Thyroidectomy - Choosing a Thyroid Surgeon

Deciding to have a thyroidectomy done is a huge and scary decision, one that will affect your health for the rest of your life. Whether you are having a subtotal or total thyroidectomy, one of the most important factors involved is finding a great thyroid surgeon that is very experienced. Don't feel pressured or rushed into choosing the first surgeon you come across that does thyroidectomies and don't be afraid to research, to ask around, and to "shop around" until you find the thyroid surgeon you believe will do the best job possible.

Shopping Around, Asking Around, and Researching. When I was looking for a thyroid surgeon, I knew that experience was important. I didn't want some doctor that was fresh out of med school and had little to no experience with thyroidecomies cutting open my throat. The more years experience, the better in my book. I also knew that I would take patient reviews into account. Good patient reviews can carry a lot of weight when looking for a great doctor. I started by looking up some endocrine surgeons in my area, but the closest ones were over an hour away. I was hoping for something closer and we had a great hospital five minutes from my house, so I kept looking.

Then my regular doctor suggested a general surgeon in my town that she knew. I called his office and asked if he did thyroidectomies and said I was looking for someone with a lot of experience. They said the general surgeon did thyroidectomies, but that they usually referred people to their ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor) that does a lot of thyroid surgeries. That sounded like good advice to me, so they gave me the ENT's name and number and connected me to his office. I made a tentative appointment for a consultation and then did my research. If I didn't like what I found, I was going to cancel the appointment.

Researching a Recommended Surgeon. When I looked up the ENT doctor that had been recommended, I found that he has twenty-five years of experience, regularly does thyroidectomies, and has great patient reviews. I then decided to keep the appointment for a consultation with him. Even with all of these positive reasons for my choosing this surgeon though, I still went to the consultation with the mindset that nothing was set in stone yet and that if I didn't feel confident about having him do the surgery by the end of the appointment, I would look for someone else. Fortunately, I was comfortable with having him do the surgery and an added bonus was that the surgery would be done at the hospital five minutes from my house. I needed to look no further, but do not be afraid to continue looking if you don't have complete confidence in a surgeon you have a consultation with.

A Great Surgeon is What's Important. When choosing a surgeon, remember that this is not a doctor that you will be seeing on a regular basis, so bedside manner is not what is important, finding a great surgeon is. The surgeon I chose wasn't the type of doctor that is real chatty or spends a lot of time with you, but he was professional, very knowledgeable, very experienced, and left me with a confidence that he would do a great job and be very careful.

I received further confirmation that I was making the right choice in surgeons when my regular doctor's nurse said she used to work with the ENT doctor I chose, had seen him do thyroidectomies, that he was a great surgeon, that he did thyroidectomies all of the time, and that if he had a specialty she would have to say it was thyroid surgery. She also said that he didn't have the greatest bedside manner and was rather matter-of-fact and clinical, but as a surgeon he was excellent. Her testimony of the ENT doctor made me even more comfortable with my decision.

An Important Decision. Remember that finding a great surgeon is one of the most important decisions you will make about your thyroid surgery. I highly recommend that you take the time to do your research, ask around, "shop around", and have consultations until you find the surgeon that you have a confidence in and feel comfortable with doing your thyroidectomy.

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