[Anonymous]

#1127649

Hi frani!
Someone lied to you! You don’t get poisoned from RAI. The RAI is absorbed by the thyroid and the excess is excreted through the urine.
Hopefully, you will go on, as so many others have and do, to lead a “normal” life again. Only ones who still hang around here are the ones who continue to have problems, the new folks, and the facilitators and others who want to help where and when we can.

Good luck and may you be one of the fortunate ones who recover with no continuing problems!

Jan
Online Facilitator, NGDF

[Anonymous]

#1039424

I just had my RAI on Friday afternoon – it was pretty uneventful except that I picked the pill up out of the medicine cup – they yelled “don’t touch it”. I feel absolutely great – am I going to have any side effects of this radioactive stuff? According to my endo – NO. But he has never had RAI – you all have. Any info would be appreciated. Oh I did a search and someone said you do get radiation poisoning – what in the *&.*#% is that?????

[Anonymous]

#1127650

Hi, Frani. The information you got about radiation poisoning was a scam. It’s one of the problems with information on the web: anyone can say anything and it gets broadcast, whether it is worthy of consideration or not. There have been long term studies of RAI patients where researchers have deliberately looked for any evidence that the RAI, in a treatment dose, hurts us, and they haven’t found any.

But you will have effects from the RAI, in the short term. Your throat might feel sore for a couple of weeks. I was told this, and looked for a sore throat, but in my case had I not been LOOKING for soreness, I would not have noticed it, it was so slight. But for others, there has been more soreness than I experienced. Also, one week after the RAI, you may feel the most hyper you have ever been. As the thyroid cells are damaged by the RAI, they release their stored supply of thyroid hormone into the body. So for a few days, we can feel very hyperthyroid. If your doctor hasn’t warned you about this, it may be because he/she doesn’t expect it to be too much of a problem for you. But if you DO have a problem, call your doctor, because there may be something that you can do to minimize the symptoms for those few days. And, obviously, the last effect of the RAI is that you should lose enough thyroid cells to not be hyperthyroid any more, and you may even go hypothyroid. So pay attention to how you are feeling, and let your doctor know if you start to experience symptoms of hypothyroid (constipation, feeling cold when it isn’t, wanting to sleep all the time, heavier than normal periods, etc.). Your doctor will check your blood levels for thyroid hormone at certain intervals, but we all respond uniquely to the treatment and some of us take longer or shorter than others for the treatment to “work”. You need to communicate with your doctor, if you start feeling hypo symptoms. Any of the books recommended by the NGDF on its web site will have information on hypo symptoms that you can research.

Wishing you good luck, and good health soon.
Bobbi — NGDF Asst.Online Facilitator

[Anonymous]

#1127651

Frani,

I had an RAI about 5 months ago. I feel terrific. I never felt any
Hyper surge after having the RAI. Right now I am very glad that I swallowed the Pill. My Endo was not trying to kill my Thyroid tho. My T3 and T4 numbers reflect I am well within the normal thyroid range. My TSH number is still low. I had been taking a Beta Blocker until about 2 weeks ago.

My energy level is pretty much back to normal. I am just trying to get the ten pounds I gained after the RAI off. I guess with diet and exercise but it is very very slow.

I hopr that you are feeling better soon.

Vicki

[Anonymous]

#1127652

How long after RAI did you gain the 10 pounds? Was it gradual? Howw do you know you won’t gain more? Did it come on within weeks or after a few months? Sorry to ask all these weight questions, but I have always had a weight problem. I’m going to Weight Watchers now because since I was diagnosed with Graves I gained about 8 pounds (since Oct). I have lost 5 in the past month. I am going to an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica in June and you know what that could mean as far as weight gain (a lot of food and frozen pina coladas). Should I really start watching now. Oh, I do exercise 4 days a week – 2 days kickboxing and 2 days walking. If I gain weight from the RAI, I will just die!!!! Oh, how long after RAI, did you start the synthroid, if any?

[Anonymous]

#1127653

Frani,

I gained the ten pounds between November 3 and January 1. I had the RAI on Nov 3, 2000. That also takes in Thanksgiving, Xmas, Channuka, and
New Years. I stopped going to WW during that Time period. I went back to WW on January 2. I had lost about 25 pounds between December and May last year. I was diagnosed in March of 99. I actually went to aruba for 10 days and lost 7 pounds. I didn’t think anything of it.

It sounds like you are on the right track. Keep exercising if you feel up to it. And drink lots of water. I have lost about 3 pounds since
January but I have to admit sometimes I loose control sometimes.

I feel so much better and I think that’s most important. I am
not on Synthyroid since my numbers are slightly on the high side of normal and my TSH is a little low. I have been proclaimed to be
normal by both the Endo and the Internist.

[Author]

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