If someone were to hear the words total thyroidectomy, they would probably have no clue what it even meant. But to senior Caitlin Moore, those two words had a huge impact on her life.

A total thyroidectomy, also known as Hashimoto’s surgery, is an operation that involves the surgical removal of part or all of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is located in your throat. Swelling of the glands can cause complications.

In November of last year, Moore’s surgery was discussed. But it wasn’t until March of this year that Moore and her family planned the surgery.

“My doctor realized that I was developing a growth on a gland in my throat and wanted to do a biopsy, but we opted for surgery instead,” said Moore.

Swelling and growth on any type of body part is not normal and by far, not healthy. The removal of the growth on the gland found in Moore’s throat helped reduce her chance of getting cancer in the future. If the growth had not been removed the growing could have continued and she could have faced serious complications such as cancer or death.

“I was actually very scared to have the surgery. It was the first time I’ve really been put under anesthesia. Afterwards though I realized I had no reason to be scared,” said Moore.

There were several guidelines Moore had to follow before she could undergo surgery.

“I could not eat after 9 p.m. the night before. The morning of the surgery, I was admitted to Kosair and given my IV. They took me into the operation room and put me to sleep. They operated for four hours on the base of my throat. They used dissolvable stitches on the inside, and then glued the outside to smooth out the incision,” said Moore.

Surgery can have its side effects, including a limitation of activities. Moore knows how this feels.

“I was only out (of school) for a week, but I couldn’t participate in band for about a month,” said Moore.

Since her surgery, Moore has to return to the doctor every six months to have her blood checked to make sure her medicine is still working. To this day, Moore is able to participate in band and other activities, is healthy with no swelling of her gland, and is only left with a five-centimeter scar across her throat.

Story by Morgan Dotts