para>This is a series of images showing how to care for your wound. They include washing your hands, having the doctor take out your stitches or staples, not removing the small pieces of tape over the wound, taking care of your dressing, and watching for signs of infection like pus or redness around the wound.View Original
This is a series of images showing how to care for your wound. They include washing your hands, having the doctor take out your stitches or staples, not removing the small pieces of tape over the wound, taking care of your dressing, and watching for signs of infection like pus or redness around the wound.
View Original
What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your cut site. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should change your bandages
- When you may take a bath or shower
- If you need to be careful with lifting things over 10 pounds
- When you may go back to your normal activities like work or driving
- You may have a drain tube in your neck after surgery. If so, ask your doctor how to care for it.
- Ask your doctor if you will need to take calcium supplements when you go home.
- Sleep with your head up on pillows. This will help to lessen neck swelling after surgery.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits. You will need to have your calcium level watched closely.
- If you have stitches or staples, you will need to have them taken out. Your doctor will often want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks.
- Your doctor may send you to see a special doctor called an endocrinologist who deals with hormone levels in the body.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain. You may feel pain in your neck for a few days.
- Return your calcium levels to normal. These are calcium supplements.
What problems could happen?
- Bleeding
- Infection
- Damage to the thyroid gland
- The need to cut part of the thyroid gland
- Your body may not make enough hormones to control your calcium levels. This is called hypoparathyroidism.
- Damage to the nerves in your vocal cords
- Problem with breathing
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, very bad sore throat, cough, more sputum or change in color of sputum, wound that will not heal.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Numbness or tingling around the mouth or in the arms or fingertips, or muscle twitching. Call your doctor right away.
- Neck swelling
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my procedure.
- I can tell you how to care for my cut site.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have fever, swelling, redness, or warmth around my wound.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have numbness or tingling around my mouth, or in my arms or fingertips or my muscles are twitching.
Where can I learn more?
American Association of Endocrine Surgeons ‚
http://endocrinediseases.org/parathyroid/surgery_overview.shtml ‚
National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Service ‚
http://www.endocrine.niddk.nih.gov/pubs/hyper/index.aspx#9 ‚
Last Reviewed Date
2015-01-23 ‚
List_set bdysylist
- Adult
- Endocrine and Metabolic
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care provider 's advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2016 Wolters Kluwer Clinical Drug Information, Inc. and its affiliates and/or licensors. All rights reserved. ‚