[wilson68944]

#1060505

Well guys, I just got back from seeing my Endocrinologist today 9/3, and I got my latest set of labs which were drawn 8/29/14 about 9 weeks after my RAI on 6/19/14. It appears my thyroid had been issued a devastating blow and is on the ropes, for now at least. The strange thing is ever since my RAI 2 months ago everything has been really uneventful and I couldn’t even tell if I was hyper or hypo. I am however still on 30mgs of Methimazole daily which I resumed immediately following RAI. Naturally, I’ve immediately stopped taking it, per my doctor’s order and, well, common sense. My doctor thinks my levels will even out a bit after all the Anti-Thyroid Drugs clear my system, but says I’ll probably still be hypo or possibly the “Holy Grail” for us Gravesters- ‘naturally’ euthyroid. I’m so excited that someone with my history of severe Graves’ was able to knock out my thyroid in one small dose (10.5 millicuries) of RAI. I find it hard to believe this battle is over with my hyperthyroidism after so many years of being hyper and I feel there are still rounds left in this match.

I have to re-take my labs in 6 weeks after all the ATD’s have been cleared from my system.

Here are my last and only two sets of labs I’ve had since RAI on 6/19/14:

7/19/14: TSH- 0.04 (0.40-4.50)

FT4- 1.4 (0.8-1.

8/29/14: TSH- 80 (0.40-4.50)

FT4- 0.4 (0.8-1.

FT3- 1.1 (? Don’t have the scale)

And for context my labs just prior to RAI on 5/6/2014:

TSH- 0.97 (0.40-4.50)

FT4- 1.1 (0.8-1.

I was on 30mgs of Methimazole daily for each test without fluctuation.

[Aleta]

#1183005

Awesome! I took the RAI 20 years ago and only needed one dose myself. Before the RAI I was on 9 pills a day of PTU to slow the thyroid down to prevent a thyroid storm. In the last 20 years I have slowly gone up on my Synthroid dosage. But after having my last child, I finally stopped moving up on dosages and have been on .125mg for over 10 years.

[Kimberly]

#1183006

@wilson68944 – That’s nice to hear that the last two months have been “uneventful” post-RAI! Now that you’ve eliminated the methimazole, definitely keep tabs on your symptoms and call your doctor for a new set of labs if you feel those old hypER symptoms coming back. Some patients (I’m one) can react quickly to a dosing change in methimazole, so definitely be sure to catch this early if needed. Hope the next couple of months remain “uneventful”!

@Aleta – Welcome aboard!

[wilson68944]

#1183008

Thanks so much for the supportive responses guys! Kimberly, I am like you in so far as my body reacts quickly to changes in medicine, even miniscule with Methimazole. I hope that I don’t swing hyper again but hopefully while waiting to “detox” my system from Methimazole in order to draw new labs to get a more accurate look at my FT4, FT3, and TSH without anti-thyroid drugs in my system I don’t continue to get more hypo. Because I have to wait another 5 weeks to see my doctor again with the new lab results before I can be placed on synthroid or any other medicine.

You guys are the best! I am a member on another Thyroid forum that I won’t mention by name that seems to push a more holistic non-RAI approach and they were not supportive but rather alarmist telling me I needed to get on synthroid immediately or risk coma or heart failure because my labs were “horrible”. I tried to explain that I just stopped taking Methimazole that same day so my labs are more hypo inflated than they probably would be if I hadn’t resumed Methimazole after RAI. I explained that they would probably normalize a bit but I’m sure I’ll still be hypo. Well, they took the wind out of my sails and that’s not nice. I see them constantly pushing their views on others unlike this forum and therefore your responses are refreshing.

[Kimberly]

#1183007

Thanks for the kind words! Although we will chime in if it looks like someone is pursuing a treatment option without doing any research or understanding the risks, we feel it’s important to respect everyone’s right to select the treatment option that is right for them. And this approach was validated with the ATA/AACE guidelines on treating hyperthyroidism that came out in 2011:

“Once the diagnosis has been made, the treating physician and patient should discuss each of the treatment options, including the logistics, benefits, expected speed of recovery, drawbacks, potential side effects, and cost. This sets the stage for the physician to make recommendations based on best clinical judgment and allows the final decision to incorporate the personal values and preferences of the patient.”

Wishing you all the best!

[Author]

Posts