[Anonymous February 27, 1997 at 12:14 am Post count: 93172]

#1164410

Get some more input from another physician about being around children
after RAI therapy. Also, check prior BB messages about such restrictions.
There usually is restrictions about being around children and pets.

[Anonymous February 27, 1997 at 4:05 am Post count: 93172]

#1056793

Ok I am going to do the RAI..yes it is without trying the meds for long.
question:My doc says I can have it on Friday and go back to teaching 2nd grade on Monday??
Does this seem OK?? Also he says it is unlikely I will have side effects,…implied
that I would pop a pill go home and that would be that…no side effects…
now I do not want to miss class at all..am i being mislead about this?
i really want to get hypo..because every test seems to show that I am
really too hyper…is hypo as bad a hyper??? worse??? thanks….

[Anonymous February 27, 1997 at 7:00 am Post count: 93172]

#1164411

Patricia — my experience with RAI last November, was that there were NO side effects. There is a period of time, about a week after RAI, when I got more hyper than I had been, for a day or two. The nuclear med doc had told me to expect this, and my endo had given me instructions for increasing the dose of beta blocker when that happened. It went away fairly quickly. So, if you’ve been teaching all along, hyper, you’ll just experience a bit more of the same.

As to what it is like being hypo, I think it varies from individual to individual, and depends on how far hypo you fall before you start the synthetic hormone. For me, hypo is INFINITELY preferrable to hyper. My endo caught the hypo relatively efficiently, and the symptoms were never severe. I’m still not where I was pre-Graves in terms of stamina, but I have lots more energy than I’ve had in months and feel A LOT healthier. The hypo symptoms I’ve had to deal with are puffiness in the face, especially around the eyes (without industrial strength cosmetics, it was not a pretty sight), a voice that I’ve been told sounds very sexy in the morning : ), and some mild muscle cramping in the legs and feet. I’d rather not have had these symptoms — but compared with heart palpitations, sleepless nights, constant tremors, etc. they don’t seem like such a big deal to me.

I wish you good luck with your treatment.

Bobbi

[Anonymous February 27, 1997 at 10:27 am Post count: 93172]

#1164412

I just had RAI this past Monday – no side effects at all. I am not
a teacher – but am around children a lot. I have 3 of my own and
there are constantly neighbor children in our home; I teach religion
class on Wednesdays and did that – these children are in first grade.
No side effects really – just some hoarseness, other than that I
would have never known that I took the pill. My hyper symptoms have
begun to return which I don’t like, but I went back on Tapazole today.
Good luck!

[Anonymous February 27, 1997 at 8:39 pm Post count: 93172]

#1164413

Thanks…that’s what I was hoping to hear…someone who
did this with some ease….my doc says i am sooooo hyper and
have been for so long that i will still be hyper
after the RAI…most likely…the guess I’ll thave to take meds
for a bit until the RAI does its thing…I’ll let you know what I end up doing…
thanks hope you are doing reallly well soooonnnnn Patricia

[Anonymous February 27, 1997 at 8:46 pm Post count: 93172]

#1164414

Hi Patricia! In short, yes, you can take the RAI on Friday and go back to work on Monday. That’s exactly what I did. I teach elementary and high school students with Learning Disabilities. I had my RAI done in March of 1990. I was cautioned to avoid close contact with people for two days. I believe the doctors now say three days, and to especially avoid contact with infants close to the neck area. I believe your second graders will be very safe, and would appreciate seeing their teacher far more than a sub!

I didn’t have any side effects from the RAI itself. After your treatment you and your doctors will want to closely monitor your blood levels so you don’t hit the hypo stage too fast and furious. You should start feeling better as you hit the hypo stage and start on the thyroid replacement drugs.

For me, life was very normal after RAI. I wish you the best! Debby

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