As most of you know from previous blogs, I've been dealing with thyroid issues... specifically Grave's Disease, the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in the world. It started out with very mild symptoms, and was actually only diagnosed during testing for another medical problem. Initially... my hormone levels were monitored, and nothing else was done since I was on the lower end of the chart. Eventually I was placed on medication, Methimazole, as a short term solution while determining what course of action I'd be taking. More recently, I've moved on to the next step in the process towards better :) health.

In an attempt to avoid surgery, I went with the Radioactive iodine or RAI treatment option. To the average person, the idea of introducing a radioactive material :shock: into your body sounds bizarre. I'll admit, I was more than a little concerned :?... but as with most things in life, my mind had built it up far worse than it actually was :roll:. In the Nuclear Medicine Department of my local hospital a few final tests were administered, and the results verified... I then drank a small amount of liquid using a tiny straw and was sent home. That was the easy part. The hard part was the following week, and the precautionary measures that had to be followed... isolation and segregation would be a fair description. My clothes and anything I used for eating had to be kept separated from the rest of my family, and washed by itself. No physical contact with anybody :(, and it was recommended that I keep an arm's length distance away from others. Here's my favorite :D part... I was given a card to carry, in case I traveled by air during the next 3 months. Why you ask? Because many airports now have radiation detectors in order to detect the smuggling of radioactive materials that may be used in nuclear weapons manufacture., and apparently the dosage is high enough to possibly trigger the alarm and alert security.

Now I will go once a month for 6 consecutive months and have blood work done to check my thyroid levels. At the end of that time I'll meet with my endocrinologist to determine the next step in the process... which could be another round of RAI, surgery or daily medication for life (if everything goes well the 1st time). So, for now you get a break from the boring medical stuff... but, I'll be back (said while doing my best Terminator 8) impression) to give you another update in a few months.