Thyroid Cancer is rare but numbers are on the increase with about 2000 new cases a year affecting twice as many women than men. About 30% of those who have thyroid operations will experience temporary symptoms of low calcium and may require treatment. If treatment is still ongoing after 6 months it is known as ‘late hypocalcaemia’ or hypoparathyroidism and may be permanent, requiring lifelong medication. Late hypocalcaemia after total thyroidectomy is the commonest reported complication. The overall incidence is about 9%.
If you developed hypopara following an operation for thyroid cancer you will need to manage hypopara and thyroid medication as well as have regular neck checks and blood tests.
Our Thyroid Cancer Support UK group ran from 2005 to 2022 but is now closed. We recommend the Butterfly Thyroid Cancer Trust website and the British Thyroid Foundation Thyroid Cancer support group for specific information and support for those with thyroid cancer.
However, we are the only organisation providing ongoing support for people who went into hospital with one condition (thyroid cancer) and came out with another (post surgical hypoparathyroidism). Our Hypopara@Parathyroid UK group is always open to our members, very friendly, caring and informative and we highly recommend joining.
I was fifteen when I knew something was seriously wrong with me. My neck had swollen to twice its size and felt like a solid mass. My then GP didn’t believe I was sick and told me I was just going through puberty. It was only the protruding hard lump that had appeared in the […]