4 years post RAI Rx and wondering?

I’m so glad you found us! Figuring out where your thyroid hormone levels really ought to be can be a tedious process, and you’re smart to try and raise the red flag to those who can help. A symptom diary may help your doctor be more responsive to your questions. The range of normal thyroid hormone levels is really enormous, and that’s because many people in the world feel "normal" at many different points along that range. That means that YOUR normal is far different than just getting to somewhere within the normal range. You can easily change a dose level and remain within the normal range, and it’s worth it to do that to find the spot at which you function best. It IS time-consuming, but it’s worth it when you think it’s really about how you’re going to feel every day forever. I think we have a symptom diary in our bulletins, but in general you want to record things like food intake, sleep, fatigue, anxiety, and be specific. When we tell our doctor "I’m tired all the time," it doesn’t have the same impact as showing them empirical data indicating you sleep 10 hours a night and still feel the need for a 3 hour nap in the afternoon. I’m sure your situation isn’t quite that severe, or you’d certainly be getting more attention, but you see what I mean. No matter which way you agree with your doctor to try and move your replacement hormone dose, you need to wait at least six weeks after changing it before you can find out through blood tests how your body is really adjusting to that dose. You will likely feel a little up and a little down, alternately, for the first couple of weeks after you start taking a new dose, so if you’re still keeping a symptom diary to check how you feel, you may want to begin after the second week is over, then you’ll still have four weeks of data to discuss with your doctor over the new test results. If you really feel that you need a dose between two dose levels, ultimately, you can either take two doses, one above and one below, on alternate days, or you can go to a compounding pharmacy who can put it all together exactly right for you. The fact is that we build up the replacement dose, then use it days or weeks later, so taking alternating doses every other day doesn’t have the effect of making you feel up Monday and down Tuesday, it evens out and you end up feeling just right, if that’s the dose that’s exactly right for you. It’s worth the work, but understand what you’re in for (it won’t be fixed tomorrow), and if your doctor won’t discuss this with you, you need another. It’s that simple. Good luck!!

Most of us have been those super-whatever(s)! And we really miss it. However, it wasn’t healthy then, and it certainly isn’t healthy now. Those who know us, knew us "when", and since we usually look the same, they truly don’t understand "why" we aren’t back to our old selves. We have to teach them by example. "No" is not usually a word that was in our vocabulary. Learn to say it, or at least "Let me think about and get back with you." Learn to PACE yourself.

You have reached an excellent place to stop and talk. Welcome to our exclusive club!

Take care,