Following surgery, patients will be moved into a recovery room. Pockets of fluid (seromas) may form but usually resolve on their own. A surgical drain may be placed in the neck to remove fluids resulting from the procedure. This usually is removed within 24 hours of the surgery. Some patients may experience a sore throat following surgery as a result of the breathing tube that was placed in the throat during the procedure.

In most cases, patients who have thyroid surgery are discharged from the hospital within one to three days of the procedure. Patients can usually return to their everyday routine within days, although others may require weeks to fully recover. Strenuous activity and heavy lifting should be avoided according to the physician’s instructions, generally for 10 days or more. Patients are urged to consult with their physician about any other advisable restrictions in the immediate postoperative period.

After they are fully recovered, most patients do not experience any long-term limitations in their daily life and routines. However, patients who have their entire thyroid removed will be required to take a daily thyroid hormone replacement pill for the rest of their life. This supplement is necessary when surgery renders the thyroid unable to produce natural thyroid hormones.

Regular monitoring, such as thyroid blood tests, is often recommended for patients who have undergone thyroid surgery.