Despite being a fairly healthy person, it looks like I am headed towards a surgery under general anesthesia in June. Remember when I was going to the doctor about the new Adam’s apple that suddenly showed up in my neck? Well after the ultrasound and visit with my pcp, it was determined that it was a cyst that could be removed.
So I made an appointment with a general surgeon to discuss its removal. He spent only a few minutes with me but concluded that he would want me to see an ENT first because it may not be a normal cyst but a thyroglossal duct cyst. Last week the ENT said she was 95% sure that the special cyst is what I have. :-(
A thyroglossal duct cyst is congenital, so it was something I was born with. Most of the cysts are found while the child is young but in my case, I got sick in January and mine decided to pop out at age 39. :-/ The problem is that now that we know that there is fluid in there, if it gets infected I would need to have quick surgery to remove it.
The surgery itself is a bit more involved than just removing the cyst because if it is not done correctly then the cyst can reoccur. The doctor not only has to remove the cyst but also a part of my neck bone (she assured me that I didn’t need it- HA!). They cut at a crease in your neck as to minimize scarring but I will still have a fairly prominent scar on the front of my neck which sucks. I will probably be out of work for a week or so but could work from home if I feel up to it. Depending on how much they have to move around other parts of my neck I could be in pain and only eating soft foods for a week or so.
I thought about waiting until the fall to get it done but I would rather plan out the surgery, make sure CP is in town (he had a last minute trip to Ireland last week) and that I won’t miss major events at work. So, the surgery is scheduled for Monday, June 18th which is the earliest I could have the surgery...and really the only week that I didn't have major things going on at work until mid July...and that wasn't necessarily ideal because it will be Wes' 2nd birthday on July 15th.
So...getting cut open once again is happening in a month and a half. In the meantime I have an MRI on Thursday and a pre-op appointment at the end of the month. I will need to invest in a large hat for this summer, a lot of suntan lotion to lather up the incision site, and probably some scarves for work so that I don't freak people out. Does anyone have any recommendations on scar-reducing creams?
6 comments:
Yikes, that sounds like a pretty complex surgery! I am so sorry you have to go through that, but I am glad you can at least plan it for a good time for you work and family wise before it becomes an emergency. Hopefully the recovery won’t be bad and you will be back to yourself in no time! I know nothing about scar creams but definitely keeping it covered and out of the sun is a must.
Amazing that this didn't appear before now! I'm sorry that you are having to have surgery to have the cyst removed, but so glad that it isn't an emergency situation and you are able to plan it for a time most convenient with family and work stuff. Hopefully it will be a relatively easy recovery!
Mederma for scars. I had foot surgery over a decade ago and the podiatrist especially recommended it as it is onion based and he revealed that he spent two years in Mexico for the Peace Corps and discovered field workers would put onion skins on any cuts they endured at work. As I had two toes done, I used it on one and not the other and within a week the difference was noticeable. Good luck with the procedure are recover!
Sorry you have to deal with this! I had thyroid surgery in 2009 and have a neck scar. I was bummed about it at first but got used to it very quickly. Mederma really irritated me so I didn't end up using anything to try to minimize the scar, which is a bummer. When Annika split her forehead open last year, the plastic surgeon who stitched her up in the ER recommended anything with silicone, plus tons of sunscreen. We ended up using this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H3QCPS, just because it's what I found that didn't get horrendous reviews. Her scar has healed great--who knows if it was the gel or just her youth, but a year later, you can barely see it.
No advice but thinking of you!
Ack, that sounds like not an awesome way to start the summer. I hope it all goes smoothly! I don't have scar cream advice, my biggest scary scar is on my knee, but hopefully the recommendations give you something to work with. Imagine the stories you could come up about where you got the scar... And um, how nice that you don't "need" that neck bone? I hope that it provides you with minimal recovery and no need for soft foods for a week, and you can take the week to recoup in style and relaxation. I'm so sorry you're headed for surgery!
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