Can You Live Without Your Thyroid? What You Need To Know About Life After Thyroid Removal
"The content below is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition."
The prospect of facing life without one of your critical organs is frightening if not unfathomable. Will you be able to live a normal life? Will you even survive? These are dreadful questions to have to answer.
Fortunately, the thyroid is an organ whose function can be mimicked rather well by medical means. For this reason, you can expect to live as long and as fully as you would without your thyroid, provided that you give yourself the necessary attention.
HealthierU discusses the possible consequences of thyroid removal, including treatment options and other ways to maintain an enjoyable quality of life.
Table of Contents
What Is the Role of the Thyroid in Your Body?
The thyroid is a two-inch-long, butterfly-shaped organ located in the front of your neck under your skin. Its job is to produce and secrete hormones that help regulate various body functions. The thyroid’s role is so critical because of its far-reaching effects within the body, including the following processes:
- Energy metabolism within cells
- Heart rate and cardiac output
- Body temperature
- Maintenance of the skin and bones
- Respiration
- Digestion
- Mental function and brain development
- Fertility
The thyroid contributes to these processes by producing and releasing thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), and calcitonin. Production of these hormones requires iodine, so adequate dietary intake of this mineral is essential.
HealthierU can help elucidate the tremendous influence of the thyroid and help you optimize your thyroid’s health to benefit your overall health. Contact us today to learn how we can also assist you in your adjustment to life without a thyroid.
Reasons You May Not Have a Functioning Thyroid
There are various possible causes of thyroid dysfunction. The most common are:
- Thyroidectomy due to:
- Thyroid cancer
- Goiter that interferes with breathing or swallowing
- Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)
- Thyroid nodules that may be cancerous
- Underactive thyroid due to
- Congenital hypothyroidism
- Radioactive iodine treatment for hyperthyroidism
- Hashimoto’s disease
- Medications that interfere with thyroid hormone production
What Happens When Your Thyroid Is Removed or Stops Working?
Whether the thyroid is removed in surgery (thyroidectomy) or just doesn’t produce adequate amounts of hormones, your body will experience the effects. The absence of thyroid hormone affects metabolism, energy levels, and other body systems in the following ways:
- Cardiovascular system: Having an underactive thyroid may increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease because thyroid hormone helps regulate blood cholesterol levels.
- Digestive system: Constipation may result from decreased gastrointestinal motility.
- Reproductive system: You may have difficulty with fertility and experience irregular periods.
- Nervous system: You may experience numbness, tingling, pain, or a burning sensation in your hands, legs, or feet. Mental symptoms include memory problems, brain fog, and depression.
Can You Live Without Your Thyroid Glands?
Yes! Knowing that
you can live without your thyroid gland is an empowering fact. Nevertheless, while living without a thyroid is possible, it requires careful management, including life-long hormone replacement therapy and regular check-ups to ensure adequate thyroid hormone levels in the blood.
Treatment Options After Thyroid Removal
By committing to careful management of your health, you can drastically improve your quality of life without a thyroid.
Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy (THRT)
It’s important to make regular visits to a healthcare provider who can monitor your condition and make appropriate decisions about how much thyroid hormone replacement you need.
Levothyroxine, the most commonly prescribed medicine for an under-producing thyroid, is the synthetic version of the thyroid hormone T4 and performs the same functions. Occasionally, liothyronine (T3) must be taken in conjunction with levothyroxine.
You should take the hormone replacement medicines at the same time each day and avoid eating, if necessary, for a specified window of time. Some foods or medications can interfere with absorption.
Lifestyle Changes
Diet and exercise can support thyroid health or help manage life without a thyroid. Consider making the following changes to maximize your body’s ability to maintain the functions threatened by low or absent thyroid hormone:
- Follow a whole-food diet low in refined sugars, saturated fat, and processed foods. Get your protein from lean meats and fresh seafood.
- Exercise daily to keep your energy levels up and reduce anxiety, starting with gentler exercises before progressing to strenuous exercise.
- Focus on improving your sleep routine and developing stress management techniques.
Ongoing Medical Care
Seeing an endocrinologist regularly who can administer blood tests to monitor thyroid hormone levels will help ensure you are taking an adequate dosage of hormone replacement therapy. These visits also help prevent complications, manage undesirable symptoms, and maintain your overall health.
HealthierU is a great option for care after a thyroidectomy.
What Are the Risks of Living Without a Thyroid?
Even with careful management, you may find yourself having to work through certain challenges, such as lack of energy, difficulty managing weight, mood swings, and the inconvenience of constant monitoring.
Adjusting to Hormone Imbalances
Finding the right thyroid hormone replacement medicine may not be as straightforward as you hope. You may need levothyroxine, liothyronine, or a combination thereof. It can be tricky and time-consuming to determine which medicine is best and how much of it is adequate to prevent negative symptoms.
Mental and Emotional Health Considerations
Fluctuations in thyroid hormone may have a significant
impact on your mental health, causing anything from depression and anxiety to cognitive changes. Take steps to ensure that you have emotional support and psychological care during these adjustment phases.
Can You Live a Normal Life Without Your Thyroid?
With the right treatment and a caregiver’s attentiveness to all aspects of health connected to their condition, many people can live a normal, healthy life without a thyroid.
How To Manage Life After Thyroid Removal
Regular Monitoring and Medical Check-Ups
After your thyroid is removed, it is critical that you get regular check-ups to confirm that the various body systems influenced by thyroid hormones are functioning properly.
You can incorporate this necessity into your life without letting it become too burdensome by:
- Scheduling healthcare visits well ahead of time (once you have achieved a stable dosage, these may not need to be more than once or twice per year)
- Prioritizing rest and downtime, especially after check-ups, in case a dosage adjustment is necessary
- Rewarding yourself with a special treat on check-up days
Building a Support System for Health and Well-Being
Build a support system with healthcare providers, family, friends, and online communities. This support network can help with managing health, staying informed, and coping with any challenges.
How Long Can You Live Without Your Thyroid?
There is no direct correlation between underactive or absent thyroid and decreased life expectancy. As long as you receive appropriate treatment, you may expect to live just as long as any person with a thyroid.
Because thyroid hormone replacement therapy can rectify the problems associated with having no thyroid, the absence of that organ does not portend a shorter life. However, life expectancy may be decreased in certain cases, depending on what necessitated the thyroidectomy and how long the patient was deficient in thyroid hormones.
For instance, a person who develops diabetes or heart disease as a result of prolonged thyroid hormone deficiency is not expected to live as long. But these are indirect results stemming from a complication of untreated thyroid dysfunction rather than a direct result of having no thyroid.
Is a Thyroidectomy Preventable?
While a thyroidectomy is not always preventable, there are some things you can do to try to prevent having your thyroid removed:
- Get regular check-ups to evaluate the health of your thyroid.
- Follow recommendations for preventing thyroid cancer, which may necessitate thyroidectomy.
- Know your family history of thyroid conditions.
- Perform regular self-checks for swollen thyroid and/or lymph nodes.
- Limit exposure to radiation.
- Take medication or undergo radioactive iodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. (Some people have their thyroid removed because it produces too much thyroid hormone.)
- Maintain a thyroid-supportive diet and consistently keep up healthy habits of sleeping long enough, coping with stress, and exercising regularly.
For holistic thyroid care from an experienced provider, contact HealthierU today.
HealthierU in Brooklyn, NY: Providing Holistic Support Before and After a Thyroidectomy
Dr. Donna Sergi, founder of HealthierU, is a holistic nutritionist and chiropractor who has served the Brooklyn area for over 25 years. She specializes in women’s health but serves male clients as well.
With all her training and expertise, Dr. Sergi is able to help her patients nourish their bodies to make them the most supportive environment for the natural biological mechanisms of good health. She does this by allowing her knowledge of these mechanisms to guide her approach to treatment. Thus, rather than adding to the load of toxins and stressors affecting the body, her recommendations enable the body to perform what it is designed to.
Dr. Sergi’s plan of action for her patients involves the following commitments:
- Follow a wholesome diet.
- Avoid or limit consumption of or exposure to toxins, found in certain synthetic products or naturally occurring mold.
- Commit to an overall healthy lifestyle involving attentiveness to sleep and exercise routines and positive strategies for coping with stress.
Customized and specific guidance in all of these areas is available to all patients at HealthierU. No matter what your health condition, HealthierU would like to walk alongside you as you seek greater health and well-being in the midst of any besetting ailments, including thyroid dysfunction leading to a thyroidectomy or the following:
- Weight problems
- Hair loss
- Digestive issues, such as acid reflux or constipation
- Menopause
- Hot flashes
- Acne
- Hormonal imbalances, such as diabetes or polycystic ovarian syndrome
HealthierU’s care is safe and natural; with our help, you can eliminate your fear of harmful side effects or the accumulation of toxins in your body. Call us today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about how Dr. Sergi can help you optimize your health without a thyroid
