13 years of Graves, plan to TT, right decision??

Hello and welcome – the final decision on a treatment option for Graves’ is a very personal decision that you will need to make after doing your research and consulting with your doctor.

ALL three of the treatment options (anti-thyroid drugs, surgery, RAI) have risks and benefits…the “Treatment Options” thread in the announcements section of this forum has two great links that go through the pros and cons. This forum also has a search function (in the top right-hand corner of the screen), so you can run a search for “methimazole”, “RAI”, “thyroidectomy”, “surgery”, etc. to read stories from other patients.

We do have some regular posters here who have chosen surgery as their treatment option, and others who have surgery scheduled in the near future. Hopefully, they will chime in here to share their experiences. In the meantime, this is a nice site from the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons that will hopefully be of interest:

(Note on links: if you click directly on the following link, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing, or you will have to log back in to the forum. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).

http://www.endocrinediseases.org/thyroid/thyroid_background.shtml

Take care – and please keep us posted on your progress.

Hi!

I had surgery a year ago and am doing well now! Very happy with my choice. Not to say it was easy, but I did have a successful surgery with no complications and was able to get my thyroid hormones (synthroid) stable with only one dose change. I started to feel good again about 4 months post surgery. I have not gained any weight in the last year.

Like Kimberly said, everyone is different, and you must do your research and make the right decision for you with your doctor’s guidance. My doctor (for example) wanted me to do RAI. Although he didn’t recommend surgery, he supported me in my decision as I was a good candidate (healthy, stable, in range thyroid hormones). He felt taking a pill was a “no brainer” and far easier, less intrusive. For me, it was not. I have 4 young children and was (and am still) breastfeeding. I would have had to wean my baby, which I wasn’t willing to do if I didn’t have to. I also didn’t want radiation in my system if it wasn’t necessary. My other thought was I wanted it “done and over with” so to speak. I didn’t want to wait for my thyroid to die and then have a dead gland in my body. Again, just my personal feelings on it all. I started Synthroid on day 2 after surgery and didn’t go anymore hypo than a TSH of 6.35 or so. I was upped from 100 mcg to 112 mcg 6 weeks post surgery and have been on that ever since with a TSH that fluctuates from 0.29 to 1.6 depending on the month and lab. But, I do feel fine most of the time.

I exercise, eat healthy, homeschool my boys, and live a happy and active life once again. Surgery gave me my health back. It isn’t perfect, but what is, right? I chose surgery bc methimazole caused me liver issues (very elevated enzymes) so, I actually chose surgery just after being on methimazole for 7 weeks. It was a quicker decision than I anticipated, but I think it was a blessing in disguise as I was able to move on with life quicker and not have to worry about the ATD’s long term or relapses if I went into remission. Good luck on your decision.

Hi mamama28!!

Some thoughts regarding organs!
Maybe it is a good idea to think of organs this way. Just because we have them, does not always mean they function perfectly, or at all. Sometimes they need to go away so that we CAN be healthy. Sometimes, it is urgent to remove a particular organ to save our lives or help us regain our health.

An appendix is a good example, and tonsils and/or adenoids (in certain instances) is another. Of course, when an organ has malignant cancer, uterus, ovaries, uterus, breasts, prostate, to keep them would be downright wrong, in my estimation.

Regarding decision making, it seems that most everyone on this forum, once they HAVE made their decision, feels vast relief, and begins to anticipate feeling better again. Indecision for me, is much more disturbing and worrisome to me.
Don’t know if these thoughts will help you.

genuinruby!!! HOW NICE to hear from you again!! Glad you are doing well.
Shirley

Well,
weight gain is a big subject. Some people who have been hyper have loved the fact that they lost weight at that time (much was muscle wasting, and it is not a good weight loss) Nevertheless, it is natural, when we are well again, to gain muscle (if we use them….) and gain weight we have lost. Basically, we will be like what were were like before all this happened. Of course, many factors come to play because we are women. So depends on the time in our life. Another factor is, that Graves’ or no Graves’, we are not the people we were when we were 20. Having said all this, I know this has been a complaint of some people, all women. I guess the best thing to to is to control all the variables that you know about for good health, good nutrition, no binging, exercise, and all that. If we had a few extra pounds before Graves’, there is no particular reason that they would not come back if we do the same thing.
ANd, as I said, time marches on, and as the years pass, our activity level, life situations etc and etc change.
Have a TT or RAI or ATD does not MEAN weight gain. It means health.

Depression-Other than recovering from anesthesia, I was so darn happy to TAKE ACTION about Graves’, that I was not depressed at all. I was scared and depressed when it all started and I was hyper, because I sure did not want to live like THAT!

I have taken Synthroid for over 30 years. I have not had hair loss, and any fatigue I have had is related to other health problems.

T3 to T4-dunno. If Synthroid “works” at the right sweet spot, you are golden. Sometimes it takes a while to get there. Same with any of the choices.

Some people worry more than others, too. It is natural to worry about the unknown. But at least is a good unknown, a better life and not hyper or hypo. Word of caution, though, it takes some time to get to where you want to be. The body pretty much decides this, plus some labs.
Shirley

Reference?
Shirley

My true issue has been that I do not want surgery and i do not want RAI. These two options give you no hope except to be on MED’s forever! That bothers me. I understand for some this is the right choice for good reasons; but these choices also have complications at times.

I have changed my eating habits completely. I eat whole foods, I try to stay away from packaged foods and artificial sweeteners. I run, bike, workout six times a week at least for 15 minutes a day. I eliminated people in my life that caused me stress (at least on a day to day basis). I also do yoga…This has all helped. Right now I am on the Methimazole 10mg once a day. I got back on the meds about 4 months ago as I felt the very light symptoms coming on…(nothing major)so the pcp checked my levels and I am already slowly coming off the meds.
So …from my experience..I would rather hav e a glimps of hope to be the small percentage of graves PT’s that go into remission rather then to be on pills everyday the rest of my life.
But its a very personal chioce no matter what. ……