[linzyyyy]

#1059689

So weird to be excited over the death of part of my body, but hooray! In just two months, too!

I had only my FT4 drawn on Jan 31st and just got the results: .7 (.82-1.77)

So just a tiny bit hypo, but I could definitely tell! I felt super awesome for like a week and a half and I could tell I was euthyroid. I hadn’t felt that good in… YEARS? I don’t even know. But then that started going away so I knew my levels were dropping. Aside from the obvious “tangible” symptoms, like a lowered heart rate and blood pressure, I started feeling bummed out for no reason. And very easily overwhelmed. Like on the verge of tears over nothing. I also started to feel physically fatigued and my body started aching all over, especially in my joints – hips, knees and wrists mostly. Also, as long as I keep moving, moving, moving I seem to be good, but the second I sit down to take a rest I totally crash. I did SO much yesterday because I just felt better moving. And whereas a few weeks ago I was practically binge eating like I was starving to death, something changed and I just felt full all the time. All symptoms of hypothyroidism that have been increasing even in just the five days that have passed since I had my blood drawn that day.

I start 88mcg Synthroid (I asked for brand name. I hope it’s not too expensive.) either tonight or tomorrow morning. I have to decide when I want to take it I guess! I’m really excited but nervous! Especially since I am going out of town for a conference thing this weekend I just don’t ever want to go hyper again. EVER. And I can imagine being super hypO is just as bad.

So… RAI. It was very, very scary and a living hell for a few weeks. I literally… LITERALLY… thought I was going to die. BUT! Now that I’ve made it to the other side, I definitely think it was the right move for me and I would recommend it to anyone. Worth it.

Anyway, moving forward, I’m not expecting perfection by any means, but hopefully it’s only smooth sailing from here!

I will write in a while I guess to update on Synthroid and stuff. Love you guys. You are all STRONG!!! Stronger than you think. And stronger than most people will ever have the opportunity to realize.

Lindsay

[snelsen]

#1176815

Sooooo excited for you! Yay. And more yay!
Shirley

[Kimberly]

#1176816

Thanks for sharing your story — wishing you all the best on this next phase of your journey!

[TerrieC]

#1176817

I am so happy to hear your news! My endo wouldnt even give me the option of RAI, however my Primary said that he could help me with it so I am considering the option.

I do have one question for you…. you stated that you thought you were going to dye. Is this after your treatment or before while you where Hypo?

I am wanting to weight all the pro and cons so I am trying to get all the information possible.

I’m sick of the anxiety, night sweats, and all around feeling like crap, I want to feel like me again.

[linzyyyy]

#1176818

Sometimes people have increased hyper symptoms following RAI, as the thyroid gland dies, it releases all of its stored hormone out into the body at once. People call it a “thyroid dump.” The nuclear medicine doc warned me about it briefly, but he was sort of nonchalant about it, so I don’t think I was prepared for what was to come… at all. I had like a Graves’ EXPLOSION three days after RAI, whereas before that, my symptoms were fairly mild. I had to start taking beta blockers because my heart rate and blood pressure went way up. Those made me feel super depressed at first, plus all the extra hormones in my body made me feel terrible. Super fatigued, hot, night sweats, heart palpitations, etc. And just out of it! I couldn’t think correctly. I kept writing my maiden name on forms and stuff (I’ve been married for 5 years) and I would just forget EVERYTHING. I also lost like 9lbs in 3 days which freaked me out big time. The radioactive iodine has a half-life of about 8 days. On the 9th day, I noticed a considerable difference in how I was feeling – I just woke up feeling a lot better. Then slowly, over the past two months my heart rate and blood pressure went down, my Graves’ symptoms were getting less and less, and I felt better and better each day. I was taking 40mg of propanolol 2x/day and slowly lowered it as my heart rate would lower. Now I’m just about off of it – I have taken 5mg 2x/day for a few days and actually just realized I didn’t take mine this morning and I didn’t even notice! (I would DEFINITELY notice before, I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest without it.) For about a week and a half I felt the best I’ve felt in YEARS (pretty positive I was euthyroid) then I slowly started getting fatigued again, and cold, and I could feel my digestion slowing down, too. So I knew my thyroid had died (at least mostly) and I was turning hypO.

I know there are plenty of options and one doctor said he would have definitely tried ATDs first, before RAI, but I’m a cut-to-the-chase kind of person and just wanted my thyroid GONE. It was kind of a no-brainer for me. In the thick of it I just thought about something I read on here once: Doctors gave RAI to the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES for Graves’. That proves to me that it’s top-notch treatment.

One thing an endo told me after the fact is that I could have taken ATDs to get at least close to euthyroid before RAI and that would have dampened the extreme effects of the thyroid dump and I wouldn’t have felt so bad… Just one thing to think about before you jump in!

Good luck

[geostyv]

#1176819

So in these sorts of situations it is always congratulations — sort of, right? … I think I know the sense of relief you feel, as it was how I felt about two weeks ago. After having been on 125 mcg for two weeks I feel better than I’ve felt in years.

Good Luck! and enjoy the butterfly-shaped confetti!

geostyv

[Author]

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