Radioactive iodine or a thyroidectomy- please help???
Dear friends, please would you be so kind as to help me decide on which way to cure my hyperthyroidism? i am 35 and havent had children yet, if i meet the man or my dreams tomorrow i may want to have kids, is there a possibility that i can if i have radioactive iodine treatment?
Has anyone had radioactive iodine treatment who is female in thier thirties? are there any side affects and how did you feel? Would a thyroidectomy be better? however i use my voice for a living so could it affect my vocal chords? I refuse to take medication i am allergic to both antithyroid drugs, can i still have radioactive iodine treatment or thyroid surgery? please help me decide? thanks
Re: Radioactive iodine or a thyroidectomy- please help???
Hi! What was the dose you were started on? Sometimes it's the dose that is too high that makes people think they're allergic. Some I've talked to have taken an antihistamine for it and creams,while taking the meds, the labs get better and then they can reduce the dose and they don't have the rash problems anymore. I'm not saying this would work for you, but maybe a lower dose could be tried? You can still have kids after RAI but you have to wait a year. Some have a lot of side effects after it, some not. I take the meds(2 years)and I am well controlled. In your case with your voice, surgery might be a little risky but not out of the question with an experienced surgeon who has done a LOT of them. Do some research on the meds and being allergic, ask around on other boards too.Good luck!
Re: Radioactive iodine or a thyroidectomy- please help???
GravesGirl brings up lots of good points. I went through both a TT and RAI this summer. TT has a small risk of vocal chord damage, while RAI I believe does not. Both my surgery and RAI had fairly minimal side effects, though I was in the hospital 5 days with low calcium after the TT. Hubby and I do plan on having another baby, but you do have to wait a year. From some of the boards I have seen, people tend to struggle regulating their thyroid hormone after just having RAI. The amount of tissue that dies is a bit variable. Has your Dr. suggested one over the other for your particular case? Also, I don't know what you can do about the thyroid meds. Some people (although I don't know how often this happens) go from hyper to hypo years after having surgery and/or RAI. If that does happen, you will NEED some form of thyroid supplement. Best of luck with this difficult decision! Just know we're behind ya
