Tightness, fullness, painful neck post Thyroidectomy

I was glad that I found a site that described my feelings following my thyroid surgery in January 2009 for cancer. I am a 55 year old female who has never had a problem with acid reflux or any stomach problem. I have been experiencing a lot of pressure in the neck and upper chest and thought I was having a heart attack a couple of weeks ago. My heart is good. Hopefully, this feeling will disappear. I am going to have an endoscopy this year just to be sure I haven't developed a hiatal hernia. I wake up at 4-5 am and take my synthroid and go back to bed. I was wondering if it was bad to lie down after taking it. Does anyone know?

I just had my left lobe taken out on March 24, 2009, for a fast growing tumor, which turned out to be benign thank goodness! But ever since the the surgery I have been hoarse and can hardly talk. I also have been having feelings of breathlessness and a choking sensation around my neck where the incision is. At my post op check up (last week) the ENT scoped my throat and said that one of my vocal cords appears to not be working, but he was sure that it was only temporary. I called him today because the choking sensation and feeling that I cannot breath is getting worse and he told me that is probably anxiety and prescribe Xanax. I am supposed to see him again on Monday. Who knows what he will tell me. At least after reading all of these similar situations I know that it is not just in my head. Has anyone else been told it is just anxiety? I sure hope I feel better soon, this sucks! I thought a partial thyroidectomy was supposed to be a piece of cake!

I had a sub-total bilateral thyroidectomy on the 24th March aswell. Not cancer thankfully but my thyroid was becoming so large it was pushing my trachaea to the left and badly affecting my breathing. I had no symptoms of any thyroid malfunction.

I was told by my surgeon that during the surgery all the channels that the lymph fluid travels in under the skin are cut, so that, after the operation, the fluid will gather above the scar and become really quite swollen. I had a drain that exited below the scar and continued to drain lymph for about 4 days after the surgery. I was released from hospital the afternoon of the day following the operation.

Once closed the swelling he mentioned appeared and as he also explained to me it increased in size for about 3 weeks before suddenly decreasing as the fluid finds new pathways past the scar tissue.

I also have the sensation of having a lump in my throat and there is a small area at the front of my neck that feels like hard tissue. It seems to be more noticeable during and after excercise which is when the transport of lymph is at it's highest. I am hoping with more time the sensation will disappear and the hard lump under the scar will diminish.

My feeling is it is post surgical scar tissue and that over time my body will take care of itself and reduce the size of the tissue. In the meantime I totally understand the horrible sensation a lot of posters seem to have or being strangled! Mine seems worse at different times of the day. I'm going to start the stretches others have described and see how that goes.

Dear friends,
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and Papillary Thyroid Cancer. August 29, 2009 I had my thyroidectomy. I read about the tightness in the neck and was determined not to have that problem. Wrong! I also sing in a choir and an ensemble, so my vocal cords get a work out.
A few things that I do to aleviate some of the problems are massage to the neck. My scar is fine, it is just all of the other tissue in the neck. My lymph nodes are tender frequently, and I believe that the neck massages help with the lymph flow. Most of the time, I do the massages while driving. So I usually show up with a red neck! (Not so bad, I do live in the South! ) I also have problems wearing necklaces. Even the lightest weight necklace tends to give me the sensation of choking. Again, I think it is because of the pressure on the tissue, and muscles.
Lastly, when I sing a lot, the tightness seems to be the worst. As a short term fix, I take 400-800mg of Motrin (Advil, Ibuprofen ) and it takes the tightness sensation away.
My doctor has discussed vocal therapy, but have not done it yet.
No real solutions, just affirmation that WE ARE NOT ALONE! I know now, that I am not crazy either! But I try to remember that "The Lord is Blessing Me Right Now!" I am cancer-free and living to see a new day.

Hi I also have Hashimoto disease and although i have never had my thyroid removed I am getting this tightness in my neck like someone is choking me. I have had it for about a month now and its freaks me out. This has become an everyday thing for me now and although my thyroid levels were low my doctor put me on a higher dose of levothyroxine and it did not help. I do have to say that I have had this tightness in my neck in the past but it would last for a day. Now it's to the point where its an everyday thing and I can't stand it, I've gone to an ent and they solution was stress. So he put me on XANAX. I take it only when the tightness gets to the point where it makes me nauseus and I cant take it. I try not to let it get to me. But of course that's easier said than done, I am relieved to know that I'm not the only one feeling this way. I hope and pray that some caring doctor out there can take us seriously and find a diagnosis to this. Good luck and it they find a diagnosis for you please let me know!!

I have had a thyroidectomy followed six months later by further lymph node removal. Total of 100+ nodes removed, maybe approaching 200. Certainly I have a lot of tightness. For the first 2 months after the first operation it got worse and I was starting to get concerned about choking but then it stopped getting worse. Second operation followed the same pattern. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be getting better it has just levelled out. Its not really painful - more very annoying like wearing a collar two sizes too small.

Everything I have heard is that this is par for the course. I am still taking the occaisional tylenol 1 which is tylenol plus a small amount of codeine. Otherwise the tightness is distracting unless I am really busy. I am hoping it will get better with the years. I am getting more used to it. I had one of the very best surgeons available in North America - I guess its the nature of the beast. I just thank God and the surgeons every day for being alive, because without this surgery I wouldn't be alive.

Guest wrote:

I have had a thyroidectomy followed six months later by further lymph node removal. Total of 100+ nodes removed, maybe approaching 200. Certainly I have a lot of tightness. For the first 2 months after the first operation it got worse and I was starting to get concerned about choking but then it stopped getting worse. Second operation followed the same pattern. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be getting better it has just levelled out. Its not really painful - more very annoying like wearing a collar two sizes too small. Everything I have heard is that this is par for the course. I am still taking the occaisional tylenol 1 which is tylenol plus a small amount of codeine. Otherwise the tightness is distracting unless I am really busy. I am hoping it will get better with the years. I am getting more used to it. I had one of the very best surgeons available in North America - I guess its the nature of the beast. I just thank God and the surgeons every day for being alive, because without this surgery I wouldn't be alive.

Wow, that is very intense! I am glad that you are doing well though. It sounds like you really had a hard time of it and I'm glad to hear that you're doing well. Thanks for posting your story.

It has been over 5 years since I had my left total thyroidectomy and I spent appx 2 years having xrays, ultra-sounds, bariums, esophogeal stretching, light down the esophogus, etc. due to feeling constantly like someones hands were choking me. I was finally told by my doctor/surgeon that he was releasing me because I was not having any additional problems with my Thyroid. However, he did say that I had another goiter on the right side that wasn't growing.

I have been on Synthroid therapy all this time which keeps all of my levels normal but it hasn't ease any feeling of choking I have. I finally decided I would start the process again by seeing my family physician, who felt of my neck (pretty much admitted he wasn't sure what he was feeling for) then sent me directly to have an ultra-sound done after I left his office. The ultra-sound (per my family physician) shows "multi-nodules" with the larges one being 1.7cm. He stated that it seem large to him but said I needed to go back to the surgeon to get his opinion.

So my question would be...I'm 42 years old, I'm without 1 thryoid already and have the same issues with my right one that caused the removal of my left thyroid. What are the ramifications of having to have the other one removed?

I think that you can safely have both thyroids removed since they do have medication to help compensate for the loss, although I'm not entirely sure. Anyone else have an answer?