Is RAI safe

[ericahyper]

Hi, I am a twenty year old girl who was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism when I was seventeen.  i have been taking methiamazole and my dosage level has gone up and down from 2.5-15mg.  Right now my dosage is 15 though I am hoping to bring it down to ten.  my endocronologists keeps telling me that RAI would be a good choice for me since the drug has not put me into remission yet and she does not recommend that I stay on the drug for too long since it can cause liver damage and may be carcinogenic.  I am afraid of RAI because I feel like having something radioactive in my body would be even more carcinogenic.  

She talks about how other people have taken RAI and are fine but most of her patients are forty and even the young people who have taken RAI are still young so I don't really know if it has had any ill affects on them yet.  I am just wondering if RAI will make everything better and be like the perfect treatment, as my doctor keeps insinuating, or if I should keep on trying with the drugs until I am absolutely sure that I have no chance of going normal.  Does anyone have any stories about being able to go normal after taking the drugs for a long time or feelings about RAI?

Also, does anyone know any holistic methods for treating hyper?  I am willing to change my diet, I have already stopped any processed sugar, take yoga, vitamins, or even meditate.

I also feel that my hyper flare-ups are due to stress.  I seem to have my levels increase whenever I am at school and am stressed.  Then in the summer, when I no longer have school, it goes back towards normal.  Does anyone else have the same happen?

Thanks

[Smilerdeb]

You have Graves for life ...sorry to say.
The antibodies will always flare up at some time or another .
I had RAI (2 years ago next monyh) and doing great,
Read my journals.
Hugs as I know hyoerthyroidism is so debilitating and so too is 'juggling' the antithyroid meds and going from hyper to hypo.