You certainly can post labs here! Just avoid any symbols, say "less than", "more than" like this:

FT3 10 range 9-15

TSI less than 100 range 0-120

I actually was looking at my old calendars and saw that I stopped PTU 4 days before RAI - I forgot that! I thought I stopped it a week before, just like other people, but it was 4 days. I definitely do not remember if I was able to get hyper in those 4 days, if I was, it was probably too short amount of time for me to notice anything.

About weight - I think there is a bunch pf psychological factors going when people get diagnosed they stop their regimen. When hyper, even Doctors advise to stop exersising until the levels are OK because the heart is already racing. And after the levels are OK, the patient is still unsure how mcuh she can do. Plus that eating-a-lot habits acquired during hyper stage that keep going...

In my case, together with the eat-a-lot Graves, I was eating a lot in pregnancies. That is STILL hard habit to break. I was into a good fitness routine pre-Graves and pre-pregnancy and now sitting on my rear end and complaining that I gained 30-40 lbs since Graves is not really fair. I gained it from 1) eating much more than before Graves and kids 2) not exersising really hard for 5 years and only 3) from having RAI.

I had RAI in Dec 2005, so that makes 3 years and a bit. I feel good for all of these years. I have been one of those who had no problems with RAI, going hypo, and taking Synthroid (it happened in the 5th month after RAI). For 3 years, I took the same 100 mcg of Synthroid, and changed just a month ago to 88 mcg.

I am not sure how asthma would afeect or be affected by RAI... Maybe it will help you if I tell you that all I did was sipped liquid with a straw from the bottom of a tiny cup ( I got 10 mci of ra iodine, the amount depends on the uptake scan), got up and left the room and that was all. I had no feelings of anything going on whatsoever. I stayed away from my kids, but the it felt like a little vacation.

thanks for your quick response and reassuring words! i am hoping that the time isolation time after RAI will be a little break for me!
i'm going to try my labs here again with your advice:
TSH .01 range .4-3.0
T4 free 3.6 range .8-1.8
T4 calculated 9 less than 3.8
T4 total 23.6 4.5-12.8
T3 total 480 range 97-219
T3 uptake 38 range 24-37
TSI 180 less than 125
thyroglobulin 67.5 range 2.0-35.0
THAb less than 20, result is below sensitivity of test
Nucl med uptake:
after 6 hours 23.3 percent range 6-15 percent)
after 24 hours 69.3 percent range 10-35 percent)
nucl med scan: focal area of slightly increased uptake in interior portion of left lobe, remainder of glad demonstrated homogenous uptake.
hope this works!
thanks again

Hi phillyfan,

From what I can see you are hyper (that should be of no surprise :)

and your nuke scan is an aboslute copy of mine! I had about 60% and a homogenious diffused gland (yours is a bit higher on one side).
Sounds like you are a good candidate for RAI, and hopefully yours will be as un-eventful as mine.

Other girls here are more knowledgeable in tests analysis, maybe they will tell some more.

In Canada, they don't do antibodies tests so I still don't know what level of antibodies I had before RAI.

If your doctor is going to give you an RAI on Feb. 26th while you are quite hypER, you are likely to find yourself even more hypER right afterwards. Best to try to bring the FT4 and if you get the FT3 done, under control first. :-(

About 15% of hypERs will gain weight with having wrong thyroid levels.

Take care... :-)

i've been on 10 mg, 3x day of tap since those levels were taken, do you recommend i have the T4 and T3 re-tested before RAI to make sure they've come down?
thanks!

only thing I can suggest about the possible weight gain after RAI is to just stay on top of your labs and make sure you understadn the various tests they are doing - it took me a bit to understand them all and figure out what needed to be looked at but now that I have we have been able to get my levels normal and my weight normal. Otherwise just try and arm yourself with healthy snacks, but let yourself get some sweets (I find if you take them all away you will get a hold of some and eat yourself silly! lol) Sorry I can't give more - tomorrow is my 6 year anniversary with RAI :) So keep us posted on how it goes for you

I don't understand something.

If a hyper person comes off medications (PTU or Meth) of coirse her levels will get hyper.

The Drs want patients get off meds a few days before RAI.

How in the world a hyper Graves patient would make her levels within ranges before RAI if she's off meds and hyper by definition?

...because Endos don't pay attention to the Free Ts, they're looking at the TSH. IMHO, I feel the Free Ts should be made to get to the mid ranges (and don't look at the TSH either) before decisions be made to take an RAI. This is what I'd want to do, if it were me. I would rest a lot more easily and not worry about being hypER with the Free Ts high out of range and begin to have all sorts of problems afterwards.

Take care... :-)

hi
i recall my endo saying that it's important to stop the ATDs prior to RAI, but i couldn't remember what the reason was. i searched the web and found this: "Patients who have been treated with PTU or Tapazole prior to radioactive iodine are more resistant to the iodine and generally require higher doses." this was from http://www.bouldermedicalcenter.com/articles/RAI_Rx.htm
granted this was from 2000, and i know not to believe everything i read...it's really hard to trust that i am doing the right thing. the rai is so permanent, but i have to keep my asthma issues in mind too.

Post this question to the thyroid expert Elaine Moore at: www.elaine-moore.com. She'll be able to help you better.

Take care... :-)