Frequently Asked Questions

A : Depending on what you do for work, many people can go back to light duty in just a few days after surgery. We generally recommend taking at least a full week if your job is more strenuous.

No exercising, lifting greater than 10lbs or doing chores around the house for 7-10 days.

No driving for 3-5 days or any time while you're taking prescription pain medication.

You may shower the night of surgery. No scrubbing or soaking of the incision. Avoid swimming or hot tubs.

We recommend light foods (pudding, jello, soup) the day of surgery. You may resume a normal diet the day after surgery

All blood thinners may be resumed after 7 days.

A : Yes. You'll need to stop them before surgery and can resume them after 7 days. Many of them need to be stopped for a week prior to surgery but some of the newer agents can be stopped just a few days before. Please discuss the exact details with Dr. Temmermand and the doctor who prescribes them for you.

A : Surprisingly, no. Most patients tolerate the procedure extremely well. We find that patients will take the narcotic pain medication just a handful of times in the recovery period. Most often, full strength (1000 mg) of Tylenol is enough to cover the discomfort the day after surgery

People usually tell us that their throat is scratchy for 1-2 days as a result of the breathing tube.

A : There are risks with everything we do.

The major risks with any surgery, in general, are pain, infection, bleeding, general anesthesia and cosmetic deformity.

The additional risks with thyroid/parathyroid surgery are injury to the nerves of the voice box and injuries to the parathyroid glands. We will explain this in full detail during your visit.

A : That depends. If the entire thyroid is removed you'll need to take a hormone replacement. The most common and well tolerated form is a small pill taken 30 minutes before you eat in the morning. We will give you enough medicine until you can see your endocrinologist roughly 1 month after surgery.

When we remove half of the thyroid, occasionally the remaining half isn't producing as much hormone as your body needs and a small supplementation is recommended. Your endocrinologist will work closely with you to help figure this out.

A : From a post-parathyroidectomy/surgical perspective, the answer is no. Occasionally you will need a short course of calcium for instances where all four parathyroid glands are manipulated but this is uncommon. No other long term medications are needed.

There are times where osteopenia and osteoporosis are also present with the hyperparathyroidism. Endocrinology or rheumatology will sometimes want to use medications such as calcium pills or other bones rebuilding drugs to help with those conditions but that is independent of the surgery.

A : The short answer is not after midnight. But the week before surgery a nurse from the anesthesia team will be in touch with you to give you the specific details about eating/drinking before surgery.

A : From a surgical standpoint we need you to be free of blood thinners long enough before surgery for their effects to be reversed. Many times this is 1 week but others are as short as 1 day. We will need to discuss this with the doctor who prescribed that medication to balance the risks of you not taking that medication. Other medications such as those for blood pressure should be taken up the day prior to or even on the day of surgery. A nurse from the anesthesia team will be in touch with you to give you the specific details about taking blood pressure medications. If there is any doubt, you make forgo taking them on the day of surgery and bring them along just in case.

Most diabetes medications will also need to be taken up until surgery with the exception of the newer GLP-1 inhibitor drugs (these are also used for weight loss). These need to be stopped 2-3 weeks prior to surgery. They cause your stomach to remain full for a very long time which can pose risk during anesthesia. The most common ones available are Trulicity, Byetta, Bydureon, Victoza, Adylxin, Ozempicm Rybelsus, Mounjaro, Tanzeum, Saxenda, and Wegovy.

A : Yes. The vast majority of patients will be going home the same day. Only in special circumstances do we ask people to stay in the hospital. We do ask, however, that if you live more than 60 minutes away that you stay in a local hotel the night of surgery.

A : No. The test is two parts. There is an initial scan then a repeat after 2 hours. You are free to do whatever you like in the interim.

A : No need to worry! It's not uncommon for this happen. Imaging is NOT diagnostic. In fact, this is most of what Dr. Temmermand is used to. Imaging helps but isn't what expert surgeons rely on. We will still find your bad gland(s) and remove them.

A : It varies. You'll get a phone call the night before with an arrival time for your surgery

A : With few exceptions your wound will be closed with dissolvable stitches under the skin and glue with tape will be used to cover the incision. This makes the wound waterproof to allow for bathing immediately after surgery. Once the glue falls off in 2-3 weeks I recommend topical hydration with antioxidants in the form of a cream and silicone sheeting. The most critical window is the first 60 days. Sunblock will be useful for the first 6-12 months for any extended or intense sun exposures.

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