What to expect when you're not expecting a thyroidectomy

Since I just found out yesterday that my thyroidectomy was scheduled for a week from now, I did still have a couple of questions. Such as: Do I have to stay in the hospital afterwards, or can it be an outpatient/ambulatory surgery? No? Well, then how long will I have to stay in the hospital? When can I go back to work? Am I going to have to do anything else after the surgery, such as radioactive isotope (RAI) therapy? How big is the incision going to be? When can I expect to start feeling 'normal'/decent again after surgery?

Some questions were answered, but there are still a lot of unknowns. Looks like I'm going to have to just sit back and be patient and take things as they come. Sounds easy enough, but it's something at which I'm not that well practiced. Here is what I do know: Yes, I do have to stay in the hospital, for about 3 days. I will have to be off work for at least a week or more, depending on energy and pain levels. And, the rest, we don't really know until we get into it and see how involved things are and how things go.

So, with that, I am hopeful to get out of the hospital by Sunday, go back to work somewhere between a week or two, an incision that heals without incident, and minimal trouble regulating the Synthroid or whatever they put me on and a speedy recovery. However, I resolve to be flexible and not expect these things. I am going to try to remember that there is a difference between being hopeful for certain things to happen and expecting things to happen. It's an easy leap and a slippery slope to go from being hopeful to expectant.