Feeling "crazy" after total thyroidectomy. How long will this last?
Posted , 16 users are following.
Hello everyone, this is my first time posting so bare with me please.
I was diagnosed with Graves' disease back in March of 2015, and let me tell you it's been a real treat...*insert mad face here* I had every symptom you could imagine. For months my thyroid levels either went down a little or would sky rocket and my goiter would just grow and grow no matter what we did. Finally my endocrinologist decided to up my dosage to see what that did. Luckily when I went back that next month my levels were good and I was cleared for surgery! That was a happy moment! So on Nov. 3rd I had my surgery, which went fantastic. It was however 6 hours long, the surgeon said my thyroid was a lot bigger than he expected, 10 cm on each side, and was so tight it was like it was glued to my neck. I woke up without any pain and have recovered beautifully since. The only thing is my anxiety, which was originally a lovely side effect of my disease, has been on full blast. I started a new job last week, but it gave me massive panic attacks so I had to quit. I don't know if this will eventually calm down the more I take the synthroid or if this is going to be my new norm. I am currently on anxiety medicine, I have been on it since August and my doctor just uped my dose right after my surgery cause the old dose wasn't working. I am constantly worrying about stupid stuff, but for the most part I still feel fine. It just comes and goes. I've always known I've had some type of anxiety problem, but this is on a whole new level. I need to be working, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to shake the anxiety and I'm going to have to suffer through it. Can anyone tell me when this should calm down or if they had a similar story?
By the way when I say that for the most part I feel fine and the anxiety comes and goes I should ellaborate. I am constantly worrying about something, things that probably won't even happen, but I still feel normal. It's not crippling or anything. The only time it got really bad was when I started that new job. It was a serving job and I wasn't comfortable at all with how they ran things there. So maybe it was just that situation??? Once I decided to quit and I told my manager I felt like my old self again...just the little worry wart I always was.
0 likes, 25 replies
segan62887 tk8109
Posted
Good morning,
I have a full removal of my thyroid Sept 5,2017. They removed one Para thyroid and 12 lymph nodes as well.
I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer early August this year.
I have had several anxiety issues this year and they are seeming to get worse now. I am now on buspirone 10mg three times daily, wellbutrin daily and she just added hydroxyzine 25mg at bedtime to help me sleep.
I feel so out of wack and out of sorts with my body. Can anyone help me understand all of this more.
No one has ever said what to expect after surgery and I feel like I'm crazy.
I have been on LOA from work for 6 weeks now and I don't feel like I can go back yet due to how I feel.
Please help!!
Segan
michele92167 tk8109
Posted
Hi I’m Michele June of 2017 I had a full thyroidectomy due to goiters. I was put on levothyroxine 175 mg. I reached a point I didn’t feel like even feeding my fish-terrible lethargy. Blood work showed my free tsh to be 29.76 extremely high so my dr changed my dose to 125 mg. Three months bloodwork afterward my free tsh barely showed up so now I’m taking 150 mg. It’s been a month- I still feel crappy all the time and the main problem I have is getting angry enough to seriously hurt someone or something and for no reason whatsoever! I can be in a good mood and out of nowhere Satan has taken over. I have been on clonazepam every since surgery because I get so mean n angry feeling. I have to retreat to my room and just cry. If I’m around anyone I will definitely be hateful, say mean things and I cannot take it anymore. This cannot be my life. There was a two week period I guess when levels dropped I felt amazing like a teen again. I had my energy back, happy go lucky life couldn’t have been better. Rn I pray it won’t get worse. I’m wondering what type of specialist I could see because my ENT that did surgery doesn’t take my new insurance. It’s been a year almost and I cannot live like this. I don’t like taking medication as it is and on top of dealing with Dr Jekyll Mr. Hyde personally this has left me with the anxiety meds make me sleepy.
I don’t like what this has done to me.
Anybody have any ideas?
Thanks in advance ??
Marc66192 michele92167
Posted
Hi Michele,
So sorry you're going through this. I, too, had a full thyroidectomy, although mine was 8 years ago. Since then I've experienced many of the symptoms you've experienced... lethargy, anxiety, crazy irritability, etc, and I've been looking deeply into this for years.
Have you tried desiccated pig thyroid? It is literally the thyroid gland from a pig so it's not cooked up in a lab in any way. I think the synthetic stuff works fine for the majority of people, but I have found that I do much better on the pig. Insurance does not cover it, of course (I think this is because you cannot patent an animal part, by law, and therefore there is much less money to be made), but it's not prohibitively expensive.
Unfortunately (or fortunately in the end) you really need to take control of what's going on with you. In other words, educate yourself as many, many doctors are very unhelpful with these issues. Find a naturopath who thinks outside of the western medicine box (an extremely tight-fitting little enclosure that is kept small by big pharma, the AMA, and the FDA). I'm not going to get onto a soap box here, but they are clearly doing some insidious stuff. Anyway, the fact that western doctors don't learn anything about human diet (seems to be kind of important with regards to health, at least that is what their ultimate mentor Hippocrates said) should be our first clue that they are lacking many answers. They certainly have some of the answers, so they are good to use in conjunction with a naturopath. Listen to both doctors, do your own research, listen to your own body, and then, ultimately, decide for yourself how to care for you.
I am not a doctor, however, I would be careful taking any of the anti-this and anti-that drugs doctors are prescribing these days. These alter our brains in ways I don't think anyone really understands. You're on one until you feel crappy on that one and then they put you on another (or cocktail of others). At best they mask our ailments and at worst who knows what havoc they're causing us down the line?... either way they certainly do not get to any underlying conditions.
Look closely when you feel crappy... is there anything you can do to not be a monster to others? Anything that calms you? Takes your mind off things for a while? See what different foods do to your mood. For instance carbs make me tired, while fats and salts give me energy. This could be totally different for you, but it's good to be able to exploit the effects of food in this way (maybe that's what food was designed for). In the end, maybe we need to go through some of these nasty things in order to heal, and attempting to bypass them is probably akin to the old antibiotic "remedy" of seek-and-destroy. The world is in a lot of pain (and by "the world" I mean humanity)... what makes us think we won't feel that pain individually?
There is hope, Michele. And there is another side when you're "through" this. Find a good team, learn all you can, and take control. And... be gentle with yourself.
Best,
Marc
lauren52076 Marc66192
Posted
Hi Marc. I totally agree with everything you said. I just had a total thyroidectomy four weeks ago. I had an enlarged thyroid with nodules my whole life. My thyroid function was always normal and I felt fine. Every endocrinologist I went to, wanted me to remove my thyroid, because it could "turn cancerous". I rejected that idea, until out of nowhere, it became hyper...producing four times the normal hormone levels. I felt horrible. There was no other choice but to remove it. After surgery, I was told one of the nodules was "pre-cancerous." Before I had my thyroid removed, I read the book "Stop the Thyroid Madness" by Janie A. Bowthorpe. She recommends the Armour pig thyroid. Right now I am on 100 micrograms of synthroid and I won't even be having my levels checked until the middle of August. I do not have much faith in these doctors (when I asked my surgeon about the Armour before surgery, he told me to get off the internet) and I will definitely be going back to my doctor in Atlanta who practices integrated medicine and does my bio identical hormone replacement, for her opinion. I HIGHLY recommend anyone having these horrible symptoms, to please read this book, as this is exactly the symptoms the book describes! There is also a second book, "Stop the Thyroid Madness 2", that I will be reading next. As far as doctors wanting to prescribe drugs and surgeons wanting to do surgery...I once heard an old saying...a hammer is always looking for a nail.
michele92167 Marc66192
Posted
Thanks so much Marc66192! I didn’t mention forgetfulness did I? Idk why synthroid hadn’t crossed my mind. I have heard of that. I called a place the other day that specializes in hormone replacement supplements and whatnot and read reviews waiting on a call back. People saying they signed $10,000.00 credit lines for these things and being on disability atm that’s not a possibility.
Having felt pretty hopeless with options and the quality of live I’m living with (mood swings,irritability being the worst) I have gotten terribly depressed and question this existence. I woke up to an email notification this morning when a lady named Lauren replied to your comment on my post. I’d never known 3 months ago you replied with this information!!😳
I called insurance they DO cover Synthroid and I think there were 7 dosage levels! Next I called my dr.s office and I have an appointment at 8:15 tomorrow. So kudos to both of you as you’ve given me a HUGE amount of hope. I hope this resolves the problem and I can be the happy energetic loving person I was to some extent if nothing else.
You two I’m very thankful for your replies. Lifesavers honestly!
Here’s to this chapter.., 😊
michele92167 lauren52076
Posted
Thank you so much lauren52076! I woke up to a notification that you’d replied and the other reply I didn’t know had been there 3 months!
I appreciate the both of you so very much. I’ve gotten terribly depressed with the mood swings, depression and thinking I was out of options I was seriously questioning this existence.
My insurance does cover Synthroid and I go see my dr in the morning to discuss changing my medication. You guys rock, you’ve given me hope and something to look forward to. I will check out those books too as I want to learn all I can.
Oh and Marc if you see this I have been looking into diet. I’ve read different types of diets and one mentioned goes by your blood type as to what foods your body needs and processes well within reason keeping your overall health on track. Changing diet avoiding some medications with the difference diet makes (cholesterol,blood pressure etc) This I want to look into. I want to do what’s best for my body as I’ve never liked medication. People don’t realize the effects medication has on your liver and kidneys and whatnot.
But hey I’m truly thankful you two took the time to reply. 😊
aj02447 tk8109
Posted
i still have it my thyroid was taken out in 2016. Ive tried every combo of meds known to man and either had allergic reactions or my body didnt break it down. I still feel horrible but the one that got me closest (still very far away) to normal was NatureThroid. I just keep praying theyll work on thyroid transplants cause this life is no way to live.
christineMB tk8109
Posted
I had hypothyroidectomy almost 10 years ago, and my mood swings have affected me a lot. I am a visual artist, and i do not draw, let alone do portraits, which was what I did. That in turn has depressed me, but now i am thinking differntly since reading your blog. Thanks for sharing!
Vee55 tk8109
Posted
I had a total thyroidectomy July 2 2020...Asa singer a little but of my voice has returned but the real problem is I am starting to feel a tugging feeling or it feels like I have a knot in my throat and sometimes I feel like I'm not getting enough air.. I had an altrasound and it was good no lumps or masses were found and they saw nothing I was told it might be anxiety. As long as I am busy and doing ok I don't feel it only when I feel stressed a little I feel it so I am on Fluoxetine for almost two weeks I hope this helps or do I really have anxiety or something else