Tyhroid-graves disease- my daughter has to have radiation treatment on her thyroid next week.?

Surgery is a no go she has a one-year-old son has anyone undergone this treatment--and would like to share some experience with me

I suspect she is about to have an I-131 uptake. We use radioactive Iodine to determine the function of the thyroid. Graves disease occurs in about 0.25 percent of the population, is not fatal and causes little problems. The Iodine has a very short-half life and will be elimanated quickly from her system. Surgery is unlikely and I suspect this procedure is simply a diagnostic examination so that her physician can better care for her...not as a treatment. If I am wrong, there are cancerous lesions that would require eith radiation or surgical intervention...those are not optional, inspite of the child. One of the problems with seeking advice here, not enough of the treatment or methods have been explained or there is faulty understanding and that encourages wrong advice. Specifically what kind of radiation was she scheduled for? Was it a test or a treatment? Many people don't ask enough of their physicians to get a handle on what is to take place and simply nod their heads and accept scraps of information and then suffer from needless fear. Graves' disease, the most common type of hyperthyroidism, is characterized by general over-activity of the thyroid gland. Since the thyroid is responsible for maintaining a normal metabolism, over-activity of the thyroid gland can have some dramatic effects on your body's metabolism when too much hormone is released. Metabolism is the process by which digested nutrients are converted into energy and used for the body's cells to do their work This work includes regulating your heart rate, the amount of calories you burn when you are resting, your energy level and other bodily functions. When the thyroid is functioning abnormally it can cause an increased pulse rate, nervousness and sweating, heat intolerance, hair loss. Graves' disease is rarely fatal, and people seldom get extremely ill because of it. It may be necessary to remove some of the thyroid tissue, but seldom is it necessary to use radiation to destroy tissue.

I am suspecting she is having radioactive iodine treatment?? When they do radiation therapy on thyroids, it's usually that.

I had RAI 9 years ago after I had my thyroid surgically removed for cancer. The purpose of the treatment was to kill off any minute thyroid tissue in that area (and cancer cells). The experience was not that bad; it did not hurt. Not sure if things have changed in 9 years....

I was in the nuclear medicine ward of the hospital. I drank a small vial of this stuff -- it's liquid. The guys are dressed head to toe in gear to protect themselves -- a healthy person can absorb this stuff to their thyroid. I was in isolation for 2 days -- I think length depends on dose you receive -- I received 100 millicures.

A symptom I remember was a very dry mouth. I was encouraged to drink lots and lots of water. The only way to rid the stuff from your body is thru urinating. Someone would come in occassionally with a Geiger counter to see how much I beeped. When I stopped beeping, I went home.

I did have a pain & swelling on my one side of my throat where doctors knew there was some thyroid tissue there as I did not have a full removal of the gland.

I'm surprised surgery's not an option. It was not bad -- 4 days I was home. Good luck with your daughter.