My Experience with Thyroid Ablation (food allergy, blood, lose weight, depression)

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I thought I would post about my experience so far, as it has been very good and I didn't know what to expect. After being diagnosed w/toxic multinodular goiter and exploring the options w/the thyroid specialist, I chose radio-active iodine re-uptake and ablation as the fastest way w/the least side-effects. i have had a seafood allergy before and was concerned but I was assured that unless my allegy was severe (it wasn't), the dose is so much smaller that I would be OK - I was.

They do it at a hospital, in the nuclear medicine department, over 2 consecutive days. The first day, I sat in a chair and had my knee and my thyroid scanned for background radiation; they said very rarely do they find any but they have to check. Then I was given a small amount of odorless, tasteless iodine to drink; maybe faintly chalky but not at all bad. I then left and came back exactly 4 hours later to get the knee and neck scans again. I was told that thyroid cells are the only ones in the body to absorb iodine.

The next day, exactly 24 hrs after I had had the iodine, I was re-scanned, knee and neck. I was then given a radio-active solution of something in an IV, not iodine, low dose, and told to come back in 4 hrs.

At this last visit, I lay down in a large circular machine for longer scans of my thyroid. I am claustrophobic and I was worried about this step but it was large and open and I had no trouble. This shows them exactly how large and how active the nodules were.

After about 1 hr of calculations and getting the iodine up from the pharmacy, I was given the radio-active iodine. It was shielded in a large container of lead, on a lead-lined shelf, and the technicians stood well back after they prepared it. I drank it through a straw and I don't think it tasted like anything. I then had 2 small amounts of water swirled in the container to drink, to get it all up.

I was told to stay 6-10 feet away from other people for 5 days as I was radio-active, not to let my pets lick my skin, to observe universal fluid precautions (be esp. careful about sneezes and coughs), to use disposible plates/cups/tableware, to wash my clothes and sheets, to change my CPAP nose piece after 5 days, and to not leave the toilet lid up for 3 months (they said 80% of the iodine comes out in waste products).

At 4 days post procedure, my glucose levels dropped close to normal; I had been having trouble w/control even on insulin. I am not napping so much, my memory is improving, my HR doesn't get quite so high when I move and I get a little less short of breath on activity. I was told it could take up to 6 weeks to see the full effect and that it might have to be re-done if the dose was too small.

So far, I am a very happy camper!

[1984vt]

Congratulations on the success!

How did you find out you had this condition? Did you have an abnormal thyroid panel? The reason I ask, I just had a partial thyroidectomy. My thyroid panel came back normal so they didn't know why I had the nodules. I don't think my problems have corrected themselves as I had symptoms like yours as in I would get tired easily and my HR will fluctuate.

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I have had symptoms for many years, but mixed - some fast HR, inability to lose weight, heat intolerance, no anxiety. The nodules were found by accident when I had a chest CT for something else. Then came the ultrasound, a full thyroid panel of blood work, and a biopsy. That endocrinologist was going to wait for 3 months. I had had enough and changed to a thyroid specialist. She diagnosed it immediately based on the pattern of lab results. All I remember were TSH = .06 and thyroglobulin was 68 (ref range went to 35). My body temperature has always been around 97.3 for at least 30 yrs.

My depression was worsening this past year and I could not remember names of things or people. I have since learned that over-active and under-active thyroid share many of the same symptoms.