[Anonymous]

#1127824

Kay
I am so sorry to hear that RAI did not work for you. My husband and I have custody of his 4 children and want at least one of our own. That is one of the reasons I chose surgery over RAI. My endo tried 3 different visits to change my mind, insisting RAI was the safe, easiest, quickest way to go. I was not comfortable with that and had to repeatedly let him know. I explained how important it was for me not to have to feel so bad ANY LONGER…and I am on my 5th day of recovery. Keep pushing if it is really what you want to do. Keep in mind that although you are visiting endo for advise and treatment, it IS YOUR body and ultimately YOUR decision in the end. Although I don’t know exactly where I am headed now, and because I had no complications, I am confident I made the right decision to voice my rights. In the 3 months it took me to convince him to refer me to a surgeon, my levels also returned to normal and then back up. When and if yours come back up do the best you can to convince him if it is what you really want. If he won’t do it, my advise is find someone who will. Good Luck
Missy

[Anonymous]

#1127825

Kay, sorry to hear you’ve been through so much. It would be nice to have this all behind you by now.

Your doctor’s approach might make more sense than it appears. Even though the RAI didn’t stop your hyperthyroidism, it has most likely damaged your thyroid to some degree, and that damage will continue over time, which could eventually be enough to stop the hyperthyroidism or even cause hypothyroidism. A year or two on Tapazole would give you some time for that to happen, and probably also reduce the autoimmune attack on your thyroid at the same time.

Since you want to have a baby soon, the issue becomes more complicated. I suggest you discuss all the possibilities very carefully with your doctor to help you know which option will work best in your case.

Best wishes,
Dianne W

[Anonymous]

#1039492

I am now one full year post RAI and my GD is back in full swing. I am back on Tapazole and Inderal and having to be very forceful with my doctor to get him to listen to me. He is suppose to be very good at treating GD. He wants to keep me on the Tapazole for one to two years and then see if I go into remission on my own. The problem is that I still feel like my kneck is swelling all the time, and like I just can’t breathe deeply enough to get enough oxygen. I’m light-headed most of the time. He did increase my Inderal dosage last time, but the most confusing thing is that my thyroid hormone levels were in the normal range when i had them checked on 3/10. I have a two-year son and my husband and I would like to have more children. I feel that since I’ve already been through RAI and it obviously didn’t work that surgery would be a better option for me than one to two years of Tapazole and having to feel this crudy all the time. Any suggestions on how to better approach my doctor or what I should do from here? I just get so frustrated over this. The one good thing is that my prayer life has really blossomed lately, but I’d rather not have to deal with this disease any more than is necessary. Any advise welcome.
Kay

[Anonymous]

#1127826

I was diagnosed with Graves in 8/99 after someone at work noticed that I had something wrong with one of my eyes (retracted upper lid) – I’ve been on tapazole ever since. My thyroid numbers are good but my pituitary gland numbers are not good – and hence I can’t lose a pound. I’ve gained about 40 pounds since last summer and I’m miserable. My endo says ‘get out there and walk and it’ll come off’. Another problem that I’ve had however is that I’ve had two stress fractures in the last 18 months which has really thrown my exercise program into a tail spin. I’ve read that Graves takes calcium out of your bones – and hence my stress fractures – has anybody else had a problem with osteoporosis due to Graves?? I’m so frustrated by the whole thing – my endo saw me the beginning of Jan ’00 and didn’t want to see me again ’til May ’00 – how often should I be seeing him – I have blood drawn every 6 weeks and he does send me my next lab paperwork with a note whether the test was good or not.

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