Hey guys! I'm so sorry I dropped off the face of the earth for a while, it's been a very busy and horrible six months for me. Anyway, long story short, I had the RAI and then ended up in the hospital for 7 days, got out, thyroid died, started 100mcg synthroid, upped to 137 mcg syn, running on the hampster wheel with the endo that now thinks I'm normal because I'm inside the normal range, refuses to write amour, tells me to get a short hair cut when I cry about the handfuls of hair I am losing every day, blah blah blah. I just had a hysterectomy because for some unknown reason my uterus had swollen so badly it was effecting my intestines and bladder AND my appendix was twisted and misplaced. Shhhhewww.... I tried to be as thorough and short as possible, six months is a lot to cover in one post. Anyway, while recovering from my surgery, I noticed that I have a lump that is visible to the eye where my thyroid used to be swollen before I was treated for Graves'. Mind you I had called my endo several months ago complaining of Graves' like symptoms and he ordered blood work that fell within the so called normal range. My question to you guys is.... can my thyroid grow back after RAI?
Re: can it possibly be growing back?? Help please!
So sorry to hear of your struggles!
If you had RAI six months ago, I doubt your thyroid is growing back...if anything, it's still dying off.
It sounds like something is "off" with your thyroid levels and this could cause any remaining tissue to swell.
Just so you know, all of your levels shouldn't be in the normal range if you're medicated properly. Reason being: those Graves' antibodies suppress TSH.
Re: can it possibly be growing back?? Help please!
Yes, I have my results somewhere lol I'll look for them and post. I wanna say they are from February, March at the latest. Oh and to clarify I had the radiation done in September 2011. I said six months because I think that's how long I've been off of the boards. I have a very foggy brain so I'm not good with most particulars but I'll never forget the day they gave me that poison that almost killed me!! Anyway thanks so much for your reply, I'll look for those results asap
Re: can it possibly be growing back?? Help please!
Sorry I've been off for so long. I saw my GP last week and he ran labs, although I don't have the actual numbers his nurse said they fell in the normal range (my thoughts normal schmormal whatever). Anyway, he did identify what he called a nodule on the right lobe of my thyroid. I can see it like an adam's apple just like I could with my original goiter but this time it's only on one side and it feels harder than I remember the goiter feeling, almost like there's a rock caught on the outside of my trachea. I am currently taking 137mcg of generic synthroid but I'd love to try armour (I hear it's great with these muscle aches). I see my endo next Wednesday and I wonder what I should say to him. A friend who went through thyroid cancer thinks I should ask for some type of scan at the very least, she's recommending a PET scan. Her concern is that it was cancer the first go round and that my original GP didn't take the necessary steps to rule that out before RAI. I don't know what to think. I try to research and stay as informed as possible but honestly there's so much info out there it does get a little overwhelming. I read somewhere that a large, hard nodule that showed up rather quickly is a warning sign for thyroid cancer but I'm not about to freak out until I know more. I was told that RAI treatment puts you at risk for cancer later but I'm unsure if that's true. Any thoughts or ideas on the best things to ask the endo for next week would be great. Just a note, my endo came in the picture after my RAI so he's not responsible for my original subpar care.
Re: can it possibly be growing back?? Help please!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gemsrite
Just a note, my endo came in the picture after my RAI so he's not responsible for my original subpar care.
Well, your endo might not be responsible for your original subpar care but, he's responsible for your current subpar care.
There is no way a post-RAI Graves' patient should have normal (aka in-range) TSH levels if being medicated properly.
Your symptoms indicate that your actual thyroid hormone levels (FreeT4 and FreeT3) are not adequate.
Switching to Armour won't correct improper dosing procedures.
It seems that the only way people with thyroid disease achieve wellness is by learning to understand their disease and interpret their labs while being proactive with their care.
You really need to get hard copies of your lab reports.
I would think that at least a thyroid ultrasound is necessary to evaluate that nodule. Please be assured that nodules are very common and are most often benign.
Re: can it possibly be growing back?? Help please!
My endo led me to believe that I'm supposed to fall within the normal range hmmm... I don't want to change to amour I'd like to add it to see if it will help with my muscle pain because it really helps my friend with her's. But it's irrelevant I guess since my endo won't write armour. He usually only checks my levels every three months and because of my hysterectomy I had to reschedule my last appt. I wish he checked it more often. Usually I do get a hard copy of my results and I plan to when I see him next week. I can't find my last record but I haven't searched really hard I've been super busy. I'd love to change endos but he's an hr away and the next nearest is 2.5 hrs away. I know I need to it's just been rough for me lately and I haven't done it.
can it possibly be growing back?? Help please! 
