Why can't I drink water due to thyroid cancer?

Thyroid cancer is a malignant tumor originating from the thyroid follicular epithelium or parafollicular cells. Common causes of inability to drink water include surgical injury, drug effects, cervical lymph node metastasis, and cancer metastasis. It is recommended to go to the hospital for treatment in time and follow the doctor's advice for relevant treatment.

1. Surgical injury: During radical surgery for thyroid cancer, the recurrent laryngeal nerve may be damaged, resulting in difficulty in drinking water after surgery. Functional exercises are needed in time to promote the recovery of swallowing function. At the same time, you can also follow the doctor's advice to use nerve nutrition drugs, such as vitamin B12, methylcobalamin, etc. Generally, the patient can return to normal a few weeks after the operation;

2. Drug influence: Thyroid cancer patients need to take levothyroxine sodium tablets for replacement therapy after surgery. If they take too much or miss a dose, it may cause drug-induced hyperthyroidism, which can lead to symptoms such as inability to drink water. Patients can reasonably adjust the drug dosage under the guidance of a doctor, and at the same time pay attention to taking the medicine regularly and do not increase or decrease the dosage without authorization;

3. Cervical lymph node metastasis: If thyroid cancer patients are not treated in time, cervical lymph node metastasis may occur, compressing the recurrent laryngeal nerve, causing choking and coughing when drinking water, and making it impossible to drink water. It is necessary to perform cervical lymph node dissection in time, combined with radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other treatments;

4. Cancer metastasis: If thyroid cancer has metastasized to distant sites, such as the lungs or liver, it can also cause inability to drink water, and the chance of radical surgical resection has been lost. However, systemic chemotherapy or radiotherapy can be used to control the progression of the disease and improve the patient's inability to drink water.