My horror story. I had a multinodular goiter that was giving me breathing problems. I decided to have it removed. The doctor took most of the thyroid just leaving about a quarter of it. Anyway, the next day, I couldn't breathe because a hematoma had formed in the incision. I was about to strangle to death. Another doctor came in and pulled out the stitches at bedside! Blood gushed out like a geiser! To my husband horror! He could see my trachea. The doctor took me, bed and all back to the OR where he managed to intubate my bronchus causing a tension pneumothorax. I awoke in MICU and thought that I was still in surgery. They had me in 4 point leather restraints. I thought that they were going to operate on me while I was awake. But there was nothing I could do, I was intubated and in 4 point restraints. I got really frantic! Another nurse came in and gave me a medication that knocked me out. The next time I awoke, my family was at my bedside. My youngest daughter ran out of the room because she couldn't stand to see me that way.
Anyway, the doctor had banged up my vocal cords bad. I ended up with a trach for about 4 months (I don't do time well. My husband remembers traumatic dates better than me.).
My mother had the same surgery many years ago. Her thyroid regrew and crushed her windpipe, which cause anoxic brain damage; and lead to her death.
The reason I tell this story is so that you'll get a GOOD head and neck surgeon and endocrinologist! Don't just get any surgeon or endocrinologist! Please don't!
If there are spelling errors, it's because I can't spell! But I tried!
