What to Do??? - Calera,AL

I have not ever had this. But,I would have surgery instead of putting something radioactive in me. Unless this was the ONLY WAY? Jesus help C. make the right chose and be with her and her family in your name amen. God Bless Always
Barbara A.

C.,
I had Radioactive Iodine Treatment about three years ago. I had to eat off paper plates and drink from paper cups and not get too close to people. I don't think it was for a full week but it was long enough. My situation was different in that it was only my husband and that I had to think about, no children. You and your husband will make the right choice. Blessings!

first off I had surgery to remove part of my thyroid the right side had die and the left was trying to over work itself to make up for it and cause a gorder that was 3 1/2 pounds once they got it out and had to remove over half of the left side cause it was killing itself I had been cut from ear to ear the surgery was PAINFULL stayed in the hospital overnight luckly my calcium was good enugh they did not have to keep me and it took way longer that a week to recover I could not ever look left or right or move my neck and once I was lying down if I had to get back up my sisster or somone had to hold my head and help me up if you would like you can contact me if you wanna know more on my story as for the other treatment I have a friend that did that treatment and everything went well for her she had two babies to takecare of she was a single mom so her mom helped and was only 3 days away from them ____@____.com if you wanna email me good luck on your decision I hope I never have to have my throat cut again it was like being a new born lol

If I were you I would just have the surgery. If you do the RIT you will have to stay away from your new baby and that baby needs you right now. If you have the surgery you may be out of comission for a few days but at least you can still be with your family. Surgery is a big deal but if it were up to me I would choose to stay with my family and have the surgery.

T.

I have not had the surgery, but my boss at work did. I can tell you he was only out of the office for 1 day, he had the surgery on a Friday so he used the weekend to recover and came back on Monday and seemed fine, was not taking any pain medication, and claimed his only pain was a slightly sore throat.

I know nothing about the RIT, but just wanted to let you know that the surgery didn't seem all that bad with my boss. I know everyone reacts differently, so weigh the pros and cons of both and then make you decision based on what is best for you not what everyone else tells you.

Good luck. I have the opposite problem with my thyroid, hypothyroidism.

I haven't been thru it but in my opionion if the radioactivity is sooo strong that you can't be around anyone for a week, that would make my mind up right there...if its that strong what does it do to the rest of your body. Good luck with your decision and hope someone whose been thru it can give you more insight.

Hey C.!
I also have hyperthyroidism (Graves Disease), I was diagnosed November 2006. They first put me on the tapizole, then i have tried other medication while i was pregnant and breasfeeding. My thyroid did flip to hypo but then back again. Anyway my last visit about 2 weeks ago was to see what my options are. I had 3 surgery (which the doctor does not like), radioactive iodine, or stay on the medication for a year and a half. We went with the medication. If it does not work i will do the radioactive iodine. I am also concerned with being around my husband and children, but from what i understand it is not an extremely high amoundt, and i was told i would need to be away for about 3 days. If you look it up on WebMd it says longer. The doctor did not like the surgery option because of all the nerves that would have to be cut during surgery. Just remember to ask as many questions that you can, and do what is best for you and your family. If you feel comfortable enough you could get a second opinion. I had thought about that but i live near Alexandria Louisiana and there is only on endo doctor, and Shreveport was booked up for about a year. Best of luck. Hope i helped. Let me know how it goes.
A.

Have you gotten a second opion??? After pregnacy your thyroid activity can change because of hormone changes.

C.,

I understand your reservations. I found out I was Hyperthyroid in 2007 and was told "not" to get pregnant until I had my thyroid under control. They didn't even say surgery was an option for me. They just said Radioactive Iodine was what I needed. I was told to stay away from children under 5 for a few days.

Since then, I have had a beautiful baby girl who will be 1 next week. The biggest pain is having to be on medication the rest of your life. And, my dosage is still not where it needs to be since having my baby. Other than that, I've had no ill effects from the treatment. I do think I would rather have the RAI as opposed to surgery.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

M.

I had the same problem - actually I had Grave's disease, and my thyroid was HUGE and my heart rate was 120 bpm - and opted for the Radioactive treatment. It was tough, as I am a single mother of twins, but luckily my mom was able, along with two babysitters, to handle the kids for me. :)
It wasn't that bad really, you just have to be careful about keeping the dishes you use separate, don't hold the baby, and there are measures you have to take in a shared bathroom but the doctor of course should've already given you an information sheet with all that.
I didn't do the surgery because my thyroid was so enlarged that would've been riskier than the RIT.
I say take the pill. :)

Aren't we told to stay away from radioactive materials? What good is it to get your thyroid under control just to get cancer from it later? sounds risky and your baby is so little to be away from its mommy for a week.

C.,
I had the RIT done back in 2003. I have regreted it ever since. It is suspose to either regulate your thyroid or it can destroy it. I think its like 50-50 chance either way. Mine was destroyed and now I am on thyroid medicine for the rest of my life. I wish a thousand times I had looked at other options before doing this - since it is permanent. I do not feel any better since having it done either, still tired , sluggish, weight gain, thinning hair, intolerance to heat and cold. THINK AND RESEARCH BEFORE YOU DECIDE THIS IS FOR YOU....take care and the best of luck in what you decide...

I have Grave's Diesese, hyper-thyroidism, and I had the radioactive iodine, I had to stay away from my 2 year for 2 days. I chose that over surgery. I did not have any side affects and have been feeling great every since my Dr. got my levels back on track. I must say getting your dosage where it needs to be afterwards is frustrating, but once you are there you feel great again!

C.,

They RIT is more risky in my opinion. THey haven't been doing it long enough to guarantee the effects. THe surgery is really Not a big deal. It is outpatient or at most a 23 hour stay. You will have a small incision at the crease of your throat. Down for a day or two and then back at it. THe medicine treatment is the same regardless of which you choose. SO, to me, The chance to have this diseased organ out of your body for good , for a relatively minor proceedure sounds great to me.

C.-I took the radioactive iodine in March. I only stayed away from my kids for 3 nights. My parents live in town, so I stayed at there house from Friday afternoon until Monday afternoon. You will not have to stay away for a week. If you are beastfeeding, you need to find out how long to abstain from that. It's simple-you just swallow a pill-and noninvasive. The surger is of course invasive and I would think it would require more time. Hope this info helps. If you have more questions, let me know.
S.

Go for the surgery. Radiation is way more scary than surgery. Plus any amount of pain or fear of surgery us worth dealing with so u won't be radioactive. The surgery will go fine. All the best.