[cornelius]

#1018152

Hello all! I was just wondering if anyone who has had RAI has then undergone the surgery to remove the thyroid? Or is this completely unnecessary? I have been struggling with med dosages and going back and forth, up and down and it seems as though (from reading some posts) that those who have had surgery have had better outcomes and possibilites of "remission," or at least less hassle with med dosage changes. I have been struggling to keep my labs normal for so many years now (since shortly after RAI in 2006) and it is a little depressing and overwhelming. Any advice??? Thanks in advance!

[Bobbi]

#1062967

I was told long ago, that there was approximately the same incidence of needing a repeat after surgery as after RAI — 10% of folks do not go sufficiently hypothyroid, in other words, with either procedure. What matters is the amount of thyroid tissue that gets eliminated, not necessarily how it was achieved. Some doctors don’t prescribe a sufficiently high dose of RAI; some surgeons leave too much thyroid tissue during surgery.

So, it has happened to the unlucky few to need a second treatment after they tried to eliminate their thyroids. You would need to discuss with your doctor the pros and cons of doing a surgery now, or whether you should revisit RAI.

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