Re: GP suggests I need RAI

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 1/1/2004 8:48:46 PM Eastern Standard Time,

netsurfer6789@... writes:

so his comment about me needing to have the RAI, really

took me by suprise.

Dear Kitty,

Most endos in the U.S. do push for RAI early on, for a variety of reasons.

It seems doctors here like to make us hypo, either because they think that is

preferable to being hyper, or because it makes us patients for life, I don't

know.

Most people on this board w/Graves became hypo because of continuing high

doses of ATDs; most of those who have had RAI will become hypo w/in 2 years. I

insisted my doctor start weaning me off the meds as soon as I started to feel

hypo--I refused to get full-blown hypo, and this might be what enabled me to

get better so fast.

Most doctors here seem to have the same approach, so, as we said earlier,

just stick to your guns and say you want to stay on ATDs. As I told you, I just

told my doctor that the option of RAI was off the table, and he seemed OK with

that. I hope your doctor is reasonable also. If not, he may learn something

by having a patient who advocates for herself, and for using ATDs instead of

RAI.

Good luck, and please keep us informed.

And Happy New Year to All!

AntJoan

[Guest guest]

Kitty,

Sorry to hear your story. I have never heard of going off of the

medication either, especially since you are still having symptoms of

being hyperthyroid. If I were you, I would find a different doctor,

or at the very least get a second opinion before you do something as

drastic as RAI or surgery.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I think you are right..I really need a new endo thats for sure.

Thanks for your concern, but after reading so many heart breaking

posts in here of how people are suffering so much after having RAI,

tablets are for me the one and only option. It makes me so angry that

doctors would even suggest such a barbaric practise as RAI. I feel as

if we are back in the 1800's when doctors would kill you off with

mercury or blood letting.

Since there are so many wonderful people in this group and on the

internet willing to speak out about bad experinces after RAI, has

anyone thought of lobbying goverments for more research to be done on

the effects of RAI and maybe getting it banned? but then wait a

minute, how stuipid of me, doctors would then have to come up with

some alternatives to the RAI, such as educating patients in ways to

better cope with stress, and also giving some useful advice on

nutrition..forget it! lol. That is never going to happen!

Kitty

> Kitty,

>

> Sorry to hear your story. I have never heard of going off of

the

> medication either, especially since you are still having symptoms

of

> being hyperthyroid. If I were you, I would find a different

doctor,

> or at the very least get a second opinion before you do something

as

> drastic as RAI or surgery.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Kitty,

You are probably making a wise decision to stick with the medication.

I have never taken the RAI treatment, and my doctors have not even

considered it. I had a sub-total thryoidectomy back in June, 1998.

Since then, I have seen two different endocrinologists about my

thyroid and have not really learned anything new. The only thing

that I did learn with these visits was that my thyroid grew back and

was still active. At the time, I was hypothyroid one visit and

slightly hyperthyroid the next while on the same dose of medication.

There were times in which we would increase the dosage of medication

and times that it would be completely discontinued, but neither one

of them could tell me why this was happening. You would think that

these medical professionals who are so supposedly educated would know

a little bit more on the conditions that they are trying to treat.

The doctor who did my surgery left a little bit of my thyroid intact

in hopes that I would not have to be on thyroid hormones the rest of

my life. Well, the thyroid surgery failed since I have since

relapsed into hyperthyroidism. I am seeing a new doctor now, an

internist. He suggested that we try the medication first and if that

didn't work that we consider the options. I told him that I know

what the other options are--surgery is out of the question, and I

would not even consider taking the RAI and he was totally ok with it.

I have been taking methimazole (Tapazole) and propranolol since the

end of October and overall feel pretty good. The lab tests that I

had done in November showed that I am still hyperthyroid but not as

severe. We increased the dosage of propranolol to 80mg/day in

December, and are considering increasing the dosage of methimazole

pending the results of the lab tests that I had done after

Christmas. I really like the doctor that I am seeing now because he

lets me play an active role in deciding what is best for me. I also

wish that the doctors would teach about stress reduction and

nutrition as it would have probably saved people from a lot of

suffering. I am currently enrolled in a stress managment class at

universalclass.com and the information that I have learned in class

so far has been valuble to me.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

> I had a sub-total thryoidectomy back in June, 1998.

Excuse my ignorance but can you tell me why you needed to have that

done?.

>I am currently enrolled in a stress managment class at

> universalclass.com and the information that I have learned in class

> so far has been valuble to me.

What a great site! I'm glad to hear you are doing something about

your stress. I still haven't done a thing about mine yet, as I'm

still trying to get myself motivated into doing some form of

relaxation. I was also thinking of doing something creative, this

might sound silly to some, but before I used to enjoy doing those

paint by numbers (obviously I can't paint! lol)..I found it very

relaxing. I'm not sure if its as effective as doing meditation though.

[Guest guest]

I had to have a sub-total thyroidectomy because of three reasons: 1)

the size of my goiter; 2) failure of extremely high dosages of anti-

thyroid/ propranolol to control my hyperthyroidism symptoms caused me

to pass out behind the wheel of my car and get into an accident; and

3) my internist told me that RAI was not an option because of my age

and the fact that he did not believe in it.

Creativity is a great for stress relief! I think that in its own

way, doing something like painting is meditation in its own way.

Other than taking the online class which helps in understanding my

stress and ways to deal with it, I like listening to calm music which

is not always classical, and I also dance. I am taking three dance

classes per week and even though they are with teenagers, dance is my

time to release the stress and relax. Dance also allows me to express

my emotions and feelings in a non-destructive manner. I feel so good

after dance class that I do not know what I would do without it.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 1/3/2004 5:46:22 PM Eastern Standard Time,

agholson@... writes:

that the doctors would teach about stress reduction and

nutrition as it would have probably saved people from a lot of

suffering.

Dear ,

Please go to iThyroid.com to find natural ways to treat your condition, which

you can use in conjunction with the medication.

AntJoan