Thyroid advice badly needed
[As always, IANAD, etc.] I’ve had thyroid problems for years (Hashimoto’s disease, which is an autoimmune disease of the thyroid, then thyroid cancer; I had two surgeries, then radioactive iodine treatment, and now take thyroid replacement hormone on a daily basis). I also have a variety of other slightly kooky/rare conditions, and thyroid problems (as well as autoimmune disorders in general) run strongly in my family. The number one thing I’d say is just to take a deep breath… and tell yourself that three weeks is not very long. During those three weeks, keep in mind that if you do indeed have a thyroid disorder: 1) generally speaking, thyroid disorders are relatively simple to diagnose and manage (even though it can sometimes take time and some trial and error to get medication dosages exactly right), and 2) waiting three weeks isn’t going to make an appreciable difference.
Thyroid cancer club! Paging nickyskye! If it makes you feel any better, tkolstee, I was first diagnosed with thyroid problems 17 years before I had surgery for thyroid cancer. My surgeon is pretty sure it was cancer the whole time. Even from initial biopsy to surgery was roughly 9 months. 3 weeks is okay. It’s pretty fast. The hardest part of this is actually the anxiety that comes with the waiting and worrying. Consider finding ways to cope with the not-knowing. (Hahahaha yeah that’s so easy to do.) Go get a massage, spend time with loved ones, express your concerns in healthy ways. Get artistic! Or go have a nice drink. Let us know how things go.
If it makes you feel any better, tkolstee, I was first diagnosed with thyroid problems 17 years before I had surgery for thyroid cancer Yep, my story is similar, though the time lag was not nearly as dramatic! I was diagnosed with thyroid problems in the early ’90s (after I’m sure I had them for at least a few years, if not longer). My cancer diagnosis came about 5 or 6 years later, and the docs figured I’d had it for years at that point as well. I wouldn’t personally try to cut your iodine at this point, mainly because you want your bloodwork to be as accurate a reflection of your current medical state as possible. There may indeed be reasons for you to restrict iodine intake (though you shouldn’t cut it out entirely — which is pretty difficult to do with a Western diet, anyway), but again, I’d wait to see what your doctor has to say first. And just don’t worry about RAI at this point, either. You have to get a diagnosis first before you can meaningfully assess treatment options.
