I have this ,well had that .They just gave me one pill full of the stuff .4 hours latter they laid me on this table with a thing that looked like a flying saucer and the bomb (pill) killed most of my thyroid .Then they leave you for 6 weeks to see how much is dead (thyroid) then they started me on pills .
After 3 weeks i was very tired and that's not me i got energy to burn normally !!!So i slept maybe 20 hours a day till week 6 then they gave me a thyroid pills and i have been ok ever since. hope this makes sense to you.

I had hypothyroid and my specialist treated me for hyper.. Naturally it became so bad, they removed my thyroid. All I needed was iodine in my diet. Now I am on pills for the rest of my life and constantly too tired to be as creative as I once was.
Do lots of research yourself. My own research is all that is effectively treating me as doctors think we are all the same. We are, but we aren't!
I have seasonal shifts that the body adjusts to but pills don't. Have taken a couple of years and careful monitoring to get it right.
Some GPs have no idea. So stick with the specialist until levels are perfected.
On the plus side a woman at my work had Graves Disease at roughly the same time as I had thyroidectomy and she is doing well as she stayed under her specialist till her meds were perfected.
My specialist wouldn't treat me post surgery.
Good luck.
Trying not to be doom & gloom - just be careful of YOUR health.

I had Grave's Disease about 20 years ago and am doing just fine. I do not have to eliminate anything from my diet. My thyroid was nuked. The doctor tries to kill off enough to be normal again, bit he/she dies have to be sure enough has been destroyed. So they err on the safe side. I was on normal activities while the radioactive iodine killed off the thyroid enough to be more normal. The Endocrinologist who treated me did a super job and I am on a low dose now of Synthroid. I did not have to be isolated, but I did take a couple of days off from teaching. Please don't be scared about the iodine pill. You will feel so much better. So after you take it, rest, stitch, enjoy life.

I am a caeliac and then developed Graves-they often go to together- and I ended up getting getting my thyroid removed.I was very sick just before and my doctor gave me a bare 4 weeks off and I was so tired when I went back to work.It took me so long to recover.wish you all the best and look after yourself.

My Mom had this type of procedure. She had the treatment and at that time (many years ago - like 40+) she had to be away from others for three days. She has been taking the synthyroid pills ever since. They check her levels every few months but she never seems to vary so she is on the same dose. She has no diet restrictions. She has otherwise been just fine - healthier than I am!

Just about 42 years ago I had hyperthyroidism and went thru the iodine treatments. Nothing worked so I had to have my thyroid removed. Well, the dr left about a tsp. Never had any problems until I was about 38 (I'm 63 now). Apparently the thyroid grew back and I went to hypothyroidism. That time they took it all out and I take thyroid meds everyday. I get checked every year. I've been on the same dose for 10years. Now it's going up and down again and the dosage has been changed twice since Feb. Go back the end of June. It seems to do that to me about at the ten year mark and it's a bear getting it regulated again. Drs and procedures have come a long way since my first bout. No diet restrictions. Hugs..Carol

Big hugs for you!!!!

I don't have any advice. I'm on synthroid pills, and that's all - no surgery or other procedures were ever suggested. Prayers is all I have for you. We need our favorite listmaker to get well and stay healthy.

Sorry that I do not have any advice but would like to say that your daughter looks absolutely stunning.

I know you probably already know this but stay away from canned processed foods, use fresh veggies, only, for lower sodium content. Frozen dinners etc are also packed with sodium. Low salt is best anyway for a healthier life style, no matter what. There are lots of spices to flavor our foods.
Hope and pray all goes well. sharon

I am sorry to hear that, but a positive attitude like yours will help you cope. I have no advice, I can only hope you get good advice from people here. My prayers are with you.

OK, Sewmom, I can only tell you from Graycie (kitty) and her experience.....the vet kept her for 3 days then I had to handle her litter in a "toxic" manner.....I don't know any humans who have had to do this...Jim had a partial thyroidectomy, but no radioactive stuff necessary.<br /><br />
I would have to say you will get a whole lot done in 7 isolated days!!!!<br /><br />
Good luck with what ever avenue you venture (by the way,Graycie did excellent, did not get the hypothyroidism afterwards....
Forgot to tell you what a beautiful pic this is of you and your daughter......2 beautiful young women!!

Sorry to hear this...I have hypothyroidism and have been taking Synthroid for about 30 years...I have only had to change the dose twice...so I guess I am lucky...one pill a day, that's it...

I was diagnosed in 1995 with Graves. The worst part is going from the slim person I was to the bigger one I am now! lol While I was "hot", I stayed inside and sewed and cleaned. Good Luck!

Can't add anything because I have had no experience, (Thankfully) but I will definitely be Praying for you. Take care of yourself FIRST, and then others. You will defeat this with the help of God. Hugs, Judy

Sewmom, I was diagnosed as being hypothyroid about three years ago. My TSH test level was only slightly elevated at the time, and the other two tests, the T3 and T4, were in the mid normal range. I was prescribed the lowest dose of Synthroid med, and truly cannot tell any difference in the way I feel before or after it was prescribed. Have blood tests each six months, and all three tests staying in the mid normal range so far.
My understanding has always been that with hyperthyroidism one generally loses weight, and vise versa with hypothyroidism, one has more of a tendency to gain. I've gained a few pounds, not much, but I mostly blame that on lack of exercise, and eating too much, not my thyroid!! LOL
Try to relax; all the tests are routine to see any possible issues with the thyroid gland to determine the route to get it back into balance! You will be fine!! If you have been feeling tired, sluggish, more than usual, and/or heart palpitations (like butterflies fluttering), thyroid med may get rid of these. I do not feel any different tired wise, after being put on med, but I no longer have the butterflies fluttering! LOL
Hugs to you!
Angel

I have no information for you sewmom just my prayers that it all goes well & you meds kick in quickly so you can get back to normal routine. ~hugs & prayers going your way~

Hi sewmom, I don't know the first thing about Graves disease but my daughter had the iodine treatment.She had thyroid cancer and they removed all her thyroids and some lymp nodes.She had to stay in her master suite,without hubby, to use her own bathroom while she was radioactive.Couldn't be around anyone,esp babies,pregant women.We kept Mason for 2 weeks,I think it was.I know he took his first steps while with us and I always felt bad 'cause she missed it.(Thankful tho,because she could have missed a lot more.)The reason they told her NO iodine/salt intake is because you want to starve off those cells,so that when you take the treatment, they will be hungry & soak up the iodine.This is not their, word for word, but is the best I can explain.I know it's not cancer in your case,but the treatment sounds the same.My sister also had thyroid cancer and she is coming in a couple hours.She also is a retired Oncolgy RN,so if you want to ask her something,I'll check back afterwhile and see if you saw this post.I also know my daughter had to eat fresh vegetables NOTHING processed, only before her treatment.

I am so glad you got good information. Get well soon, and keep talking it out, I think it may help.

I have had hypothyroidism for 25 years I take 1 small pill everyday and that's about it. I've had 1 adjustment to my medication in all that time, I don't remember any radioactive treatment, I went for an appointment to the hospital there was a machine kind of like an xray machine. a few days later the doctor called and said I had to take this medication for the rest of my life . And I've heard it runs in families, I found out years later I have an aunt with it on one side of the family and a cousin on the other. I'll say a pray for you, once you get on the medication you should be fine.

Sorry weight gain occurs with the thyroid out of action. So if they leave you some, you should be fine.
I slowly gained weight for 10 years before I felt the tiredness and other affects of hypothyroidism. Then the surgeon completed it by removing my thyroid; and my GP complimented by adjusting my replacement hormones the wrong way. I am very careful of what I eat so that I don't gain weight once I learnt that I had to. Would love to lose 20 kgs (45lbs) but all I can manage is to not gain anymore. I use the Every Other Day Diet idea as straight calorie reduction just piles on the weight for me.
Take a look at www.about.com it is interesting but it doesn't give enough/all the woman has to say on Thyroid and Dieting - you need to buy the book or get it from the library to get the full story.
All the best Pat