[Anonymous May 13, 2004 at 2:23 pm Post count: 93172]

#1085786

Lisa

Glad we could help a little – I know this can be a very confusing time. I don’t know enough about surgery to give you a good answer to those questions, but I’ll try to address the questions about anti-thyroid medicine.

Generally remission means one of two things. 1) You have stopped producing the antibodies that affect your thyroid. 2) The amount of antibodies you have has decreased enough so they no longer affect your thyroid. Either way, remission means that your thyroid levels stay stable in the normal range without taking any thyroid medication. For some people the remission may last a very long time, for some people it may only last a couple of years and then they have to start taking medicine again, and some people never achieve remission at all. Unfortunately there is no way to know which outcome you will have.

That’s what I find to be the most frustrating part of this disease – the fact that it can be so unpredictable. But I think the best thing we can do for ourselves is learn as much as we can and make an informed treatment decision. I think generally people are happier with the outcomes when they understand all three options and what to expect with each one. Looks like you’re asking a lot of good questions and are on your way to learning a lot.

Oh, one more thing – if the endo keeps trying to push you into something you don’t feel comfortable with, you are always entitled to get a second opinion. Good luck.

Susan

[Anonymous May 13, 2004 at 4:42 pm Post count: 93172]

#1023439

Thank you for all of the information. After reading all of the responses, I am almost positive RAI is not for me. I definately realize I need to take care of Graves before getting pregnant,wether that means surgery or stabilizing my thyroid with medication.

I am confused about a few things though. My edno made it sound like I would be taking medication for a few years and then I could go into remission. After remission, would I quit taking medication? If i choose surgery, my doctor said there are risks. What are they? What happens after the surgery?

As you can probably tell, my endo did not thoroughly explain my options. He pretty much said the RAI was the best option for me and that surgery was rarely done. According to this board, it doesn’t seem that rare.

Thanks again!

Lisa

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