If you have thyroid cancer, you may be facing surgery. It’s the most common treatment, and it’s usually very successful. Your surgery will depend on the kind of thyroid cancer you have.
Before surgery, you’ll have lab and imaging tests. They help the doctor know as much as possible about the cancer. You may have other exams or tests to check your overall health.
Thyroid surgery usually takes place without problems. You will have pain in the neck area, but medicine will help. You may also have a hoarse voice or sore throat for a few days. There may be a drain from the site of the incision. It helps with healing and will later be removed.
If all of the thyroid gland is removed, your doctor will probably prescribe thyroid hormone replacement medicine to replace the thyroid hormones. You may need this medication the rest of your life, and the doctor will probably have to make a few changes along the way to make sure you get the right amount.
If only part of your thyroid was removed, you might not need the thyroid hormone replacement medicine.