Re: Re: a very useful link to another support group- Re: allison

October 23, 2003

Liang,

I am sure that those who you say are " distorting " are giving their honest,

well-informed perspective, including me, based on our own research

(studies, books) and subsequent opinions. RAI is not all that. Killing a

vital gland does not solve the problem, which is with the immune system; it

just masks it, and then you almost certainly wind up hypO, and having to

deal with that end of the spectrum. Those who are rushed into RAI are not

given a chance to see if they can achieve remission; I was subclinical and

one doctor I saw wanted to blast me with 18mCi of radiation (he wanted to

double dose me because my thyroid doesn't take up an excess of iodine). I

decided on ATDs, and 4 months later, I am weaning off all meds. Even if one

doesn't achieve remission, I believe it is better to manage with meds/herbs

and have one's own natural thyroid then the exogenous forms, which are only

partially complete.

If people are anti-RAI here, there is good reason. If you stick around, you

will find that there is much intelligence and fact-based information shared

in this group. Those who are pro-RAI may find us anti-RAI, but we have no

motivation to deter people from RAI other than what we truly see is in the

best interest of the patient.

At 11:57 AM 10/23/2003, you wrote:

>However, in a certain degree, when people talks about ATD

>treatment, it has become anti-RAI campaign here instead of providing

>some objective information about RAI and its complications which

>might give a lot of people a wrong impression about RAI.

>

>People can hold their own views about treatment options. However,

>distorting the fact and exagerating the complications from RAI

>treatment is not science.

October 23, 2003

Hi all:

On the anti-RAI angle . . . someone on this list once put it very nicely when

they said that the majority of people to just FINE with RAI. There may be some

fluctuations and adjustment issues with replacement therapy and minor irritants,

but the bulk of people who have RAI do well.

A significant minority suffer greatly. In this minority, people don't easily

adjust to thyroid replacement therapy and suffer the adverse effects of

hypothyroidism and/or incorrect combinations of hormones (I'm thinking all those

balances of T3s adn T4s etc.) for years. Others develop eye problems and the

link between eye disease and RAI has been well-documented in traditional medical

literature.

For me, I felt that RAI was a gamble I wasn't willing to take as I didn't know

if I'd fall into that unhappy minority. I also knew that ATDs weren't

permanent. Those too have the possibiltiy of adverse effects but I could always

stop taking the pills whereas I couldn't get my radiated thyroid back.

Indeed, I had a severe reaction to ATDs and had to stop taking them after six

weeks.

I'd write more, but must run . . just wanted to toss in my two cents.

B

Re: Re: a very useful link to another support group-

Re: allison