I have extremely high T3 levels after my Rai

[BECKYMOMM]

I have recently been diagnosed with an over active thyroid... My doctor ordered labwork, ulstraound, and an uptake scan... I also have a goiter that is 3x the normal size... She felt the best treatment would be RAI... I am also taking 25 mg of topral XL to protect my heart... It has been 5 weeks since I received the RAI... I just did my follow up labs yesterday and my free t3 and free t4 are higher than before the RAI... Before my free t3 was 5.4 now my free t3 is 10.6 and my free t4 is 2.86... I basically have 2 questions... 1. Is it normal to have high free t3 levels 5 weeks after RAI? & 2. Is a free t3 of 10.6 something to be concerned about? I do not see my doctor for 5 more days and I am concerned about the high levels.... I will be grateful for any information that you can provide...

[1jitterbug]

I'm glad you got to see her &  she kind of set your mind at ease. Don't be afraid to let her know if anything changes between now & your next visit.  Hopefully your levels are headed down now. I know how scarey this stuff can be. Remember there's no stupid question.

God Bless, TJ

[BECKYMOMM]

Hello, I went to the Doctor today... She said to give it more time. She thinks that I will be feeling better in about 2 weeks. She said that my thyroid felt soft and my levels are really high and that is a sign that it is working... I get labs in 2 weeks and see her in 3 weeks... I just wonder if there is a chance that the RAI didn't work? Maybe i just need to be patient as this is something that just seems to take time to get better...
Becky

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

it is not unusual for the t4 and t3 to get a little worse at first after I-131.  It is important to take the toprol (beta blocker) type medications to keep the heart rate stable.  If there are eye symptoms -- this is important to discuss with your doctor.  Sometimes prednisone is necessary for the eyes and other symptoms.  Sometimes tapazole is necessary for a while until the I-131 has taken full effect.

This will get better but it is important to consider using meds to support you until the I-131 works fully.  

Early treatment of eye problems is very important.

[BECKYMOMM]

No, I left a message and have not heard back... I don't see her until Thursday...
Becky

[1jitterbug]

Hi

Did you get ahold of your doctor today?

TJ

[BECKYMOMM]

Hi, thank you for answering my post... I got my labs done on Thursday and went back that same day to get the results... I called my doctor Friday (twice) too see if they had received the labs and voiced my concern about the number... Both times I was told that they had the lab results but the Doctor did not read them and will call me when she does if she feels necessary... i called back a 3rd time and the office was closed... I don't even know if she has read then or not... I feel terrible... I am nausea, have terrible body aches and my eyes feel very heavy, and have been drinking a ton of water but can't seem to quench my thirst... I don’t know if this is from my thyroid or if I need to see my primary physician to see if something else is going on... I am thinking it is my thyroid because of how high it is... Here are my results... Free t3 10.2 Normal is 2.3-4.0
                                                        Free t4 2.86 normal is 0.60-1.70
I can tell that I am very wound up... I checked my blood pressure at work yesterday and it was 94/58... Which is low, but probably because of the toprol...?
Thanks ~ Becky

[1jitterbug]

I don't know if Doctor Mark will be answering before Sunday.

How are  you feeling?  If your symptoms are worse than before you should call your doctors answering service & get his opinion.

After receiving RAI the thyroid dumps alot of excess thyroid hormone into our system. That usually happens right away within the first few days but I'm not sure why it would be so high 5 weeks down the road from your treatment. I'm surprised your doctor's office didn't comment about your results when they gave them to you. Labs have different normals for their tests...could you post them if you have them.

The main thing is though that, if you feel more symptomatic, you need to call your doctor for further instructions before Monday. OK

Let me know how you do,
TJ