How Do You Take Care Of An Incision After Thyroid Surgery?
When undergoing thyroid surgery, a small incision will be made to remove part or all of your thyroid gland. This incision is horizontal and between 1 to 3 inches long. The surgery is performed within three hours and you can often return home the same day. Plan to miss a week of work and minimize household chores while recovering. You may feel pain in your throat for several days or discomfort in the back of your neck from the surgery. You may also experience tiredness, chilly sensations and dry or itchy skin and may later be prescribed thyroid medicine. Check your incision to see if it is closed up with glue and tape, or sutures, tape and a clear dressing. If a clear dressing is applied, it can be removed in 48 hours. Clear dressings are waterproof and you may get the area wet when showering if you have one covering the site. Take your pain medication as directed and apply an antibiotic cream to the site once per day. Apply this over the tape until it falls off. Most tape falls off by
