RAI and hypothyroid?

[zakiah]

Hi guys,

I read a lot about those effects that RAI gives, but I wanna know. Does taking the RAI going to confirm that you are gonna suffer from hyperthyroid to hypo? Is it like 100% confirm? Or its temporary, that it become hypo, then you get another treatment and cured? Is there anyway possible that you are going to be totally cured? Doctor do tell me that the other possibility is to develop cancer. Is it another form of thyroid cancer, or just any possible cancer in the whole body? Coz I'm deciding on taking RAI, and it makes me scared.

Thanks peeps.

[Smilerdeb]

RAI will make you hypothyroid eventually ..some go hypo within weeks, some months, some up to 2 years.
Its all a case of just how well the RAI takes, the dosage, the person overall...as we are all different.Then a T4 med is taken for the rest of your life to provide your body with the hormones that it needs and stablaised at a steady, safe level instead of high levels which can be very dangerous.
There is also the possibility that someone who has never had RAI develop Cancer......so I cant really comment on that one.
But can tell you I had thyroid cancer BEFORE RAI.

Graves and Hyperthyroidism is a very hard disease and condition to treat.
Hyperthyroidism can affect your heart and just about every organ in your body.
If left untreated and if unstable for a long time, hyperthyroidism can affect your heart so much that muscles and valves in the heart deterioate badly.
That was found in my case after going undetected for 22 years.
I now have prolapse and regurgitation of the mitral and tricuspid valves which I didnt have before the Graves became pretty uncontrollable.

It is easier to 'manage' Graves without a thyroid (be it ablated or thyroidiectomy).
There are not many cases of full blown Graves patienst that go into remission without permanant treatment.
Anti-thyroid meds will buy you time to research your condition but as most Doctors/Endos will tell you...anti-thyroid meds are only a bandaid.

There is NO cure for Graves but there is for Hyperthryoidism which causes all the bad symptoms.
Graves is NOT cancer...it is antibodies attacking your thyroid.
When the thyroid is non functioning or removed, there is nothing for the antibodies to attack.

I understand you being scared of RAI...everyone is.
But there are lots of survivors from RAI (no-one has ever died from RAI) ....
And I am one of them.