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Hi, I had RAI 8 days ago. A day or two later after the RAI, my neck around my thyroid gland became tender. I figured it would go away after a few days, but, now, 8 days later it seems to be getting worse and is getting swollen (which it wasn’t the first few days after the RAI).
Is this a normal side effect of RAI? The radiologist told me the only side effect I might notice is a mild sore throat.
Also, I’m curious what the experience has been with people who have had RAI. Did you get hyper afterwards? If so, how long after did you become hyper? Then, when did you start to notice going hypo? For some reason, I can’t find this info anywhere – maybe because it varies from person to person.
Thanks so much!
The most common soreness after RAI is mild, I believe. That certainly is what happened to me. But we have had occasional reports on this board from folks whose soreness was significantly more pronounced. Soreness is to be expected, but if it is worrying you, please call your doctor.
And, yes, you should have been warned that after RAI you would become MORE hyper than normal for a while. There are two reasons for this (at least). One is that you had to go off ATDs prior to the treatment, and perhaps did not go completely hyper (as hyper as your body was willing to function) just prior to the treatment. The second is due to the fact that as thyroid cells are destroyed, they release stored quantities of hormone into the body all at once. We call this phenomenon “dumping” on this Board. The damaged cells are not making new hormone, just releasing old, stored hormone. And the typical time for this to occur is a week or so after the RAI. The effects of dumping are limited, typically, to a few days of excess hyperness. This is NOT the same thing as thyroid storm. In thyroid storm, normal, if diseased, thyroid cells continue to pump out huge quantities of hormone — both new AND old. It is often possible for our endos to prescribe medication to alleviate the symptoms of dumping. So if you have not been prescribed anything, that is something else you might want to ask your doctor. (Not everyone can take the medications involved, so there can be good reasons why one patient is given the medication — typically a beta blocker — and another is not.)
I hope this helps, and I hope you are feeling better soon.
Bobbi — NGDF Online Facilitator -
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