If you know anyone who has diabetes, you might ask who they see for their disease. Often, endos treat diabetics as well as people with thyroid disease (and other endocrine problems).
As for the association that Shirley mentioned, I’ve seen mention of them put up here before. One of them is the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (whose website is something like aace.com/org). The only problem with using this list (and maybe others like it) is that the doctor pays a fee to belong. It doesn’t mean they’re not qualified — they must have certain degrees and certifications to belong — but it also doesn’t convey any sense of the quality of their practice.
As for "pushing" RAI. Sometimes there are good reasons for a doctor to push one patient towards RAI. I know you may not want to hear this option, but if you can get your doctor to point his thinking out to you, you need to consider his concerns carefully. For example, if there are signs that your body is not tolerating the antithyroid drugs well, or that they are not controlling your thyroid levels well, it might be time for you to consider removing your thyroid — either via surgery or RAI. Doctors do prefer RAI to surgery more often than not because RAI is considered somewhat safer. Like any other medical treatment, sometimes the antithyroid drugs just don’t work well with an individual patient. If THAT is what is going on with you, insisting on continuing them may be your worst choice. It is still your choice, but it might not be wise.
Anyway, I do hope you find an endo you can work with soon (or retrain the one you have to answer questions).
