Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with hyperthyroid

Radioactive Man...

extrabox — Tue, 21 Feb 2006 20:51:16 -0800

My friend was just diagnosed with Graves Disease and the doctor decided it was so serious he should immediately get radioactive iodine treatment, and he was given a 16mCi pill today. So, apparently, he is very radioactive right now, and would set off Homeland Security terror alerts in airports if he walked through. The issue is that he and his wife have an 6 month old baby who had serious heart problems when he was only 2 months, and my friend's wife is seriously concerned about her (since she's breatfeeding) and her baby's peripheral exposure to my friend's radioactive emissions.

My friend's doctor said to follow the basic radioactivity safety precautions for a week, and then everything will be OK, but she is finding other contradictory information that says you should take precautions against the radioactivity for a month!

Right now, she feels like she doesn't want her husband coming near her or the baby for a year.

Does anyone know enough about the safety of this treatment to help us better determine if my friend's doctor is being far too cavalier about how long they need to follow the radioactivity safety guidelines? Or information I could share with them to help reassure them, and calm their fears?

No Thyroid, Synthroid and Soy?

Shane — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 13:36:50 -0800

No Thyroid, Synthroid and Soy? My Mom is hypothyroid, actually "NO-thyroid," taking Synthroid due to her lack of any remaining thyroid gland. Hypothyroid patients are often told soy may exacerbate hypothyroidism, but if one already has no thyroid left and is completely dependant on a replacement drug, is there any reason to avoid soy?

Experiences and Information on Hyperthyroid aka Grave's Disease

barnone — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 21:00:37 -0800

I've just been diagnosed as severely hyperthyroid, also known as Grave's Disease. I'm under the care of about 6 physicians, but want to know some more subjective information. Is there a really great book? A great tip for sleeping with my head raised on pillows? Other experimental or experiences you can pass my way would be great. Some background information: I'm a female in my 20s, with a bit of a history of thyroid problems on both sides of the family. This went undiagnosed for 8-12 months until it basically exploded into the beginnings of a thyroid storm. I'm now on Tapazole and a betablocker (for the first month) and have several GPs, specialists, opthamologists and family working with me, treating me, keeping me under medical care. I had almost all of the symptoms, but not much orbitopathy (buggy eyes). We're going the drug route (and vitamins, including selenium, which may or may not be connected to thyroid levels) until it either doesn't work or surgery or radioactive iodine becomes necessary. I'm actually feeling better in some ways (emotionally, academically) but in others my levels have dropped (energy, hemoglobin, etc.) - again, the doctors know and are constantly monitoring this.

I'm wondering a few things:

a) Can you recommed a good book or two on the subject? Some look woefully out of date, and many websites have agendas, incorrect information or are extremely dense in medical notation. Something between these two extremes would be great.

b) Can you point me in the direction of medical or other literature on the side-effects of radioactive iodine? That seems to be one of the more prevalent treatments in the US, and the connections with opthamopathy startle me and make it more of a last-option approach than my doctors. I need to be well-informed when discussing this with them.

c) What have been your experiences? How do you feel, based on whatever choice you made (drugs, surgery, iodine) and what would you do differently? I know it's subjective, based on medical information and personal decisions, but just knowing what made someone choose one route over another is helpful to me. It lets me think of consequences and benefits that I might not have anticipated.

d) I'm continually making a list of questions to ask my doctors, but I'm obviously missing some. What kinds of things should I be worried about or on the lookout for?

e) Other than selenium, what are vitamins, important minerals or other acids that I should be taking?

Thanks in advance; this is my sock puppet account because I don't want this information linked to my personal name at this point.