Hello! I have hyperthyroidism, graves and toxic multi nodular goiter. I had the RAI in Feb. I have not felt right since. My weight has gone up and that has nothing to do with what I eat. The first time I had the radiation it was a small dose for a scan and I gain three pounds the next morning!!! It happened again with the larger dose 25milcu too. The weight has never come off. Has this happened to any one else?? I did gain more right after the second RAI. I can't get the weight off no matter how hard I try. My t4 and t3 levels are finally normal but my TSH is 0.018. Maybe that has something to do with it. Thanks for your help!!
Hi Xmas, I am hypo from the RAI for graves. Took one dose Feb. 2004.
The only time I gained weight is when I was hypo. I was on antithyroid drugs(hypo most of the time on those).
Last July I went hypo and put on extra pounds.
Your TSH is not important at all to look at. The most important tests are the Ft4 and Ft3, not t4 or t3. Ft4 and Ft3 show the actual hormones in your bloodstream.
Please do not let your doctor judge by just the TSH. Your doc needs to listen to your symptoms and judge by the Ft4 and Ft3.
If you have a copy of your Ft4 and Ft3, you can post them here and someone will be happy to help you with them.
Now my TSH has been suppessed since 2002 when diagnosed with Graves. After I had RAI it was suppressed but I was putting on weight, sorta depressed, tired easily.
Thanks for the reply. I do have other symptoms like tireness,brain "fog", muscle weakness ect. Some days they are worse than others and sometimes I feel fine for days. My new labs say normal FT4 0.92 and normal FT3 is the T3 uptake (27) FT3? Free Thyroxine Index 1.8 or Triiodothyronine (T3) 92?Sorry new to trying to read my labs. Thanks for your help.
Hi I am from Graves Rai five years ago. Finally on meds for hypo though my doctors kept telling me "its not your thyroid" ha, ha, it was! I was hypo though my labs were all "normal". And I think you are hypo too with a FT4 that low. My guess is you need some thyroid medications. If he will not prescribe, call around and find a doc who will. You have the same sympotms I was plagued with for four years until I figured out with the help of people here and elsewhere and experts on boards that I needed meds. I also used to have some days of feeling fine. But it may be your adrenals that are kicking in to make up for what your thrydoid is not doing. If that goes on too long I heard people can develop adrenal fatigue...(don't panic too much yet on that, I went for four almost five years with my adrenals pumping for me!). You want your free Ts in the upper 1/3 of the range...that is where many people feel good. Hope this helps and good luck with talking to your doctor.
Thanks for the reply. I do have other symptoms like tireness,brain "fog", muscle weakness ect. Some days they are worse than others and sometimes I feel fine for days. My new labs say normal FT4 0.92 and normal FT3 is the T3 uptake (27) FT3? Free Thyroxine Index 1.8 or Triiodothyronine (T3) 92?Sorry new to trying to read my labs. Thanks for your help.
Yes I believe after having RAI, we have those up and down days. It sounds to me like you need some thyroid replacement.
If your bloodtests say it is in the normal range, that does not mean that it is normal for you. Everyone has an area in the range that they feel their best.
My Ft4 and Ft3 have to be in the upper part of the lab range to feel my best. So, don't let the doc get away with saying" It is in normal range". The lab range is too wide in my opinion anyway.
The most important is your symptoms and you sound like you could be heading hypo.
