| Author | Subject: Thyroid Surgeon |
| AliceB | Posted At 12:06:04 03/25/2003 I am going to have thyroid surgery the end of April (my thyroid is calcifying and I am having trouble swallowing pills, etc.). The surgeon I have selected has done many thyroid surgeries, but his specialty is para-thyroid surgery. I was told that having someone who specializes in pare-thyroid surgery is a plus as they have to be very-very careful in what they cut, etc. Would you think this is true? |
| Beth Witten | Re: Thyroid Surgeon (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 23:35:24 03/27/2003 The parathyroid glands are small glands that sit on top of the thyroid gland. The parathyroid glands are important because they make a hormone that helps to keep the calcium and phosphorus in your body in balance - something that is key in keeping bones healthy. Therefore, even if you need to have your thyroid removed, if the surgeon who operates on you locates the parathyroids, he/she can save them and put them back in your body where they should continue doing their work. |
| Greg E. | Re: Thyroid Surgeon (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 13:43:34 07/10/2003 I am told I should have a subtotal thyroidectomy for a large multinodular goiter. The nuclear scan is negative for hot or cold nodules, and I am euthyroid. Is it advisable to have this done without a pre-operative biopsy? |
| Beth Witten | Re: Thyroid Surgeon (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 23:26:22 07/10/2003 The question you asked is outside our area of expertise. Be sure to talk with your doctor about any questions or concerns that you have about your condition. In the meantime, I found a web site that describes thyroid goiter at http://www.endocrineweb.com/goiter.html. At the end of the description, there is a link to a page about when to biopsy. This may give you some ideas of topics to discuss with your doctor. |
| Don h | Re: Thyroid Surgeon (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 21:03:07 09/14/2003 My wife is going to have surgery in a week to remove a growth in the area of the parathyroid gland which is interfering with her calcium balance. Is this a common surgery and what are some of the possible side effects, etc. |
| Beth Witten | Re: Thyroid Surgeon (Currently 0 replies) Posted At 23:57:01 09/14/2003 The parathyroid gland releases a hormone called parathyroid hormone (PTH) that helps to keep the calcium and phosphorus in the body in balance. As to your wife's specific situation, I recommend that you and your wife talk with her surgeon. Some questions you might want to ask include: 1) What is the condition called? 2) How common is this condition? 3) What does the surgery involve? 4) How do you know if it's successful? 5) What is the recuperation period? 6) Will your wife need to do anything (diet, activities) differently after the surgery and for how long? There is a great resource called MEDLINEplus that you might want to look at. It has links to several articles that should be able to give you some idea of other questions to ask your wife's the surgeon. www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/parathyroiddisorders.html Good luck! |