Graves' Disease Support Group

Good luck! I had RAI 4 years ago, and am feeling healthy ever since. To me, RAI did wonders. I never adjusted Synthroid dose for 3.5 years. You will be fine.

Please refer to the recent thread called "To have the RAI or Not". You will find all useful info and links to make the right choice for your lifetime of thyroid care.

Just research all options and remember it may take awhile for you to feel better once you have the RAI. Or if you are one of the lucky few people, the RAI will be a success for you.

{{{hugs}}} :-)

What ever you choose we are all here for you. I also had RAI. I went to the hospital , went into a room the nurse gave me a cup of water and a large pill, I walked out and went home. I did not have any side effects. I know they tell you to stay away from people for a few days. My husband and I live alone. He ate with me and slept with me. He choose to so I would not be alone. That was 7 years ago.

We have a son that does radiation spill clean up for the past 20 years. None of us are green yet, so we were not afraid of the RAI. Just so you know there are some of us that do not worry about it as much as others. Not to say they are wrong, but this was right for us.
But, to be safe eat off paper plates, flush twice, wash hands good, sleep alone, do not hug anyone, stay away from children for a few days. I hope this helps you a little. I also think you will be fine.

Good luck, Breland and big, big hugs!! I have not had RAI, but heard that it is good to get some lemon drops and suck on them for the first few days to keep your salivary glands clear, so they don't get dried out by the RAI. I guess the RAI can make them dry?
If it were me, I would get some good movies, magazines and games and some comfy PJ's and would go shopping ahead of time to stock up on food so I wouldn't have to leave the house if I wasn't feeling well. Good luck, and keep us posted! I hope you get to feeling better, soon!
Big hugs!
Hannah

I had RAI done several years years ago. And yes, I was scared before I went through the procedure. But taking the RAI pill was actually uneventful. I had no immediate adverse reactions. However, it does take time to reach homeostasis after RAI. And everyone is reacts differently in the healing process. I also could not tolerate the anti-thyroid meds. For more info on RAI, I recommend checking out http://www.ngdf.org/

Take Care

Good luck. I had RAI done about 9 years ago and Im so glad I had it. It took a LONG time to get the dosage of synthroid right but it was still better than being hyper.

It was a piece of cake...the 'thought' of doing it is more scarey than anything else. Take a pill with water and go home! lol thats it....

They tell you to stay away from people especially kids for a few days....it was just my husband and myself so I just kept a fair amount of distance from him as a percaution but nothing major. I think they told me to allow about 10 feet.......

anyway...............you will be fine...Dont worry!!!!!!

I just want to thank everyone for their advice. It really makes me feel a lot better. It is going to be hard to stay away from my mom and fiance for such a long period of time but I know it will be all worth it in the long run. I really appreciate your advice. Thanks again.

Love,
Breland

Hi Breland
Good Luck w/ ur RAI ...Please keep us posted. I havent had RAI myself but my grandmother had it back in the 80's I never remember her complaning afterwards. I jst remember her having to stay away from us kids for a week or 2.

I had no problems with RAI. Don't be surprised how awful you feel going hypo -- brain fog, lack of energy, etc. But that doesn't last very long. I had RAI a decade ago and my life is normal. I'm happy and look better than ever, at 43. I jog again. I'm functioning at a high level again at work.
I take T4 (Levoxyl) and T3 (Cytomel). If you don't feel normal on T4 alone, after giving it enough time, consider supplementing it with T3. Some people don't convert enough T4 to T3.
I tell everyone going through GD this: Know that you WILL be a success story. The brain and heart are important here, in healing.
Be kind to yourself.

Good luck Breland...I'll be think of you on Tuesday. Please keep us informed on how your doing. If you have any problems there are many here who have had RAI that would be able to help you out...Big Hugs...Kathy