# I see the Radiation doctor tomorrow



## Nana78 (Nov 13, 2015)

The day after my surgery they gave me Levothyrox 150mg last Monday they called to make my appointment for this Monday but on Tuesday someone else called and told me to stop taking the pill because I'm suppose to be off it a couple of weeks before they give me the RAI pill :huh: shouldn't my surgeon known that? They told me it's 8 steps that I have to do unsure if I get the pill tomorrow my sister said I better tell them not until after Christmas yet she was on my case about them not calling me yet lol. Any ideas what I'll be in for when I do take the pill? Also I am a little worried because sometimes my voice gets low and sometimes it's hoarse is that normal my last visit with my surgeon she asked me about my voice and if it was hoarse at all but at that time it wasn't should I give it a few more weeks to see or tell her about it?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

A lot of times, the do to or not to do RAI is dependent on the surgical pathology report. It's entirely possible that your surgeon poked around in your next during surgery, didn't see anything particularly troublesome, and presumed you wouldn't need RAI. As such, s/he started you on synthroid. But, I'd guess the final path report showed a bit more than anticipated, so now you need RAI. Not really troublesome. Just one of those things that go with the territory.

If your doctor choose not to use Thyrogen (which, I think, they should) then, yes, you will need to be off meds for a couple or few weeks. My TSH jumped up to 72 in two weeks. You TSH should be around 40 or so for the RAI to be effective.

Being off of meds kinda stinks...but it's manageable. You'll be tired and foggy-headed and tired and possibly cranky, but also really tired.  But it's more of an inconvenience. As soon as you get back on meds and get your labs stabilized, you'll feel pretty darn close to normal.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Oh, and restrictions while the RAI treatment works depends on the dose. I had something like 99.9 mCis and was under stepped down restrictions for 10 days. That included not sleeping in the same bed with my partner, using separate bathroom facilities, staying away from pets, children, and pregnant women, using plastic utensils, and generally keeping other people away from any of my bodily fluids.


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

> You TSH should be around 40 or so for the RAI to be effective.


It sounds like you need to be sure your TSH is at least this high for RAI to be effective

Ask and speak up - hard to do - but lets make sure the doctor makes wise decisions on your care.


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