Managing your thyroid health post-thyroidectomy
If you’ve undergone surgery on your thyroid, you may be wondering how to take care of yourself in the aftermath. Your surgeon will likely explain how to manage your health in the short-term including wound care and follow-up.
But what about the long-term implications of surgery to the thyroid? Here are the major areas that I recommend you consider when it comes to life post-thyroidectomy.
Tips to manage your thyroid health after a thyroidectomy
Understand what your level of thyroid function is
There are two types of thyroidectomy – partial and full thyroidectomy. With a partial thyroidectomy, you still have some viable thyroid tissue left. That means you still have the ability to produce thyroid hormone naturally.
On the other hand, a total thyroidectomy means that the entire thyroid has been removed. You may have even had radioactive iodine to destroy any small fragments that remain. This means that you don’t have the ability to produce thyroid hormone, so you will be reliant on medication that supplies thyroid hormone(s) for life.
Both forms of thyroidectomy will require life-long monitoring of thyroid hormone levels via blood tests. If you’re unsure, speak to your doctor about how often you should have your levels checked. And if you notice any hypothyroid symptoms, make sure you see your doctor and request testing.
Explore your options for medications
After a thyroidectomy, you may need to go on thyroid replacement therapy. This will be non-negotiable if you have had a total thyroidectomy, but around 15-30% of people with a partial thyroidectomy may also need medication.
Endocrinologists will typically start you on thyroxine. Many people do well on this, but there are some people who will still experience symptoms. This could be due to optimal T3 levels requiring a higher dose of medication, health issues that interfere with thyroid conversion, or even cellular hypothyroidism.
In these cases, you may need to discuss options that contain T3 with your specialist. This can include desiccated thyroid, compounded T3 along with thyroxine, or T3-only supplementation. Stay tuned for a future blog where I will explore these in further detail.
Optimise absorption, conversion and uptake of medication
If you do take medication, it’s not just swallowing a pill that fixes everything! There are ways that you can impair your body’s ability to utilise the hormones without even realising it. But the good news is that you can also take conscious steps to improve your body’s use of thyroid hormones.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
Follow the instructions for your medication – it seems basic, but it’s one that many people neglect to begin with! Most thyroid medications will instruct you to take it on an empty stomach and wait around an hour before eating. This might be annoying, but it makes a big difference to your absorption!
Time your dose of other medications and supplements - iron supplements and other mineral supplements e.g. calcium, antacids and cholesterol medication are best taken 4hrs away from thyroid medication.
The same goes for your morning coffee! You also want to ensure you’re not consuming caffeine within 60 minutes of your dose, as this hinders absorption.
Manage your stress - when you’re stressed out and your cortisol is high, your body will reduce the conversion from T4 to T3. Instead, it will direct more T4 into reverse T3, leading to a hypothyroid state
Include plenty of thyroid nutrients - your body requires nutrients to convert thyroid hormone into active form, particularly zinc and selenium. This is even more important if you’re using thyroxine.
Minimise the load on your liver – did you know that a significant percentage of thyroid hormone conversion occurs in the liver? That means you want to keep your liver happy and not under stress!
Don’t ignore the root cause
Whether your thyroidectomy was to treat thyroid cancer, Graves’ or another thyroid condition, it doesn’t go away through surgery alone. The driver that led to the issue in the first place is still lurking underneath. That’s why we want to understand the reason you developed the condition in the first place.
This can depend on your diagnosis, but the most common thyroid disease drivers include:
Dietary factors such as iodine deficiency and a highly inflammatory diet
Insulin resistance
Chronic inflammation
Exposure to endocrine disruptors, radiation, heavy metals and other environmental toxins
Smoking, alcohol and/or drug use
Chronic stress
Sleep disorders and deprivation
Of course, you can’t prevent some contributors – think genetics, age or gender. But in most cases, you can minimise, mitigate or completely remove the triggers that are driving the disease.
THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS
When you receive a thyroid disease diagnosis, there’s a good chance you’ll feel overwhelmed and powerless. It could even be that you’re not clear on what’s driving it or where it came from!
But even if you’re still uncovering the cause, it doesn’t mean you need to suffer the symptoms forever! Your daily habits can make a massive difference – all you need to do is learn about your condition and empower yourself.