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I had a partial thyroidectomy 2 months ago. It was non cancerous. I am not on medication. T

Posted , 5 users are following.

charletta55876
charletta55876

two weeks ago my left thumb will not bend. And the fingers are stiff. Is this sudden arthritic feeling connected to the surgery.  I'm 65 years old and feel fine. No side effects.

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • LBethH
    LBethH charletta55876

    Posted

    Hi, I had a full thyroidectomy because of a tumour about four years ago.

    I've never had that kind of symptom, but you can suffer with aches and pains which could be a reason.

    I struggled particularly with calcium deficiency because my parathyroid was permanently damaged. When my calcium medication is unstable I get very bad tingling in my hands ( like pins and needles) my hands actually lock so I can't move them. However every time this happens it is both hands and all fingers- not sure if that's the same for you.

  • shellyC19
    shellyC19 charletta55876

    Posted

    Hello Charletta:

    My name is Shelly and I am a nurse in the USA.  I also have Hashimoto's thyroid disease.

    When you have a part of the thyroid removed, your body has a bit of a shock as a part of the thyroid is not there and hormone levels could have changed.

    It would be wise to have a calcium level checked,  as on the corners of the thyroid gland sit the Parathyroid glands (which make calicum in your body),  one on each corner and if 2 are missing your calcium could dip low and muscles will spam or ache.

    TSH also should be checked and T4 and T3.  Sometimes the remaining part of the gland will compensate as make enough to support the body.

    So ask your doctor to test the calcium level and Thyroid hormones also.

    Keep us posted on how you do, any questions just ask.

    Shelly

     

    • charletta55876
      charletta55876 shellyC19

      Posted

      Thank you Shelley for your prompt reply. I shall make an appointment with my doctor immediately. I will keep you posted.

      Charletta

    • traci46096
      traci46096 shellyC19

      Posted

      Hi Shelly, I'm Traci and I live in the US. I have been in the most pain since I had my parathyroid hormone removed in October 2015. I thought once they took the tumor I would feel better but I feel worse. Since then, I've had another ultrasound and discovered there are in fact two cyst that still remain. One on my thyroid and the other I'm not sure but suspect it's on another parathyroid hormone. My PTH is back up to 153 but my calcium is 9.4. I'm waiting to see a different endocrynologist but until then could you suggest anything that might help me. I take 800mg of IB daily to function. This can't be long term I know but right now it's my only solution.
    • shellyC19
      shellyC19 traci46096

      Posted

      Hello Traci:

      Wow sorry to hear this about your Parathyroid Gland and the formation of cysts.  Cysts can cause pain as they can swell in a small space and push on nerve tissue.

      Normal USA calcium reference ranges are 8.6 to 10.3 so if you are at 9.4 that is good.

      Pain from cysts and inflammation respond well to steriods like Prednisone.  They shrink tissue which may stop any irritation.  Motrin or IB 800mg is okay except it can raise blood pressure and bother your tummy, so  take it with food.  Short term use of steriods can be helpful so you may want to ask for that.

      Sometimes nerve tissue is bothered and until it heals you can feel like electrical type pain.  A medication called Gabapentin (Neurotin) has been known to help with that. It was designed for Epilepsy but it does work on nerve pain. 

      Also you may think this sounds weird but acupuncture works on bad pain issues well and even on nerve pain. My hubby hurt his shoulder and could not lift his arm, and took all the Motrin 800mg and all but after 3 treatments of acupuncture his pain was gone. It really does work and I know others who used it also and had good results.

      See a good Endocrinologist.  Are you having any muscles or spams happening?

      Keep me posted on how you do.

      Shelly

    • traci46096
      traci46096 shellyC19

      Posted

      Thank you Shelly for responding to me. All your advice is helpful as I look forward to seeing your comments on here. Yes, to answer your question about muscle pain and spasms. I'm dealing with them both and I seem to be growing worse. I so look forward to seeing the new endocrynologist. I'm told she specializes in matters such as these. I just need relief from the pain. Otherwise I'd be ok. I'll look into getting the acupuncture. That's gonna be interesting for me. I'm deathly afraid of needles but I abhor being in this much pain daily. So, the acupuncture doesn't sound as bad.
    • shellyC19
      shellyC19 traci46096

      Posted

      Hello Traci:

      Acupuncture needles are so thin and they do not go in that deep. I just was so amazed on how it worked on him. Some cultures have been around for thousands of years and have figured things out a bit better than Western medicine.

      They know where pain areas are and how to release the blocked QI (pronounced CHEE).  Give it a try and see.  I know it sounds weird but itworked where the meds did not.

      Keep me posted on how you do,

      Shelly

    • traci46096
      traci46096 shellyC19

      Posted

      Thank you Shelly. I am going to give it a try. Talk with you soon.
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