Tingling and numbness in hands and feet after thyroidectomy: Why?

Had a partial removal of left Thyroid, 3 months ago, having frequent numbness/tingling in the incision area, has anyone else experienced this? Based on 4 neck surgeries discectomy & fusions, numbness/tingling is not a good thing. Would appreciate any feedback.

I had the same kind of surgery,and the tingling and numbing in hands and feet, and sometimes it takes awhile for the meds to work,so if it keeps doing that after awhile maybe your meds need to be adjusted.

I am curious to know what you find. I have had those symptoms before my thyroidectomy to remove a 7+ cm tumor and diagnosis of Oncocytic carcinoma. I also had vertigo but that seemed to have resolved after surgery. The tingling and numbness which is constant in my left arm and sometimes in my left leg and foot has been present since last Jan (2022). I have had very low vitamin around 25 or lower for at least 2 decades, sometimes with barely low calcium. So all that was happening before I was on Levothyroxine. Seems like every provider whether it’s the neurologist or endocrinologist thinks it’s coincidental rather that related to the tumor or cancer diagnosis.

I had a TT on June 27th and had the same issues. I was taking Vitamin D and calcium around the clock for the first couple of weeks, then started to taper it. I now take one 600 mg of Calcium with Vitamin D3 (20mcg) before bed and eat a Tums (usually two per day max) when I'm starting to feel cramping or tingling. It is definitely much less often than the few weeks post-surgery.

I agree. I called dr. And she recommended to take vitamin D3 600 mg and also take 500 mg tums 3 x a day. I see a big difference in the tingling. Hardly no tingling. Seems like right after surgery I was on the D3 and the calcium and got weaned off after 4 weeks. That’s when the tingling started.

@hellmansmayo, I moved your question about numbness and tingling to this discussion:
- Tingling and numbness in hands and feet after thyroidectomy: Why? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tingling-and-numbness-in-hands-and-feet/

I did this so you can connect with @reen8 @armichic @504branchie and others. Has the numbness and tingling decreased as time passes?

8 wks after full thyroid removal, did not have cancer, but an atrophied thyroid still active enough to be pumping out hormone unpredictably and messing up my levels, so removal was recommended to stabilize my thyroid hormone level. Surgery went very well, but Still having the tingling and numbness in feet. My Endocrinologist recommended 4,000 mgs of calcium a day and 4,000 IU of D3. I think that's a lot, I only weigh 118 ( my Endocrinologist is a big fan of big doses of D3 ) but I think the big doses are making me extremely tired particularly all the calcium. I'm going to take less and see if that helps enough with the low calcium symptoms. My blood level is 9.0 so in low end of normal range, not below normal, but I am having the nerve tingling and numbness in feet. I have low Iron which could also be contributing to my symptoms of extreme tiredness and hair falling out in handfulls for months. Endocrinologist is thinking I might need iron infusion rather than just supplements, awaiting advice on that. Also having non stop GI symptoms, along with heart palpitations I had before the surgery, but that is probably a separate issue, was set off by either covid or multiple vaccines almost 2 years ago. The dream was that thyroid removal would solve those also, but sadly it did not. How long have other people continued to have the tingling and numbness after full thyroid removal?

Those are not extremely low but they are low and probably enough to make the tingling continue. I'm having it 8 weeks after surgery and my numbers are higher than yours, so seems it can be just a little low and needs to be brought up. I'd take the calcium and D3 longer and see how it goes. That's what I'm doing. Hope it helps.

Hi @ hellmansmayo,
I had a partial thyroidectomy a little over a year ago and I am dealing with numbness, tingling and pain in my neck…it seems to have gotten worse as time passed…..the pain is not at the location of the incision so the surgeon seems to dismiss my concerns.
I have found that taking vitamins has made a difference (especially with the leg cramps), however they have not taken away the pain in my neck and under my jaw, or the pins and needles/numbness completely. I wish someone had better solutions to try but the vitamins actually do make a difference….in my case, it hasn’t stopped the problem completely but it has helped.

At the one year check up with the surgeon I expressed my concerns but he did not feel these concerns were related to cancer….unfortunately, I was told my nodule was not cancer for 10 years while they were monitoring me, so I do not have the confidence in just assuming he is correct. I am heading to a neurologist and my ENT (not affiliated with the cancer hospital) to see what they think. I realize that swelling can cause a nerve to get compressed so it can be just related to more swelling, however having a diagnosis of a cancer which can spread, makes me concerned that it is more than just swelling. In my opinion, it is always good to follow-up to get answers.
Good luck!

Sorry you are having nerve symptoms. Agree, go to other sources to get another opinion. I've been dealing with either long covid or something in the vaccine, no one knows which, for 2 years now. I'm one of the unlucky ones having cardiac, GI distress, thyroid symptoms, chronic fatigue etc. Removal of thyroid was supposed to at least straighten out the cardiac stuff, but NO it has not, although cardiologist and Endo were sure it would. Now I'm still seeking answers to get me better. I agree with you, if they minimize your concerns or just can't figure it out, go elsewhere, although I usually have to wait several months to get any doctor appointment these days. One of my friends recently died of Pancreatic cancer, she had been complaining to her doctor for over a year that she didn't feel well, he just told her to lose weight, if it had been caught sooner she may have survived. Before she died she made me promise if I had any physical thing bothering me, make sure they pay attention and send you for tests! I pass her advice on to you, if you have something going on, as you said, get follow up and knowledgeable answers.