here's my story: i was diagnosed with grave's disease 6 years ago at age 18. my thyroid levels were off the charts. wayyy off the charts. my resting heart rate was 120, i suffered from extreme exhaustion and palpitations, crazy hand tremors, vision issues, anxiety, confusion, hair loss, etc. i felt like i just drank 10 cups off coffee and my insides were running a mile a minute but it was all my body could handle to walk up a flight of steps. all. the. time. my doctors first tried antithyroid medication (PTU and tapazole). it took awhile to find the correct dosage and because my levels swing from one extreme to the other very quickly i experienced hypothyroid symptoms (no picnic either) for quite some time until i was leveled out. after two failed attempts to stop the medication all together, radioactive iodine was suggested. this was partly due to my age (anti-thyroid drugs are not safe for pregnancy) and because my liver functioning was suffering due to long-term use of anti-thyroid drugs (possible side effect).
6 months ago i had the ablation done and i can finally say i'm beginning to feel like myself again. i was against the idea of destroying my thyroid for a number of years but when it came down to it i really had no option. well, no, my other option was surgery but i would have been a fool to have elective surgery when the other option was sooo easy. after the ablation i had to stay 3ft? away from everyone for two days. i had it done on a friday and i lived in my basement for the weekend away from the rest of my family and by monday i was free to return to most of my normal activities. i had to drink lots and lots of water to flush the radioactivity from the rest of my system and be careful to clean utensils thoroughly after eating and flush multiple times after using the bathroom since it's primarily excreted through urine. i babysit full-time and had to take 2-3 weeks off since the baby was only 15 months old and children (and pets!) are especially susceptible and they were worried about close contact with the baby especially, the older kids would have been fine. the months following i went back on tapazole (you need to go off of it the week surrounding your treatment and just 3 days in my heart rate had already shot back up), my bloodwork was monitored and when my levels reached normal i was taken off medication and when my levels dipped i was put on synthroid. that process took 3 months and 3 months after starting synthroid i started feeling normal again. it's been a longgg road but i feel like i'm finally seeing the light and the end of the tunnel. i spent so many years feeling just plain crappy and at one point of another i've experienced every symptom on the list for both hyper and hypo. i gained and lost weight along the way but it was less than 10 pounds in either direction. it really is amazing just how much the thyroid controls.
so that's the shortened version of my story. if you have any questions feel free to ask. i would reccomend trying medication first, sometimes the thyroid re-regulates itself. the best advice i can give you is to find a good endocrinologist, one that doesn't just look at your numbers but bases your medication dosage on your symptoms and how you're feeling. if i could go back i would have had the ablation done sooner but i was afraid, didn't want to destroy my thyroid when it was just an innocent victim of the autoimmune disorder, and i was really reluctant to have the ablation done while i was in college. and to top it all off my endocrinologist who i adored stopped practicing in the middle of of everything. it may sound like a bit of a horror story but through it all i lived an active life and graduated from a well-respected college in 4 years with honors. like others have said it's nothing fatal its just unpleasant to get regulated and figure out medication and deal with symptoms in the meantime because the thyroid effects sooo much. best of luck to you! hyperthyroidism can go undiagnosed for years so be thankful you are on the road to recovery!
6 months ago i had the ablation done and i can finally say i'm beginning to feel like myself again. i was against the idea of destroying my thyroid for a number of years but when it came down to it i really had no option. well, no, my other option was surgery but i would have been a fool to have elective surgery when the other option was sooo easy. after the ablation i had to stay 3ft? away from everyone for two days. i had it done on a friday and i lived in my basement for the weekend away from the rest of my family and by monday i was free to return to most of my normal activities. i had to drink lots and lots of water to flush the radioactivity from the rest of my system and be careful to clean utensils thoroughly after eating and flush multiple times after using the bathroom since it's primarily excreted through urine. i babysit full-time and had to take 2-3 weeks off since the baby was only 15 months old and children (and pets!) are especially susceptible and they were worried about close contact with the baby especially, the older kids would have been fine. the months following i went back on tapazole (you need to go off of it the week surrounding your treatment and just 3 days in my heart rate had already shot back up), my bloodwork was monitored and when my levels reached normal i was taken off medication and when my levels dipped i was put on synthroid. that process took 3 months and 3 months after starting synthroid i started feeling normal again. it's been a longgg road but i feel like i'm finally seeing the light and the end of the tunnel. i spent so many years feeling just plain crappy and at one point of another i've experienced every symptom on the list for both hyper and hypo. i gained and lost weight along the way but it was less than 10 pounds in either direction. it really is amazing just how much the thyroid controls.
so that's the shortened version of my story. if you have any questions feel free to ask. i would reccomend trying medication first, sometimes the thyroid re-regulates itself. the best advice i can give you is to find a good endocrinologist, one that doesn't just look at your numbers but bases your medication dosage on your symptoms and how you're feeling. if i could go back i would have had the ablation done sooner but i was afraid, didn't want to destroy my thyroid when it was just an innocent victim of the autoimmune disorder, and i was really reluctant to have the ablation done while i was in college. and to top it all off my endocrinologist who i adored stopped practicing in the middle of of everything. it may sound like a bit of a horror story but through it all i lived an active life and graduated from a well-respected college in 4 years with honors. like others have said it's nothing fatal its just unpleasant to get regulated and figure out medication and deal with symptoms in the meantime because the thyroid effects sooo much. best of luck to you! hyperthyroidism can go undiagnosed for years so be thankful you are on the road to recovery!
