Sunday, August 3, 2008

Thyroid

Now a days Thyroid malfunction is quite common, and since 2-3 members of my family are suffering from this I have gathered some information about it which I am sharing.
This gland controls the metabolism of our body, so everything gets topsy turvy, if it is malfunctioning. With hypothyroidism, one gets wt problems, digestion problems etc.
My thyroid was working normally, but one of its lobe was enlarged, that to the extent of 10 times to its original size. And there is no sure fire way of knowing whether this growth is benign or malignant, or even if it is benign presently when it might turn into malignant, because one cant get it checked everymonth or so. So to be safer Doctors advised the removal of both the lobes.
Symptoms----I didnt have any problem as such, only there was a visible growth in the neck and
I used to have lot of allergic problems in my throat, though I cant say whether they were because of thyroid enlargement or just like that.
Earlier i had got all the checkups like FNAC and ultrasounds done at Apollo, then here in Chennai somebody referred me to an surgical endocrinologist---Professor M Chandrasekharan. He is a sort of pioneer in this field.He said that i had no other option, other than to get it removed immediately.
And so we got it done at harvey hospital in Alwarpet, where he operated. It is a major surgery done under GA, Surgery took one and a half hours, another 2-3 hours in ICU and then in my room. Got discharged third day.
The major risk in this surgery is that---voice may be affected or go completely, of course there are further surgeries available to cure that but still it is a big complication.
The after effect of this surgery is that now I will have to take thyroid tablets for my whole life and take care of calcium supplements.
Through this post i would like to appreciate and pay a tribute to---
Professor Sekharan ---
who operated upon me-he was a blessing in disguise for me-so efficient,so precise and fast and i am yet to see anywhere any operation done in such a meticulous way and on exact scheduled time.because the waiting period is always very torturous for the patients family and normally doctors unnecessarily prolong that time by not following the schedule diligently. here everything was done exactly at the scheduled time.
Staff at harvey hospital----
here the service is very good, all the girls were nice ,attentive with a smiling face. Only patients family understands the value of that smile.Two girls-Indra and Suma were very good in their job and their head nurse also, my daughter got an insect bite, she treated her very nicely.
That receptionist at Mccarthy thyroid clinic---
When my operation date was decided upon, she patted my shoulder and said-dont worry at all, i will pray for you, this little gesture of hers made me so happy.I know that because of the well wishes of so many people and god, i am fine today.I cant thank enough for that.
I only wish that--
Prof. Sekharan is a little more open to the patients and their queries----sometimes satisfying a patient's mind is also a part of treatment. I always felt so much in awe, that i forgot all my questions.But I am indebted to him for my life.
In the harvey hospital -----cleaning is not upto the standard, hospital is meant for hygiene,there was dust everywhere, wall paper was peeling, bathrooms were also giving a look of dialapidation
They have very good staff, only if they could revamp the rooms a little with bright colors , furnishings need not to be expensive, but shouldnt be broken or dirty.
But there food was good:)

There is nothing one can say about preventing it, the only thing is low fat diet and exercise and active life they are good for everything and same is in this case also.And any weight loss or gain for no apparent reason must be looked into.

3 comments:

Reflections said...

Hey, so good of u to put up the risks...Thanks!!!

U've been tagged:-D

Balvinder Balli said...

While we pay more attention to the deseases having apparant symptoms, the ones like Thyroid hit one silently. In 2003 i started loosing weightbut very gradually. I attributed the same to having regular exercises. One day while i was having lunch in our officers' lounge, one of the lady colleagues remarked about my looking fit. Incidently our Medical Officer was also present there and when he looked at me, he said "friend ! don't be so happy at her remarks. You don't seem to be fit". And he scribbled a recommendation for T3, T4 and TSH tests. When i got the test report i was shoked to read the same. One of the results was way above the normal. I was prescribed some medicines along with some prevention in the diet etc. Thankfully i got normal in six months time. So regular medical tests are a must.

Renu said...

Nancy-Whatever i know about anything I want to share it,may be it could help somebody:) and thanks for tagging me !

Balvinder-I have seen many times obese kids and people thinking that it is due to their eating habits or lifestyle, but sometimes hypothyroidism is the main culprit. I feel the wt. loss or gain without any apparent reason must alwyas be checked.Annual checkups are always a good way of keeping a good health and avoiding complications.

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