Re: Re: i am new and hoping to make friends

September 30, 2003

Sassy,

The RAIU test that you speak of is unnecessary for diagnosing GD and could

possibly aggivate your eye symptoms. I would refuse it, and opt for antibody

tests and ultrasound of the thyroid if nodules are suspected. The antibody

tests that will confirm autoimmune thyroid disease are TPO, TgAb and TSI. Most

of

us have a combination of antibodies, but the test that is specific to Graves

is the TSI, or stimulating TrAb. Since you are presenting with clinical signs

of Thyroid Eye Disease you shouldn't need any further testing anyway. It is

pretty obvious that you have GD. I think the doctor wants to do the RAIU to

determine how much RAI (I 131) to give you to zap your thyroid.

Here is something to chew on. You say (your doctor says) your symptoms are

mild. If you have mild symptoms, why would you want to do something as drastic

as ablate your thyroid with radioactive waste? You will be hypothyroid for

the rest of your life. Not a picnic I assure you.

Please look at my pictures in the link below so you can see my eyes before

and after RAI. I had moderate TED prior to RAI and within two weeks of the

" treatment " , I had disfiguring TED. Since you already have proptosis, your doc

should not be recommending RAI to you anyway. Your eyes are blurring because of

Graves, not aging. Been there and done it.

God bless,

<A

metown.aol.com/lisareynolds64/myhomepage/personal.html</A>

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