Are you suffering from heart palpitations, weight changes, or unusual gastrointestinal symptoms? In this video Samuel E. Long, III, MD, General Surgery at ARC South 1st Specialty and Pediatrics and ARC Southwest, addresses these symptoms and causes. One such possible cause may be an over- or under-functioning thyroid.
Watch Dr. Long's video to hear what he as to say about surgical and non-surgical treatment of thyroid disease.
If you prefer to read what Dr. Long has to say in this video, here is a complete transcript:
The thyroid is a little butterfly-shaped organ that sits on the front part of our neck. In most patients you won't be able to see, you may not even be able to feel it, but in folks who might have a neck mass or a nodule or a growth often that can be coming from the thyroid itself.
The thyroid gland controls many elements of our functioning. One of the primary things that it controls is our body's:
• metabolism
• temperature
• heart rate and just sometimes
• the way we feel.
If you are experiencing:
• heart palpitations
• weight loss or other weight changes
• gastrointestinal symptoms that seem to be worsening or are new or unexplained
A simple check of your thyroid function can often tell us whether your thyroid is over- or under-functioning.
Non-surgical treatment
What we will always talk about first is whether there is a medical option. For most folks who have hyperthyroidism starting you on an anti-thyroid medication, which typically managed by our endocrinology colleagues, can be the only form of treatment that you will need.
Surgical treatment
The thing about thyroid surgery that I think makes it a little easier to recover from than other operations is that it's done through a very minimally invasive small incision in the front part of your neck. Typically, the majority of the symptoms that you might experience afterwards are just some generalized soreness at the incision site as well as a sore throat. That tends to last for sometimes a week or two after the operation, but most people are back to work usually by the week after the operation.
Most of the patients who i see in the office for an endocrine complaint are typically referred by either their primary care provider or an endocrinologist. Oftentimes you might be scared you might not understand which of the even glands that your doctor is talking about but trust me we'll get it figured out and I'll be happy to see you.
Make an appointment today
If you would like to make an appointment with Dr. Long, call ARC South 1st Specialty and Pediatrics at 512-443-1311 or ARC Southwest at 512-282-8967, or make an appointment online.