words.

so i go to a surgeon the following week, and i brought my mother so there would be another set of ears and someone else to ask questions. My mother told me “your goal is to preserve your body parts.” The surgeon said the surgery is pretty routine, blah blah blah. he seemed like a good surgeon. however, the following day i scheduled an appointment with an endocrinologist, one of the best in his field, and he told me “you don’t worry until i tell you that you have something to worry about.” he said “if you do have thyroid cancer it’s the best cancer to have because it’s contained in the thyroid – it does not spread,” he sent my biopsy to his pathologist. it came back with a 3 PAGE report that was very detailed and said repeatedly “no malignant cells identified.” He started me on Synthroid and i’ve been on it ever since. i am very glad i did not listen to the first idiot and have my thyroid removed.

I had a hemi-thyroidectomy, only on the right side. I don’t regret my surgery. I had cancer! The only thing was that I grew 2 inches in the meantime. I wish I’d been able to grow a couple more inches before the mofo was removed. :/

@jca I am SO glad you got a second opinion!! So the first pathologist read the biopsy results wrong? Boy, was That close!
Happy for you! My dad was always getting goiters and was on Synthroid for many years (I think Armour is better but…)
ps. I am pretty sure I’ve read that thyroid cancer CAN spread but I’d have to check.

@Aster It depends on the type of thyroid cancer. If it’s papillary carcinoma, it tends to be slow-growing. If it’s anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (like the late Justice Rehnquist had), it’s much more aggressive and can spread.

I used to have Grave’s disease (hyper-active thyroid). When I was 15, I went into thyroid storm. Many options were discussed, including ‘killing’ my thyroid with radiation or removing it surgically. Since I was so young, it was decided that every attempt should be made to save it… so no surgery or radiation was done.

Sadly, the thing burned so hot and bright that two years later it had died on its own. My thyroid is about as dead as a doornail, and has been for 25 years. I’ve been on Synthroid (or the generic) ever since. Looking back on the two years of hell I went through only to have the thing die, I kind of wish I’d had it removed immediately. It just seems like I could have skipped all that and jumped right into treatment for under-active thyroid, since I ended up there anyway.

Oh, well. Hindsight, and all that.

@Aster: the results of the pathology report said “some suspicious cells” and based upon that she told me i probably had cancer and should see a surgeon. the second opinion doctor said “of course they’re suspicious, that’s why we send them to a pathology lab.” the original doctor was an endocrinologist at a major medical center, and i guess i was one of a million people that went to her. the second opinion was (and is) what they call a “boutique doctor” who does not take insurance, but you pay check and you submit on your own to your insurance. he also runs an endocrine training institute for other doctors. i would definitely recommend second opinion before having any body part removed!!

@jca thanks. I’ll have to figure out how to send the results to another lab. I don’t think his “doctor” will appreciate it.