Hi everyone! Brand new to this forum but hoping to hear from someone that has been where I am?! I do NOT want to hear horror stories since just deciding to take the RAI was a HUGE step for me after 13 years of being on and off meds. Anyway, I am 2 weeks post RAI tomorow - I was given 20Mc as a dosage. I do not have cancer. I was told "no side effects" hmmmmm here are my side effects and wanted to know if ANYONE has had this same experience - and more than that when did it go away :-)
My throat is soooo sore! It feels like I have strep throat every time I swallow. My neck is still swollen and when I sneeze or cough it is a lot of pain. Can't sleep through the night since every time I turn my head it hurts. SO I know there are "NO SIDE EFFECTS" but anyone else ever had these issues? Just want to know I'm not alone ;-) Thanks for any encouragement too!
OMG Elizabeth! That sounds dreadful! I have graves and after sucessful block and replace 3 years ago but i've gone hyper again in the last few months and am going to have RAI - I must admit Im getting a bit nervous about it now! I wish I had been able to offer a more helpful post but I really hope you gfeel better soon! n
Neilmartin, Block and Replace is not used in North America. Here if you are on meds, you are given Methimazole alone. However, I succeeded in improving my Graves by adding supplements after two years on 10 mg of Methimazole. I was concerned that in two years my TSH remained at essentially 0 until I did this and then I was able to gradually lower my dose by 2.5 mg at a time. I took Regular L-Carnitine 3,000 mg a day, Vitamin D 1,000 to 5,000 IU per day in addition to my Methimazole. Then my TSH began to come up a bit. I added Acetyl-L-Carnitine and then my TSH really rose quickly to the normal range. I was diagnosed in 2007 and currently take 2.5 mg of Methimazole every other day, 500 mg of Regular L-Carnitine on the off days, and more supplements like Magnesium 200 mg, Omega 3, and Curcumin. I hope to discontinue the Methimazole in May when I next see my Endocrinologist and my antibodies have normalized. The addition of supplements really made a huge difference. There is a Naturopath who had Graves disease and he got his disease into remission just by taking supplements alone without Methimazole. I believe he took Bugleweed, Melissa and Motherwort. I would seriously think about avoiding RAI. There was a posting on this Board about a lady who had RAI and 7 years later developed Graves eye disease because RAI does not get rid of antibodies. Also once RAI is done, if you get negative effects or if the meds do not work for you, there is no undoing it. It is permanent.
Thanks Linda - That's really interesting to hear! I think I need to give it some more thought!
Hello Elizabeth
i had rai 4 years ago and didn't have any side affects at all.
what you feel like now is how I feel at the moment as I have a virus. Are you sure it's from the rai and not a virus . The only thing I had after rai is weight gain . I hope your feeling better soon x
Elizabeth,
I can imagine after 13 years of struggling, deciding to have RAI was a big decision. I have been diagnosed w/ graves after thyroid storm in November, and the fluctuations in the past few months alone have been very troublesome. I was very against RAI, but now I know some of the stress of the fluctations and feeling all over the place is no fun. The dr's say RAI/hypo is safer for long term esp if I want to get pregnant soon. They had be scheduled for a dose of 15 before i canceled. Sorry I can not offer too much help in terms of what are normal side effects, but I have read about how your neck can be sore for a period of time after. Please keep us updated as maybe you can educate and share your story with those of us still debating RAI.
Good luck!!