[gatorgirly]

#1018090

Hi all. Just wanted to share an update for those of you who are preparing for RAI or for anyone that has already been through it that may have some tips to share.

I got my 10 millicuries yesterday at exactly 2 p.m. My uptake a few months ago was at 96%, so the radiologist told me I probably need to take as few precautions as anyone who has ever done RAI. Nonetheless, my dog is with the sitter until Monday evening and I have no plans to leave my apartment this weekend. My boyfriend insisted on staying with me, and we watched tv on separate couches and ate dinner across the table together. He is being quite stubborn about it but it’s been completely his decision, and I truly appreciate his support (and the gorgeous flowers I came home from the hospital to).

I had no side effects immediately after. The radiologist made me stay in the waiting room for 30 minutes and said if I was going to experience a thyroid storm, it would happen in those 30 minutes. I was a bit surprised, because on these boards we’ve talked about dumping some days or weeks after RAI, but I had no idea a storm was immediately possible. Thankfully, I was fine and just hungry so I was allowed to leave after 30 minutes, stopped at a drive thru to get food on my way home, and then started drinking lots of water and sucking hard candies.

Unfortunately, I woke up in the middle of the night last night with a sore throat. Nothing severe, but enough to keep me awake for nearly an hour until I could fall back asleep. I don’t feel particularly thirsty but I’m trying to drink 1-2 large glasses on water an hour, which in turn is making me have to use the bathroom frequently – anything I can do to speed this process along and flush out any leftover radiation. My appetite is normal, I’m enjoying a typical lazy Saturday
morning catching up on the week’s TV shows, and it’s actually nice to be waited on even though I’m not "sick."

I’m still taking 10mg of Propanolol three times a day for my heart rate, and I’m on 30mg of Prednisone a day for any possible eye issues (then 20mg next week, 10mg the following week, down to 5mg the fourth week then stop taking it). I was told to take liberty in upping my dose of the Propanolol if the Prednisone becomes too much, but so far I’ve been able to manage. It was a miserable week off the PTU, and I don’t ever want to have to come down off that drug again.

I don’t regret my decision (at least not yet!) and am really looking forward to being back to normal in a few weeks or months.

My endocrinologist wants me to give him an update on Monday, and then in four weeks I have my labs drawn and see him for follow-up. I’d love to be hypo by then so I can get going on the Synthroid, but I realize it may not happen that quickly. The radiology tech said the goal was to kill enough of my thyroid to get me to a euthyroid state, but my endocrinologist and the radiologist said that’s highly unlikely, which I was already aware of. My dose was small but apparently with 96% uptake they think it will do the trick.

Sorry for rambling, I don’t have anyone who understands all the details of the disease. I’ve got a great support system but it’s always nice to "talk" to others who know firsthand.

[Suz01]

#1062652

Good to hear you are doing well. I had the same dosage of rai 31 days ago. I had blood work done last week and endo reduced methmazole from 30 mg a day down to 10 mg, I was glad. I see him in 6 weeks and at my request going to get blood work done every 2 weeks until then to check T4 levels. I go back to see the cardiologist Wed and hopefully get off these blood thinners and beta blockers at least decreased. Getting better from this disease moves at the pace of a snail!
Only reaction I had from the rai was after a few days my face and finger tips peeled alot.
I’m just tired of the weight gain, I was one of the people that gained weight not lost it and never had to worry about trying to loss weight before.
Hope everything keeps going smooth for you, glad I had rai also.

[Bobbi]

#1062653

I think your boyfriend sounds terrific. I’m glad you have such support. Many of us don’t.

[gatorgirly]

#1062654

Feeling a lot worse today. Throat hurts as bad as it did when I had strep a few months ago. Endo told me to go back on PTU (50mg 3x a day) until I see him in three weeks because my heart rate has been so unbearable that I’ve had to double my Propranolol dose. I get to step down to a lower dose of Prednisone tomorrow, thank goodness. It makes my heart rate and jitters worse, and I’ve convinced it’s killed my immune system because I have my first cold in more than six months all of a sudden today. Other than that, RAI has been without a hitch. I knew the expect the sore throat and hyper symptoms, just wish I wasn’t coming down with something because I really can’t miss any more work.

[daniellent]

#1062655

Hi – I’m new to the message board and I had RAI completed a week ago today. However I have been having dizzy spells and headaches over the pass couple days as well as the development of a cold. Is this normal? Or related to the RAI at all?

[Kimberly]

#1062656

Hello and welcome to the boards!

My guess is that the cold is just plain old bad luck…but I would mention the dizzy spells and headaches to your doctor. I’ve not heard of that being a side effect of RAI, so probably a good idea to get it checked out, just to be on the safe side.

Take care!

[gatorgirly]

#1062657

Daniellent,

I also am struggling with a pretty severe cold, and today is exactly one week since my RAI. I had the dizziness and headaches right up until yesterday, and I attributed those to the cold rather than to the RAI. Are you taking prednisone? I know that can make us susceptible to infection – i.e., colds.

Hope you feel better soon!

I am quite certain my thyroid began dumping last night. After work, my heart rate was almost 110 and I was doing nothing but sitting on my couch reading. It kept me up all night, but the endo said not to go to the ER unless I had chest pain or a heart rate consistently over 120. It’s calmed down today, but I still feel "off." I hope it dumps quickly!

[Author]

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