Graves

[cla4sam]

I wonder if i had my throid removed would graves leave me for good.

[julzinaz]

I would like to add, even though its been years since someone posted on this,  If you remove thyroid by RAI or surgery,  you are not removing graves as mentioned above,,, however, if you take methimazole, PTU to suppress the system, you are also killing the antibodies of graves,,, I had graves, i ONLY  took meds, i refused to take out the victom (thyroid) and let it continue to stick to all receptors in our bodies...  Getting the test called Trab or Tbii,  this is a blood test that indicates whether or not we have graves... taking the meds will lower the graves antibody, and continue until you no longer are showing the antibodys in your blood,,, i know many people who have achieved remission, and have been for over 5 years... you also need to to take Levothyroxine with your MMI, in order to not go hypo,,,, never go above 10 mgs of MMI and never let your TSH go above 2.0... also never let your doc base your levels on TSH,,, but base it on FT3 and FT4,,,,

[Smilerdeb]

Graves antibodies never leave your system, they just dont have the capacity to attack the thyroid as they once did as the thyroid is either dead or gone but the antibodies can lay dormant and you can go into remission as its known.
I had my antibodies checked before and after RAI and TT and before RAI they was 420%...after RAI , they were within the normal range < 60 (but still there).
They can still inflame the throat and still cause symptoms.

Grave and Hashis are both Autoimmune Disorders just as Rhuematoid Arthritis is.
They are with you for life....regardless of whether you have a thyroid or not.
But presumably not as active.

[Ratsmouth]

I had a subtotal thyroidectomy at age 12, and there was no change in the Graves' Eye Disease.  I've been euthyroid since age 17, when what was left of my thyroid settled itself into a normal pattern.  This year (age 60), I had orbital decompression surgery, with very good results.  My eyes look and feel "normal" (whatever THAT is), and the surgery itself went very well, with a fairly brief recovery period and little discomfort.

Although your eyes might improve a little over time following thyroid surgery, it's not a cure-all for Graves' Disease.  Some people find their eyes become less prominent as they age, but my eyes remained quite prominent until I had eye surgery this year.  THAT fixed the problem!  I'm really happy with the outcome.

[Applesan]

I had Graves Disease and then had the radioactive iodine therapy to kill my thyroid.  It got rid of the Graves Disease, but now I'm Hypothyroid.  I think removal of the thyroid would also cancel out the disease.

[hcurrie]

i dont know but i just asked almost the same question about hashis ! we are the most desperate of the desperate, it would totally be worth the risk of surgery to me i am miserable good luck