Why am I having a choked feeling after thyroidectomy?

Question

Hi doctor,

I have been having a strangling feeling in my throat for around seven months. This came post thyroidectomy and so I thought it had to do with surgery. However, my gastroenterologist did an endoscopy and found bile in my stomach. As I researched this, I immediately thought of my gallbladder removal surgery two years ago. Anyhow, she put me on acid reflux medicines and that do not seem to be helping at all. I have pain in the upper right quadrant of my stomach and this strangling feeling every day. I am taking Carafate four times a day as well. I have just changed my thyroid medicine to Nature Thyroid 2 grains per day. My TSH was at 2 and I know it should be closer to 1. What to do?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Yes, your symptoms are consistent with acid reflux.

Did you have the same strangling feeling in neck during the last episode of symptoms? Or was there mid-chest burning type pain?

Did you have endoscopy last time? There is no correlation of your symptoms with thyroidectomy.

Only large amounts or continuous presence of bile in the stomach can produce bile-reflux induced gastritis, which might be absent in your endoscopy finding as you have not mentioned.

Long duration gastric reflux can be due to small hiatus hernia.

Carafate - Sucralfate is useful for gastric ulcers, with negligible effect in gastroesophageal reflux disease. In this scenario, your endoscopy must have found either gastritis or gastric ulcer.