Post RAI.

[ravensgeo]

Hi I was diagnosed after 10 years of being ill as hyperthyroid,though my husband and i are convinced that in fact hashimotos is far more likely . Anyway treatment was at first antithyroid drugs for two years but eventually i caved in tot he pressure from ends and family to have RAI and this was done last week,I am 8 days in.

Have been feeling a bit rough since threes post and just would love to hear of anyone else's experiences. I had the procedure and was just left to get on with it being told to get a tsh( for all that will do) blood test in six weeks.

My neck aches a bit if a cough,very tired i guess this is par for the course but other experiences of this treatment would be interesting. I have no great hopes for its efficacy unless i can get NDT and that will not happen unless I go it alone.

Thank you

hope it makes sense

ravensgeo

[charon]

Hi there

i had my treatment last November 2014

I know people have done well with this, but i wish i had been informed of side effects etc or timescale about recovery.

The hospital wasnt very helpful afterwards, it was as if they were telling me, job done now go away, i have been to hell and back, i messed my mefication up, i was exausted all the time, i have been virtually asleep since then, i dont want to scare you, every one is different, but i would say donkt rush things,heal naturaly and in your own time, when you feel tired, don't fight it, go to bed and sleep.

your discomfort and niggles will eventualy go (it was a couple of months for me) i hope this has been helpful and you return to full health soon, take care

sorry forgot to say, i take levothyroxine, so i never knew if my symptoms were due to unbalance or rai

[ravensgeo in reply to charon]

thank you for your help.

[Clutter]

Ravensgeo, as the RAI destroys your thyroid it may dump hormone into the blood which can make you feel very hyper and that's why you have to wait 6 weeks for levels to settle before they test TSH. Ask for FT4 to be tested in addition to TSH as it can take some time for TSH to recover from being hyperthyroid.

Levothyroxine works well for most hypothyroid patients once they are optimally dosed. My sister has been well on 100mcg Levothyroxine for almost 4 years. She's slightly undermedicated at her own choice as she is terrified of feeling hyper again but nonetheless works full time, runs with a club 2 or 3 times a week and has an active social life.

When you have your thyroid test, which should be early in the morning when TSH is highest, and before breakfast as TSH is lower after food, ask for ferritin, vitamin D, B12 and folate to be tested. Vitamins and mineral are often low/deficient in thyroid patients and can cause musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and low mood similar to hypothyroid symptoms.

[ravensgeo in reply to Clutter]

thank you. It is really unlikely that my gp will test for anything other then TSH,which as you will know has never been properly validated as a test.