[Anonymous December 6, 1996 at 3:57 am Post count: 93172]

#1057885

I just want to thank everyone for their comments and optimism. It’s helping
me considerably. I have to admit, I don’t know how you do it. I am constantly
wanting to scream and yell, tear my hair out, destroy my house. I’m only
twenty-two years old and I have this incurable disease. I have been healthy
all my life until now. I never thought something like this could happen to
me of all people.

Right now I’m kind of scared because tomorrow morning, I’m getting the RAI
done. I know that it’s virtually side-effect-free and hassle-free, but I
have a problem with putting something radioactive in me, you know? I have
called a couple of my close friends and although they’ve been supportive, I
don’t think they really understand what I’m talking about. It’s kind of like
being a child and talking to an adult. The child opens their heart to the
adult and it merely gets nods and grunts in return. I know it’s unfair of
me to say such things about my friends, but it’s true. They can’t understand.
I’m so glad that there are people here who do.

Mahalo nui loa to all of you…

Caroline

[Anonymous December 6, 1996 at 5:31 am Post count: 93172]

#1167186

No, Caroline, they probably don’t understand. And it’s not completely their fault, either. A lot of folks out there really cannot empathize the way we NEED to be empathized with these days.

I certainly know what you’re feeling about swallowing that radioactive pill. I did it two weeks ago, and it was all I could do not to throw it back up right after I took it. There was a part of me, emotionally, that just did not want that pill in my body!

That said, I decided that for me this was the route to take, and am very hopeful that I can be one of the folks who go on to live productive, relatively symptomless lives on thyroid supplement. There are A LOT of people out there who take synthroid — for a variety of reason, and do just fine. The thyroid tends to go hypo as we women get older, anyway. A friend of mine, who is a nurse, said that a huge percentage of the patients she saw were taking synthetic thyroid hormone. My mom, who lives in a retirement community said that most of her friends are on it too. So, while it’s true that this is a chronic “problem”, it doesn’t have to mean that we are “ill” with it. Right now, we are. But soon, hopefully, we won’t be.

Anyway, good luck to you today. Hang in there. It can only get better, right? At least this isn’t something the doctors cannot treat at all. Keep your hopes up.

Bobbi

[Anonymous December 6, 1996 at 9:30 am Post count: 93172]

#1167187

Hi Bobbi

In regard to your statement about the number of people on thyroid replacement drugs, I found a list yesterday of the 20 most prescribed drugs and thyroid hormone was # 10 out of all of them! (1991 stat) Surprised me.

Bruce

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