[Mickey65]

in reply to: What happens right before RAI #1072180

I did my scan uptake and had my RAI on the same day.

[Mickey65]

in reply to: RAI #1072247

Ski wrote:Synthroid is CHEAP, the generics even cheaper. I used to buy 100 Synthroid pills, without benefit of insurance, for less than $30. That’s more than 3 months’ worth.

I’m getting Synthroid 30/mo for $25. Where did you get 100 for less than $30? :” title=”Question” />

[Mickey65]

in reply to: RAI #1072240

DianneW wrote:

The other two choices are just as valid, so one might ask the same question of you (why you’d put them in a negative light). To others, they may seem ideal.

I didn’t take the other two choices, since the surgery would have been too invasive and I saw some pictures of thyroid neck surgery and didn’t want mine to look like that. With the surgery, there’s a chance of your vocal chords or something else being nicked when they cut out the thyroid.

I didn’t want to be on pills for 3-4 years and find out in the end they really didn’t work and end up with possible liver damage. It would have been a waste of time and money – money spent on prescriptions for it all.

I put it in a negative light since some people here feel RAI is so "negative" for some reason, and wanted to point out the "negative" factors on the other two choices for those who think it’s safer than RAI.

My endo told me RAI was the safest and quickest form of treatment for GD. She gave me plenty of material to read about the 3 treatments, and also gave me time to decide which one I wanted to do. After doing much research online about RAI, AND speaking to a co-worker who also had it done (the RAI), about 30+ years ago – I decided on the RAI.

[Mickey65]

in reply to: RAI #1072237

I had RAI in Dec of 2008, and it made me feel SO much better. No side effects.

I just don’t "get" the negative stuff people are thinking and saying about it? Your other two choices: getting your throat slit open and the doctor cutting out your thyroid, or taking a handful of pills for a few years and maybe they work or not and then MAYBE having liver problems – and then you will be down to two choices – RAI or surgery.

I’m on Synthroid right now, and I’m having NO ill effects from it at all.

Stating bad comments about things here that you haven’t experienced, doesn’t seem right for those looking for ways to cure themselves of this disease. And then makes those who have done RAI look insane – when it worked out for us?

The good apparently outweigh the bad. Cut us some slack here!

[Mickey65]

in reply to: nightmares? #1072263

Since I started on Synthroid about 10 days ago, I’ve been having some pretty wild dreams, and some nightmares too. I wonder if it’s the hormones?

[Mickey65]

in reply to: Almost 7 weeks post RAI #1072269

Weird. I NEVER had any sort of nausea at all after I did the RAI.

[Mickey65]

in reply to: POLL: what positive things have come about in your life… #1072382

I appreciate that I caught it when I did. I’m not sure how long I have had GD, but it was late last summer when I noticed my hands shaking all the time.

And thankful that my medical bills didn’t hurt too much and my insurance at work covered a lot of it – altho the uptake and RAI were the killers for the bills that they didn’t cover much of and now I’m paying off about $400 of that!

[Mickey65]

in reply to: Weight Gain after RAI?? #1072319

I’m going to start on Atkins on Monday, and see how I do on it for a bit. I had done low-carb in the past and was fine with it.

My endo told me to not take any vitamins at all for the time-being.

Right now I can’t do well on portion control, so I have to do low-carb and eliminate certain foods I’ve been gorging on for a while to help with the extra weight. I don’t like South Beach too much, so it’s going to be Atkins for now.

[Mickey65]

in reply to: Do you/did you tell employers about your GD? #1072287

I tend to be one of those who feels GD is brought on by stress. Coincidentally my GD happened to have happened all last year – when I bought my first house and was promoted to dispatcher for the trucking company I work for.

It was my co-workers who had noticed my hands shaking all the time when I’d show or pass them paperwork and some even thought I had Parkinson’s and told me to go get checked up!

I only took two days off of work thru my illness – and that was the two days I needed when I did the RAI and wasn’t allowed to be around people while I was "radiating"

One of my co-workers also has GD, so she was helpful to talk to about any questions I had, once I was diagnosed.

My job had no problems whatsoever with my illness and have been very supportive of me, and were relieved when my hands stopped shaking all the time!

[Mickey65]

in reply to: Synthroid -questions…. #1072450

I’ve been on Synthroid for a week now, and feel a lot better. The first few days I felt a bit sluggish and "foggy headed" and was having some weird dreams.

My bladder also seemed to "freeze up" on me too – meaning I wasn’t peeing very much, altho I was drinking a lot of fluids!

But everything is fine now.

I decided to just buy my meds from my local pharmacy. $25 for the 30 tabs of Synthroid a month – that doesn’t hurt too much! ” title=”Wink” />

[Mickey65]

in reply to: Weight Gain after RAI?? #1072316

I started on Synthroid a week ago. I did RAI on Dec 12, 2008, and felt better within 2 weeks of taking it, and after about a month was off the beta blockers.

I’d say a month after RAI, when I started going to my endo for my every two-week check-ups (weigh-in and blood-work) is when the weight slowly started to creep back on.

I had lost about 20 lbs altogether when I was hyper, but have since gained it back.

The first few days after I started Synthroid, I sort of noticed I felt a bit "foggy" in my head and was having some weird dreams, and also my bladder seemed to have "froze" up on me for a few days.

But everything’s fine now. No more foggy head and feel sluggish, and altho I’m still having weird dreams, at least my bladder is working again and I think I’m starting to eliminate some water weight now.

I’m also going to start on a low-carb diet as of monday – since I’ve done some research on my own and have discovered that kind of diet is the way to go for Hypo patients to lose weight.

[Mickey65]

in reply to: Synthroid -questions…. #1072448

Thanks for the info.

On this one message board where thyroids are discussed, some people there get pretty volatile about Armor vs Synthroid and swear by Armor. And some have already tried talking me into going back to my doctor and demanding I get Armor instead!

I know that everybody is different, and like I said, I’m just willing to try what the doctor prescribed to me and see what happens and if I’m not feeling any better – than I will discuss things further with her.

I’ve been here since Dec 2008 – just haven’t posted much since I took the RAI and have been feeling better! ” title=”Very Happy” />

Hopefully I’ll be able to make it thru whatever is coming next – now that I’m hypo and starting on my "for life" meds!

[Mickey65]

in reply to: new to grave’s disease #1073820

Do the RAI – I highly recommend it! ” title=”Wink” />

See my post in the "RAI or Not Rai" thread.

[Mickey65]

in reply to: To do RAI or not to do RAI…can I hear from those who have? #1073828

I did the RAI about 2 months ago (Dec 12th) and feel SO much better now. I’m not hypo yet – according to my endo, but feel like I did before all the Graves symptoms really hit me. I kind of feel as if I’m at the "jumping off" point before I go hypo now that my runaway thyroid has been curtailed.

My endo said RAI was the safest way to go – and I’ve talked to others (including a co-worker) who highly recommended it.

If you have Grave’s disease, your thyroid is "diseased/dying" – so there’s nothing you can really do to "save" it. You might as well face it and take care of things.

Heck, I lost my gallbladder 10 years ago and I’m doing fine without it. I know I’ll manage just fine without a functioning thyroid too.

I’ve gained back about 10 lbs since the RAI (I had lost about 20 I think), but I was told once I get on the replacements, everything will "even out" – altho I know I have to start watching what I eat anyway! Which I’m not really doing right now anyway!

As for the dosage for the replacements – I’m not on them yet. I had a post 3-week appointment with my end after the RAI, and now I have to see her every two weeks 3 to 5 times and get a check-up and do bloodwork each time and she’s monitoring my T3’s and T4’s and the other things to see where I am and when I go hypo.

I just did my 2nd appt with her on Friday, so I’ll know soon when I go on the pills for life!

RAI was a breeze. Took a big blue pill with a big cup of water and was told to go home and stay home and away from other people for the weekend (I did mine on a friday – 45 minutes after the scan. I had a 60% uptake!). So I just went home, watched movies all weekend and enjoyed myself. I didn’t feel any different, sick or anything else. I might as well have taken an aspirin – no difference!

I just didn’t want to get my throat cut open, nor did I want to waste my time and money taking all those same pills you did and then find out I’d have to do the RAI anyway. Just got it done and over with.

Good luck! It’s a breeze – don’t worry! ” title=”Wink” />

[Mickey65]

in reply to: How do you to find a great endo? #1074734

My doctor referred me to mine. When I went in for a physical and to find out why my hands were shaking. He did bloodwork and at first thought it was Parkinson’s, but a few days later when he got my results back and saw I had an overactive throid, he referred me right away to Dr Bledsoe here in Austin, TX, an Endocrinologist.

So far so good. She’s a very nice lady, and answers all my questions.

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