Hi, I'm a 20 year old male in college who has just been diagnosed with Graves Disease. This is a very interesting and at parts scary time for me. Right now I have three choices to manage this autoimmune disease: beta-blockers, radioiodine therapy, or surgery.
From the research I've done, beta-blockers are not terribly efficient and in the end only mask the symptoms of the problem.
Radioiodine, frankly, scares the **** out of me because the warnings include staying away from children and pregnant women for 4-7 days, wash all my clothes separately, and essentially hide in a basement for a week. I also don't necessarily trust the idea of having myself radioactive and being told it won't have any long term side affects. I also know of someone who had this done, but his thyroid has grown back and he has many complications.
The last option, which in a way I'm more considerate of, is surgery. I've been told this isn't recommended for someone my age and could involve the risk of damaging the nerves to my voice box. From what I've also heard the U.S. isn't very fond of surgery, but Europe is. I also know of someone that had this done, and they haven't had any complications since. I also would be able to have this surgery done in Northern Virginia with a renowned hospital system.
What should I do?