Tuesday morning, I underwent surgery to remove my thyroid and the cancer it contained. It took over three hours for the surgeons to do their job. Afterward, they told me that it appears the cancer didn’t spread beyond the thyroid, which is extremely good news. If they missed any, the radioactive iodine I’ll be drinking in a few weeks should take care of that.
I spent Tuesday night in the hospital, where they monitored my calcium levels and other vital signs to ensure that the surgery went well. Although the hospital staff was very attentive and treated me very well, it was still a fairly unpleasant night. Every time I tried to fall asleep, my mouth and throat would dry out and wake me up. I’m pretty sure I saw every hour pass from 3pm when they put me in the hospital room until about noon Wednesday when they released me. When I got home yesterday, I took a couple of pain medication pills and a nap on the couch.
In terms of recuperation, I’ve been asked to sleep with my head raised up so that any swelling caused by the surgery will be carried down to my chest rather than remaining in my neck. That makes sleeping comfortably a little difficult, but not impossible.
Today, I was allowed to shower as long as I didn’t get the surgery area on my neck too wet and didn’t attempt to scrub or dry it. That probably did as much to help me feel better as the pain medication.
All things considered, I actually don’t feel too bad. The surgery site looks like something from one of Dr. Frankenstein’s experiments. It’s stitched up and covered with “steri strips” (tape-like stuff). The steri strips are a bit bloody-looking, which contributes to the Frankenstein look.
My throat is still a bit raw and sore from having a tube stuck down it during the surgery. That’s probably the majority of the pain I’m feeling right now. The surgery site doesn’t hurt much, unless I put stress on it by moving my neck too much in any one direction.
All that prevents me from returning to work at this point is all the paperwork. Unfortunately, it looks like I may have left that on my desk Monday. Hopefully, my wife will be able to get that sorted out for me tomorrow.
