Thank you for the lovely supportive posts. I really appreciate that today.

I have got to locate someone somewhere who has experience doing minimally invasive thyroidectomies. I can go anywhere where my insurance covers. For some reason, Dallas is just NOT the place to be for people who need new, advanced techniques. It appears I will have to have a total thyroid removal, unless I miss my guess. It could be an ENT doct, an Endocrinologist or a surgeon... Anyone know of one???

I found someone in Augusta, Ga., then at the Univ of Pisa, in Italy. The latter probably has the most experience. My aneurysm repair went well with this technique. I think in an open surgery, they cut the muscle, whereas, in some minimally invasive procedures, they just move it aside. Also, you have to deal with swelling, which might compromise breathing in an open surgery, maybe not so much in the other. I swell at the drop of a hat in response to things my body does not like. Like when they waxed my face, or if they put tape on me.

If you all know of a doc who does these, please let me know. The Augusta doc at Med School of Ga., told me that no one in Texas is very interested in learning this techique, therefore he is not teaching it to doctors here...

Cathie