[Anonymous January 16, 1997 at 11:15 am Post count: 93172]

#1057330

The explanation, such as it is, Monte, is that the thyroid is not the cause of the eye problems. If your wife has Graves disease, her immune system has produced a chemical antibody which has attacked both the thyroid AND the eye muscles, in her case. These seem to be the two main areas that the Graves antibody can play havoc with. So, your doctor was correct. If someone with Graves has no current thyroid problems due to the antibody, there is no reason to start the thyroid treatment. And the thyroid treatment doesn’t do anything to help out with the eyes. For the eye problems she may need a good ophthamologist, who has experience with Graves eye disease.

Bobbi

[Anonymous January 29, 2004 at 12:46 am Post count: 93172]

#1165771

Hello…I am new to this as I was just diagnosed with Graves a few days ago…I need some time for this to sink in but from what I understand, it has progressed to the point where my 2 options of treatment are RadioIodine or surgery….just wondering if anyone has had either, what the side effects and recovery time was….My doctor seems to lean toward radioIodine but I didn’t feel like my question of “what are the side effects” of that treatment were answered in full..he seems to say that there aren’t a whole lot of side effects…Thank you in advance for your time…I appreciate it….
Karen

[Anonymous January 29, 2004 at 1:12 am Post count: 93172]

#1165772

I too was recenlty given the news that I have Graves (1/22/04) and I am very nervous and undecided about treatment. I’ve taken meds for the past 3 months and feel a lot better than before, but I still have emotional outbursts. Like yesterday, I yelled at my son and had to apologize to him. He is such a wonderful kid and we have talked about my condition, but sometime out of nowhere I feel really irritable. Not just with him but anybody, so most of the time I stay to myself.

I have family members who were either HYPER or HYPO and had surgery and meds and seem to be fine. They were actually confused as to why RAI would be an option, but I told them that so much has changed since they had their surgeries. I go back to Endo on 2/18 to discuss treatment. Also waiting on current blood tests to see if levels have changed.

Good luck and stay prayerful.

[Anonymous January 29, 2004 at 1:14 am Post count: 93172]

#1165773

There are actually three treatment options for Graves Disease — you can also take anti-thyroid drugs (Tapazole or PTU). For about 1/3 of people who take them, they can bring about remission. Generally, you take the pills about 2 years before checking for remission. I’ve been in remission for 4 1/2 years, after about 2 years on the drugs.

The major “side effects” of iodine or surgery are that your thyroid is basically dead, and you have to supplement with thyroid hormone for the rest of your life. Not a terrible alternative, but in my case, I thought it was worth it to try for remission before doing anything permanent. Your doctor may have reasons for recommending surgery or RAI rather than the drugs.

Generally, an it is easier and safer for doctors to treat an underactive thyroid than an overactive one, and by doing RAI or surgery, the doctor is making your thyroid underactive.

Between RAI and surgery, both are safe as far as I’ve read. RAI doens’t increase any chances of cancer or anything. If you have Grave’s eye disease, the RAI may aggravate the condition temporarily, but I believe that can be mitigated with prednisone. Personally, I’d opt against surgery, because of the general risks. My doctor said it’s a somewhat tricky surgery — close to the vocal chords, but not necessarily dangerous.

[Anonymous January 29, 2004 at 1:21 am Post count: 93172]

#1165774

WHAT IS PTU?? I’ve seen it a lot on this board and know it is an acronym for something, but not sure what!!!???? Thanks!

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