What happened to me? I can't speak after thyroid cancer surgery

What if I can't speak after thyroid cancer surgery?

The inability to speak after thyroid cancer surgery may be caused by residual anesthetics, nerve damage, local compression, etc. It is recommended that patients seek medical attention in a timely manner when they are unable to speak after surgery, undergo examinations under the guidance of a doctor, and cooperate with the doctor for active treatment.

1. Anesthetic drug residue: Thyroid cancer surgery requires general anesthesia. If there are anesthetic drugs in the body that are not completely metabolized, the residues in the body will cause the patient to be unable to speak normally after the operation. Generally, no special treatment is required, and the anesthetic can be completely metabolized within 3-5 days.

2. Nerve damage: This may also happen if the surgery is improper, such as accidental cutting, suturing, frustration clamping, pulling the recurrent laryngeal nerve, laryngeal nerve, resulting in damage. Patients can use vitamin B12 tablets, methylcobalamin tablets and other nerve nutrition drugs according to the doctor's advice. If there is no improvement, another surgery is required under the guidance of a doctor;

3. Local compression: Because hematoma or scar tissue appears in the postoperative wound, it will exert a squeezing effect on the local area, pulling the recurrent laryngeal nerve and vocal cords, causing abnormal voice. This situation is temporary and will gradually recover through physical therapy.

It may also be related to local infection. Patients need to get enough sleep after surgery and try to reduce talking to avoid irritating the wound and causing discomfort. Usually try to avoid eating spicy foods such as peppers and garlic to avoid adverse effects on recovery.