Table of Contents
Introduction
After you get thyroid surgery, it’s important to pay close attention to your care. This guide has some care tips from thyroid surgery in Melbourne and will cover some of the most common questions people have about thyroid surgery recovery and how to take care of yourself after the procedure.
Take it easy for about a month
It’s important to take it easy after thyroid surgery. You may feel a bit tired, but try not to push yourself too hard for the first month. Don’t lift anything heavy, don’t talk too loudly, and don’t drink alcohol or smoke.
- Crutches or a walker can help you get around if you’re having trouble walking after surgery.
- A soft pillow and blanket can make your hospital bed more comfortable when sleeping in it for several days after your operation.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions about what’s going on with your body, your doctor should be able to explain everything in detail.
Take Care of Your Colon
You should also talk to a professional doctor like the one from Perth colon hydrotherapy about taking stool softeners or laxatives to prevent constipation. You may need to take a laxative for 1-2 weeks after your surgery, and then switch over to a stool softener for the rest of the time you’re recovering.
If you have trouble getting regular bowel movements, it can be helpful to eat plenty of fiber foods as well as drink plenty of water. Fiber helps make stools softer and easier to pass from your body.
It is best not to strain when having a bowel movement after thyroid surgery, so try not to strain while passing a stool or cough forcefully when coughing up mucus from the lungs; this could damage surgical repair work done inside your neck during thyroid surgery.
Avoid heavy lifting
Following your doctor’s advice is crucial to recovery. One of the things they will tell you not to do is lift heavy objects or anything that weighs more than 10 pounds. This includes:
- Lifting anything over your head
- Lifting anything above your waist
- Lifting anything over your shoulders
Lifting is especially dangerous because it puts strain on the neck, which can increase swelling and slow down healing time for thyroid surgery patients.
Take good care of your voice and thyroid replacement medication.
Your voice will naturally be a little hoarse after surgery. This is normal, but if you have trouble speaking or your voice sounds too weak, tell your doctor.
Your thyroid replacement medication may also affect your voice. Avoid shouting or using your voice to sing, shout or yell until the effects of these medications wear off in 3-4 weeks. Also, avoid eating hot peppers or other spicy foods that can irritate the throat while taking thyroid replacement medication because they can make it harder to swallow pills without water.
If you do use coffee to help clear up mucus from the throat, try not to drink more than two cups a day as too much caffeine may cause heart palpitations and anxiety symptoms for some people with Hashimoto’s disease who are sensitive to stimulants like coffee and tea
Be careful about taking aspirin and ibuprofen.
Be careful about taking aspirin and ibuprofen.
Aspirin is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that can cause bleeding in the digestive tract. Avoid taking NSAIDs, including aspirin and ibuprofen, for 7 days after surgery because they can increase your risk of bleeding during this time. If you have a history of ulcers or other gastrointestinal problems, then avoid ibuprofen after thyroid surgery for 2 weeks instead of 7 days as this medication may irritate an already delicate digestive system.
Give your throat time to heal.
When you’re recovering from thyroid surgery, it’s important to give your throat time to heal. There are several ways you can help make sure that happens:
- Don’t talk too much. Your vocal cords will be sore for a while after surgery, so try not to use your voice as much as possible.
- Don’t smoke or drink alcohol. The mucus in your throat is already irritated and swollen, so smoking or drinking alcohol will only make it worse by adding an irritant into the mix (aka the mucus). And don’t forget that while these things might seem like they’d help ease your pain, they aren’t all that helpful.
- Don’t eat hot or spicy foods until at least three days after surgery and even then, take it easy on them when you do start eating them again. Eating too many hot foods can cause bleeding and swelling of the tissue around where they were removed from within your neck area which could lead to other problems down the road if left untreated properly first before continuing
See your doctor if you have a fever, nausea, vomiting, or you’re coughing up blood.
You should also see your doctor if you have a fever, nausea, vomiting, or experience coughing up blood. You may have an infection that needs to be treated quickly with antibiotics.
If you develop an infection before your surgery wound has healed, the surgeon may need to reopen the incision and drain the abscess that forms around it. This can cause more scarring and take longer to recover from surgery.
Conclusion
Hope this article has helped you to understand the importance of taking care of your thyroid surgery incision. This is a step in the right direction to help prevent infection at its source.