Effects of thyroidectomy on women

When thyroid disease becomes serious to a certain extent, removing it is not an effective treatment method. For women, are there any complications after thyroid removal? Many patients have such doubts. We can deal with such situations based on in-depth understanding and should not scare ourselves without a diagnosis. Let’s take a look at it together below.

Shortness of breath and apnea after surgery. It is the most dangerous complication after surgery, and most cases occur within 48 hours after surgery. Common causes include: rupture of capillaries in the wound, resulting in abscesses and compression of the bronchi; bronchial collapse; laryngeal edema; and damage to bilateral recurrent laryngeal nerves.

Thyroid storm. The cause of the disease is not certain. The crisis is mostly caused by insufficient preparation before surgery and inability to control hyperthyroidism symptoms. Thyroid crisis usually occurs within 12 to 36 hours after surgery, with symptoms including high fever, rapid and weak pulse (more than 120 beats per minute), irritability, delirium, and even coma, often accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea.

Twitching of hands and feet. If the thyroid gland is mistakenly removed during surgery, or if it is injured or its blood supply and demand balance is affected, it can cause thyroid dysfunction and the blood potassium concentration to drop below 8mg%. In severe cases, it can drop to 4mg% to 6mg%, which will significantly increase neuromuscular stress and cause twitching of the hands and feet. Symptoms usually appear 1 to 3 days after surgery. Most patients have mild and transient symptoms, with only a pricking sensation or stiffness in the face, lips, hands and feet. In severe cases, persistent spasms of the facial muscles and hands and feet may occur several times a day, each lasting 10 to 20 minutes or longer.

Hoarseness. It is mainly caused by direct damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerve during surgical operation, such as suture, clamping, etc.; rarely, it is caused by compression of abscess or expansion of scar tissue. The former occurs during surgery or immediately after waking up from general anesthesia, while the latter occurs several days after surgery. Hoarseness caused by disconnection and suture is a permanent injury; hoarseness caused by extension of clamps or compression of abscesses is usually temporary and can usually be gradually recovered over 3 to 6 months through acupuncture and physical therapy.

Because the thyroid cyst has undergone irreparable changes, combined with physical condition, we finally decided to undergo resection surgery. It is not that we have lost anything because of this, but this resection surgery was carried out for a happy life and a healthy body. After surgery, you need to pay more attention and add more nutrients to your diet to help the body recover as quickly as possible.