Ski
I just want to jump in with a quick comment ~ "getting rid of our thyroid" is kind of irrelevant, once we’ve got Graves’. At our most recent conference, our medical director showed slides of cells from a healthy thyroid vs. Graves’ thyroid. The gland is not normal ~ it is not just being affected by antibodies, it has literally been taken over.
We are able to achieve a remission with ATDs (well, some are), but the thyroid itself cannot be saved. Either the Graves’ antibodies will kill it prematurely, or we remove it ourselves with RAI or surgery. A successful remission can certainly put off the need for replacement thyroid hormone, but not forever.
I think the most important piece of advice you’ve received here is to weigh each option carefully, and choose the one YOU prefer. All have pros and cons. All can work. Choosing seems to help in our healing, perhaps because we have more information than we might have had without our own personal research, perhaps because by that point we understand that "it is what it is," and we get through it, rather than fighting against the feeling "why did they do this to me?"
We wish you all the best ~ please let us know how the process is going!