Why are my doctors so hesitant to give me a 2nd goiter surgery?

More complications: I can't tell you about your specific situation, but in general, someone who has had prior thyroid surgery will have a lot of scarring or fibrosis in the area. This greatly increases the risk of damage to the parathyroid glands that control calcium metabolism, or to nerves that control the vocal cords and speaking voice in a second surgery.

May need chest open: Also, if the thyroid now extends downward into the chest, there is a higher likelihood with a second procedure, that the surgeons would need to cut through the collarbone, breastbone, and/or upper ribs to remove all of the thyroid compared to a first procedure.