Why I Chose Robotic Thyroid Surgery For My Thyroid Cancer
Young Female Doctor's Hard Decision: Why I Chose Robotic Thyroid Surgery For My Thyroid Cancer
My name is Janet, and I’m a very active 34-year-old doctor and mother of a 6-month-old beautiful boy. This is my story about my thyroid cancer and how I decided to have my thyroid cancer removed with scarless, robotic thyroid surgery, a new scarless operation offered by the thyroid experts in Tampa, FL.
What Is This Lump On My Neck?
The way I came to find the lump (nodule) in my thyroid was by a strange happenstance. I was a third-year maternal fetal medicine physician doing my last year of fellowship training in NY city in the spring of 2021, and a large majority of my time was spent with an ultrasound probe in my hand looking at growing babies inside their mother’s womb. Because most people walk in New York City, a lot of patients will cancel or not show up for their appointments on rainy days, and these are the rare work days when we aren’t running around very busy. On one of these days, the ultrasound technicians I work with were using the ultrasound to look at their own thyroid glands. So of course, I took a look at mine too!
Now, I won’t claim to be well versed in thyroid anatomy, but in my line of work, I do know enough about ultrasound, to have recognized that the spot on my right thyroid, did not look normal. Although I knew I should get this checked out, like any other busy, full-time working parent, I put it on the back burner. Yet of course, once my own mother got wind that there was potentially something wrong with my thyroid – she insisted I get seen by the experts in Tampa, Florida where she lives. It turns out the thyroid center in Tampa does more thyroid surgery than any other place in the US, so my mom got her way and I traveled from NY to Tampa to be evaluated.
One week post-op.
It's A Thyroid Nodule: Here Comes The Anxiety
I am a doctor—and I’ve delivered hundreds of babies and operated on hundreds of women for all sorts of issues. I am not an anxious person. But the idea of having thyroid cancer at 34 years old… well that is enough to make anyone anxious. When I showed up for my appointment at the Clayman Thyroid Center in Tampa, my husband and I were quickly shuffled from the lobby to the thyroid center waiting area. Before we could even sit down, they were calling us back to the patient evaluation rooms, and I was brought directly to the ultrasound room so we could get a real evaluation of my thyroid by an expert for the first time.
I remember the clicks, the beeps, and the humming sound of Dayra’s ultrasound machine (Darya is the most experienced thyroid ultrasound tech in the world). These sounds were very familiar to me from my own day to day work… but this time I was on the table, and there was no growing fetus on the screen. I kept wondering what measurements she was taking. Did my thyroid nodule look larger than what I saw when I did the scan myself? What about my lymph nodes around the thyroid? Were there more abnormal spots within the thyroid, and what about the other side of the thyroid? Will I need thyroid surgery? Will I need radiation or chemotherapy? How will my husband and my son cope with this? My thoughts were racing and my anxiety was full-on.
Expert Thyroid Surgeons Evaluate My Thyroid Cancer
In only a matter of minutes, Dr Gary Clayman and Dr Hyun Suh entered the room and confirmed what we suspected. The lesion in my thyroid looked like cancer and my neck lymph nodes also appeared enlarged. I would need surgery to remove at least part of my thyroid and some lymph nodes as well. Ok, I could wrap my mind around that – I need thyroid surgery, let’s do it. But then Dr. Clayman and Dr. Suh tell me that I have options when it comes to what type surgery I want to have. Options? Like the way my patients often have the option for a vaginal delivery or a C-section? How could there be different ways of removing your thyroid?
Both Drs Clayman and Suh spent a lot of time discussing these options with me – and what I came to find out was that I could have an “open” thyroidectomy or a “robotic” thyroidectomy. Basically, “open surgery” would leave me with a neck incision/scar and “robotic surgery” would leave me with no visible incisions/scars - the incisions would be hidden in my arm pit and around my nipple. The photo here in the black top shows my arm-pit incisions 4 days after surgery.
Four days post op.
Robotic Thyroid Surgery: The Risks and Benefits
As a medical professional, I asked an exhaustive amount of questions about the benefits and risks of both types of thyroid surgery. The open thyroid surgery would be a bit quicker surgery, and the robotic would take somewhat longer. The risk of complications were similar for both types of operations, and same as complications for all surgeries for that sake – bleeding, infection.
But going back to the robotic surgery—how in the heck would they remove my thyroid, which is up in my neck, from incisions in my arm pit and nipple? That sure seemed like a far distance to travel! I have to be honest, the distance between the robotic incisions and the location of my thyroid, really bothered me. As a 34 year old woman, who tries to stay fit, looking good for my husband, and hopes to breastfeed my future children, the idea of nipple incisions also made me feel so uneasy. What would my breasts look like? Could I breastfeed again? Maybe the open surgery with plain old neck scar is just better because it’s quicker and easier? Maybe open surgery is better because it has been around forever, and it is not something new. Who cares about the scar if I have cancer…? Thoughts racing. Lots of anxiety.
Robotic Thyroid Surgery vs. Traditional Open Thyroid Surgery
After my appointment at the Clayman Thyroid Center, I had to return to NY city. I had to finish my fellowship, take board exams, and move my family to our new home before I would have time to get the surgery. The waiting period was difficult. I tried not to think about this lump in my neck, and I tried to just keep going about my everyday life. But this time also gave me the opportunity to really think about what kind of thyroid surgery was best for ME.
Dr Suh and I spoke over the phone on several occasions after that initial visit in Tampa. He was always happy to answer my lingering questions, or address things I hadn’t thought of the first time we spoke. He truly took a personalized approach to my care. He was compassionate, patient, and I knew I would be in good hands the day of surgery – no matter what surgery I chose. This next photo shows my arm-pit incision at 2 weeks post-op.
Two weeks post op.
I Decided To Go With Scarless Robotic Thyroid Surgery
Surgery day then arrived. My husband and I woke up while the moon and the stars were still bright in the sky, and we drove over to the hospital together. We were greeted at the door and walked back to the pre-operative room, all within only minutes of arriving. A nurse came to the room to get my IVs started, and said she was assigned to me and only me for the day. I thought how wonderful it was that she would be by my side the whole day! If you have ever been in a hospital, you know this is not typically the case! Nurses are usually spread thin between several patients, and I found it comforting she would be with me from start to finish. She walked me over to the ultrasound room, where Darya (the ultrasound technician I’d met months earlier) was waiting. This time, the ultrasound was not for diagnosing my problem, but crucial for surgical planning and mapping out what would and would not be removed. I tilted my head back and waited quietly while she got to work… More clicks, more beeps, and the familiar humming sound of the ultrasound machine in my ears.
It's Time! Let’s Get This Thyroid Out Without A Neck Scar!
Dr Clayman and Dr Suh both came in only moments later… It was GAME TIME. I put on my light blue colored OR bonnet – the same one I wear nearly every day when taking my patients back to the OR to deliver their babies. This time I was the patient laying on the bed. This time I was the one that was nervous. Thoughts racing… I counted down from 10 in my head and drifted off to sleep.
If I am being honest, even rolling back to the OR that morning, I was still somewhat torn about which TYPE of thyroid surgery I wanted. I ultimately chose to have robotic surgery with Dr. Suh.
The Days Following My Robotic Thyroid Operation
The first day after thyroid surgery (and all surgery for that matter) is different for everyone. Some people have a lot of nausea and throw up, while others have none. Everyone also has a different level of pain tolerance. So, although my experience won’t be the same as everyone, I feel it’s helpful to let you know what you may be able to expect post op. I left the hospital about 4 hours after surgery and went to my mom’s house. I was lucky to not have any nausea, and felt pretty well that first evening after surgery. I took a nap on the couch and ate some chicken noodle soup for dinner. I took Tylenol and ibuprofen around the clock, and the ice packs were my best friends.
Day 2 and 3 after surgery were probably the hardest for me, only because I still had some lingering anesthesia grogginess, but wanted to get up and do a little more. The pain was still similar to the first day after surgery, but similar to any other post-operative pain, the more you are up and moving around, the more you notice the pain. A majority of my discomfort was below my clavicles around my chest bone/sternum, and one of my underarm incisions was pretty sore. I presume this was the area that was traveled in order to get from my incisions – to my thyroid. My neck was only a little tender to touch, and I didn’t have pain anywhere else. I was eating and drinking, and I was playing with my son on these days. I definitely missed being able to hold him and pick him up though!
I’ll never forget that first full, hot shower on day 3. I was nervous to take off the bandages. I was afraid of what it would look like underneath. I stood in the mirror and took of the Velcro medical bra. I saw one small incision on each nipple covered with purple colored surgical glue. I had to lift my arms above my head to see the 2 other small incisions. When my arms were resting at my sides, I couldn’t even see those.
My Thyroid Is Gone, And There Are No Stitches And No Neck Scar!
There were also no visible stitches. Nothing that looked like Frankenstein, they were all buried and hidden under the skin. “Ok, not so bad I thought”. But I still had this thick large neck bandage to take off. And I laugh now looking back, because I don’t know what I was expecting. I mean I DID choose the robotic “no neck scar” surgery. But I will never forget taking of that bandage and the immediate wave of relief that came over me as I stood there naked in the mirror. My neck… My neck that I just had surgery on 3 days ago… It looks the same! It looked perfect!
By the 4th day after surgery, the pain was significantly improved, and I felt almost back to my “normal”. I took Tylenol only once that day, and I felt up for running errands, going out for a walk with my family, and doing light housework/chores. I was still sore, especially in the area around my chest bone just below my clavicles but it was only noticeable when my son would lean in for a hug, or lay on my chest. The soreness slowly but eventually faded over the following weeks, and completely resolved by the end of the 1st month after surgery. As you can see from my 4-week photo, again in the black top, the two scars in my arm-pits are almost unnoticeable (marked with the two red arrows).
Four weeks post op.
But What About My Other Scars?
After the bandages came off, I made an effort to document how my incisions were healing, and take photos every few days. It has been a little over a month since my surgery, and it has been incredible and exciting to watch my incisions heal. I would argue that my nipple scars are invisible to the human eye – I cannot even see them when I look down at my breasts in the shower. My under-arm scars have also continued to heal very well, and can only be seen if my arms are lifted above my head. You have to look VERY closely to see the one on the left side- you would literally have to be smelling my deodorant to see that one. The right side is slightly raised but continues to heal every day.
As for my scars at the edge of my areola (the flat part of the nipple), they are also no longer visible. And for any lady out there wondering about nipple sensitivity and sensation—it is perfectly normal. There is no change whatsoever. YEA!
Feeling Beautiful In My Dress With No Thyroid Neck Scar
My husband and I just recently celebrated our 3-year anniversary. I will never forget how I felt that evening before we left for dinner, standing in front of the mirror in the bright red dress I was excited to show off for him, and realizing in that moment that I did not see a neck scar staring back at me. Instead, I saw a proud and strong woman. In that beautiful dress I looked amazing and had no embarrassment or hint of self-consciousness. My photo in the mirror on the way to my anniversary dinner is here.
My Choice: Robotic Thyroid Surgery
If I told you that choosing how I would get my thyroid removed was an easy decision to make, I would be lying. I had thyroid cancer, and what really mattered was getting it removed quickly and safely. I wanted it cured so I could not worry. I had a 6-month-old son. I did not think the scar would matter as much because that was not my priority. I had a lot of reservations about a robot and uncertainty about where these other scars would be located.
However, I am here to tell anyone who is faced with making this choice (open thyroid surgery versus robotic thyroid surgery), if you have reservations or doubt about a so called “scarless” thyroid surgery – it truly is a surgery that is as incredible as it sounds. Dr Hyun Suh is an extraordinarily talented surgeon who saved my life, and left me “scarless” to the world around me.
No Thyroid Neck Scar Means Nobody Knows About My Thyroid Cancer
No one asks me what happened to my neck. I don’t have to tell my cancer story to everyone who sees my neck scar and decides to ask. I don’t have to tell my cancer story unless I choose to. It is my story to share, and the tiny little battle wounds are hidden beneath my clothing. I am still in awe of the fact that robotic surgery was even an option, and hope that many other men and women are given the same opportunity when faced with their own thyroid disease.