What is Hashimoto’s disease?

If you’re reading this, chances are you might be feeling a little off lately.

Your neck may feel achy and swollen or you are suffering from:

• Swelling around the neck, especially near your thyroid
• Unexplained fatigue or sleepiness
• Hair loss
• Joint stiffness
• Brittle nails

If you’re suffering from any of these symptoms, especially for no known reason, your Thyroid may be out of whack. And if your thyroid is out of whack, it most likely is Hashimoto’s disease.

What is Hashimoto’s disease?

Named after the surgeon who discovered it, Hashimoto’s disease is a condition when your immune system starts to automatically attack your thyroid system by mistake.

This can cause serious problems in your body. Specifically, because your thyroid’s job is to make hormones that control how hot and cold you are, even how your bones and joints heal!

Without your thyroid working, your whole body can start to turn on you.

While it is still unclear what causes your immune system to act this way, Hashimoto’s disease is more common in:

• women,
• people with diabetes 1, and those
• people with other genetic disorders.

How do I treat Hashimoto’s disease?

The great news is that Hashimoto’s disease is easily treatable. Often people with Hashimoto’s disease develop no symptoms and can simply go on with their daily lives.

However, for people whose thyroid produces too little hormone, doctors will prescribe synthetic T3 or T4 hormones. If needed, you will probably also need to take this synthetic hormone for the rest of your 

Even still, if your thyroid is in bad enough shape, your doctor may decide that your thyroid is no longer able to function properly. In these cases, your doctor will usually recommend surgery.

How do I treat Hashimotos disease surgically?

Total thyroidectomy is the surgery of choice for most cases of Hashimoto’s disease. Straightaway it gives your medical team great control over the spread of the disease, and dramatically lowers the risk of relapse.

With modern robotic surgical techniques, Thyroidectomies can almost entirely be performed with multiple minimal incisions. 

These incisions are performed using robotic instruments that allow your surgeons the smallest and most efficient cuts possible.

What will life be like after Thyroid surgery?

Your thyroid surgery will usually put you out for a night, but for not much longer. You may experience a hoarse voice, and neck pain over the next few weeks. Be patient with your voice, especially after the first few days.

After surgery treatment is simple. Once your surgery is complete your doctor will prescribe you a synthetic version of the hormones your thyroid produces.

You will need to take these thyroid hormones for the rest of your life. While these hormones should cause no side effects, let your doctor know if you are experiencing:

• pain in your bones and joints
• Irregular heart rate
• Feeling too hot or too cold all the time

If you or a loved one have read this article and believe you have a thyroid problem or condition, speak to a doctor right away.

They can get tested often on the same day.