I would ask you to think about a few questions here, Lily. I am assuming that because of your other autoimmune issues, that the antithyroid drugs are not recommended. I could be wrong about that, but if that is the case, and you’ve been told your “best” medical option is to remove your thyroid, here are some thoughts.
It does not matter what is causing a diseased body part — antibodies or bacteria or viral agents can cause disease in a body part. Sometimes that disease agent can be stopped with antibiotics or the body’s own immune system, but sometimes it cannot. To use your logic: In appendicitis, the appendix isn’t at fault, bacteria is growing in it. Why remove it?. If you had gangrene in your feet, due to diabetes or something, it is n’t the foot that is diseased, according to your logic, it is the gangrene. So, why remove the foot? According to my logic: We remove body parts that are not essential if that is the best way to get well again, and nothing else will work, or work as well. The thyroid performs an important function, yes. But many people THRIVE through their lives without a thyroid. Talk to a thyroid cancer patient and ask them if they regret removing their thyroid? We are blessed with a replacement hormone that works well, so removing the thyroid is a very viable option.
You could become an invalid, or die, if you do not treat your hyperthyroidism effectively. There are NO alternative treatments that work to control our thyroid hormone levels. You cannot “wait” for remission, because every day that you wait you are losing muscle and losing bone. Your heart action can go haywire without warning, when you are hyperthyroid. It is significantly more dangerous to wait for remission when you are hyperthyroid than it is to wait for remission when you have lupus, or RA, or many other autoimmune problems. A wonky thyroid can be lethal.
