RAI 1ST THEN SURGERY ??

[zindy]

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WIDSOM & INPUT. THE ENDO RECOMMENDED FOR ME TO TRY THE RAI FIRST TO SEE IF IT WOULD SHRINK. UNFORTUNELY IT INCREASED IN SIZE WAS 4.8 NOW 5.2CM  MY TSH HAS BEEN ALL OVER THE PLACE. I HAD MY RAI IN NOV 05 AND THEN IN 1 WK I HAD THYRODITIS HE SAID THIS WAS RARE. STARTED ME ON PREDNISONE. AND THEN IN FEB 06 I DEVELOPED A SEVERE UNDERACTIVE THYROID WITH A TSH OF 111 !!
3/28/06-T4-12.4-H , TSH 0.11 L
7/27/06-T4-13.1-H , TSH 0.13-L
10/26/06-NORMAL RANGE
4/23/07-TSH 30.4-H
5/21/07-TSH-8.2-H
DID ULTRASOUND 4/5/07-5.2 X 2.6 X 2.6CM. UNABLE TO IDENTIFY DEFINITE NORMAL APPEARING THY. TISSUE. ALSO REPRESENT DIFFUSE INVOLEMENT BY NUMEROUS SUBCENTIER ADENOMATOUS NODULES. DIFFUSELY INHOMOGENEOUS LOBE. THE DOC ACTED SURPISE HOW BIG AND SAID GROWING INWARD- WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT TAKING THIS OUT. I DON'T SEE HIM TILL JUL 23 07. THEN HE SENT ME TO A ENT TO SEE IF MY PROBLEMS IS FROM SINUS OR ANYTHING ELSE. ENT SAID HAD ACID REFLUX. AND SHE LIKES TO REMOVE NODULES LARGER THAN 4CM. I HAVE LOTS OF SYMPTOMS-PAIN IN EAR & NECK, TIGHTNESS & BURNING IN NECK, FEELS LIKE SOMETHING STUCK AND ALWAYS CLEARING MY THROAT ECT... I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE KEEP WAITING? I HAD MY R. THY. REMOVED 18 YRS AGO. AND I BEEN TOLD TWICE THIS WILL BE RISKY B/C OF THE SCARRING FROM PRIOR SURGERY. AND THE ENT SAID WELL, THE RAI PROPRABLY MAKE EVEN MORE SCARRING??? I,M SO SORRY THIS IS SO LONG I JUST NEED SOME INPUT! THANK YOU ALL!!

[Nyxie63]

Sorry you're going through all this.  I'm not really sure what kind of input you're looking for.

If you're wondering why they tried the RAI before doing surgery, then this article might be of some help.  It's a bit heavy on the med-speak, but still very informative:

http://www.thyroidmanager.org/Chapter17/17-frame.htm