What is thyroiditis and how is it treated?
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This going to be a long post but will answer the bulk of your questions. Hope it helps. This is taken from a powerpoint lecture on Thyroiditis so the formatting may be off.\n\nThyroiditis\n\nInflammation of the Thyroid Gland\n  \n\nThyroiditis is an inflammation (not an infection) of the thyroid gland. Several types of thyroiditis exist and the treatment is different for each.\n\n\nHashimoto's Thyroiditis. Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (also called autoimmune or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis) is the most common type of thyroiditis. It is named after the Japanese physician, Hakaru Hashimoto, that first described it in 1912. The thyroid gland is always enlarged, although only one side may be enlarged enough to feel. During the course of this disease, the cells of the thyroid becomes inefficient in converting iodine into thyroid hormone and "compensates" by enlarging (for a review of this process see our function page). The radioactive iodine uptake may be paradoxically high while the patient is hypothyroid because the gland retains the ability to take-up or "trap" iodine even after it has lost its ability to produce thyroid hormone. As the disease progresses, the TSH increases since the pituitary is trying to induce the thyroid to make more hormone, the T4 falls since the thyroid can't make it, and the patient becomes hypothyroid. The sequence of events can occur over a relatively short span of a few weeks or may take several years.\n\nTreatment is to start thyroid hormone replacement. This prevents or corrects the hypothyroidism and it also generally keeps the gland from getting larger.\n\nIn most cases the thyroid gland will decrease in size once thyroid hormone replacement is started.\n\nThyroid antibodies are present in 95% of patients with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and serve as a useful "marker" in identifying the disease without thyroid biopsy or surgery.\n\nThyroid antibodies may remain for years after the disease has been adequately treated and the patient is on thyroid hormone replacement.\n\n\nDe Quervain's Thyroiditis. De Quervain's Thyroiditis (also called subacute or granulomatous thyroiditis) was first described in 1904 and is much less common than Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. The thyroid gland generally swells rapidly and is very painful and tender. The gland discharges thyroid hormone into the blood and the patients become hyperthyroid; however the gland quits taking up iodine (radioactive iodine uptake is very low) and the hyperthyroidism generally resolves over the next several weeks.\n\nPatients frequently become ill with fever and prefer to be in bed.\n\nThyroid antibodies are not present in the blood, but the sedimentation rate, which measures inflammation, is very high.\n\nAlthough this type of thyroiditis resembles an infection within the thyroid gland, no infectious agent has ever been identified and antibiotics are of no use.\n\nTreatment is usually bed rest and aspirin to reduce inflammation.\n\nOccasionally cortisone (steroids) (to reduce inflammation) and thyroid hormone (to "rest" the thyroid gland) may be used in prolonged cases.\n\nNearly all patients recover and the thyroid gland returns to normal after several weeks or months.\n\nA few patients will become hypothyroid once the inflammation settles down and therefore will need to stay on thyroid hormone replacement indefinitely.\n\nRecurrences are uncommon.\n\n\nSilent Thyroiditis. Silent Thyroiditis is the third and least common type of thyroiditis. It was not recognized until the 1970's although it probably existed and was treated as Graves' Disease before that. This type of thyroiditis resembles in part Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and in part De Quervain's Thyroiditis. The blood thyroid test are high and the radioactive iodine uptake is low (like De Quervain's Thyroiditis), but there is no pain and needle biopsy resembles Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. The majority of patie
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KELP IS A VERY GOOD SOURCE OF IODINE WHICH THE THYROID NEEDS TO FUNCTION. TRY IT IT WORKS.
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I havent  heard this disease  mentioned in a  long while.   It's  one  of the  autoimmune  diseases,    in  which   a  part of the body is attacked by the body itself, in this  case   the body part  affected is  the thyroid  gland.     I've   never  really  thought about it,  but I suppose  it   could  always be possible  that  these autoimmune  conditions may be  becoming more prevalent  because of  the increasing contamination of our air and  water.I always  wonder, too, about all these  "air fresheners", sprays  and spritzes ,scented  candles  and suchlike  that   are  constantly   being pitched  at us for this or that purpose..  Flying insect  sprays,  deodorant  sprays  and so on..   I stay away  from all that  stuff  myself.  LOLOL  I never heard   of  anybody  dying   from the smell of  sweat...  or  from having a  few  odd flies wandering  around  the  house.\n                                                                   Anyway,  Hashimoto's Disease is certainly  a  real condition,  and I  imagine  you could probably  get  a  lot of information  about it  off the internet.
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The thyroid gland is enlarged and may be out of its normal place. It can be complicated and may require surgery but relax(if you can) because it is treatable.
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Fatigue\nWeakness\nWeight gain or increased difficulty losing weight\nCoarse, dry hair \nDry, rough pale skin\nHair loss \nCold intolerance (can't tolerate the cold like those around you)\nMuscle cramps and frequent muscle aches\nConstipation\nDepression\nIrritability\nMemory loss\nAbnormal menstrual cycles\nDecreased libido\n\n They main purpose of the thyroid is to regulate your metabolism. In essence, if you have hypothyroidism, then in the most basic terms, your whole body slows down. Hence, the symptoms I have given you above. Now, there is a relation to hypothyroidism and depression. Both need to be diagnosed by a MD. And both can be treated with medication.
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I was diagnosed with Graves disease when I was 9 and had radiation at 15,  I am now 32 with thyroid supplements I have lived a happy normal life.  It is very important that you get tested every 6 months to a year, your bodies needs for thyroid hormone can change with age and environment.  To my knowledge there is no nutritional cure. Graves disease is when your thyroid puts out to much hormone, I was on meds for 6 years with no result, I hope they work for you.  If you are concerned about the course of treatment your Doctor has suggested you may want to consider getting a second opinion.
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http://www.medhelp.org/forums/thyroid/messages/644.html
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Here is the number one source you will need while learning what to do with your illness.\n\nI was hyper, had Graves. Had it removed at 12, it grew back at 35 and had it removed again due to Hashimotos Thyroiditis and now I have nodules in a growing thyroid. Doc says I am very rare. Thyroids can regenerate and mine has several times! Please think long and hard about how to handle your situation and make sure you have a great Endo Dr. Also, have your IgG levels tested to see if you have an immune disorder as they are common among us Thyroid ill people.\n\nGood luck...stay strong and don't fret.\n\nOh...about forgot...your slow metabolisim will thank you if you eat like you are diabetic. The second link is for diets relating to diabetes. Also, stay away from soy products as it interferes with your thyroxin production. And lastly, drink lots of water to help flush your system.
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Try http://thyroid.about.com/blthyroid.htm \nThis site has a ton of good information about thyroid disease.
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Possibly a problem with the thyroid gland.
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The Thyroid Foundation says not to, as does Mary Shoman (an expert in the field):\n\n"Is goitre due to lack of iodine in our diet? Should I eat kelp to get rid of this goitre?\n\nANSWER:\nIodine deficiency is the most common cause of goitre in the world but NOT in this country. We have had iodized salt for two generations, and there are many other sources of iodine now in our diets so that, if anything, we are receiving more iodine than in most places in the world. There is no point whatsoever in adding more iodine to the diet and that includes kelp, a form of seaweed high in iodine often sold in health food stores. The problem is that too much iodine is just as dangerous as too little iodine. Excess iodine can also cause goitres and can either cause a low thyroid state, (hypothyroidism) or excess output of thyroid (hyperthyroidism). It also aggravates Hashimoto's thyroiditis. In Canada it is a mistake to ingest kelp."\n\nMary Shoman said:\n\n"While some herbalists and vitamin proponents recommend iodine tablets or kelp supplements (which are high in iodine) for people with thyroid problems, you need to be extremely careful about any decision to take iodine or kelp supplements if you are on thyroid hormone replacement therapy."\n\nRead more: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/drugdatabase/f/kelp.htm\n\nHope that helps!
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The thyroid cannot grow back.  You need to let your doctor know.
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It kind of depends on exactly what the radiation was given to treat; they tell you not to handle patients who get "seeds" implanted because while the material is in their bodies, some of the contamination may leach out through pores in their skin and contaminate you.  If your cat had a thyroid problem, then radioactive iodine 131 was used to kill thyroid tissue, because the thyroid selectively collects iodine.  As a previous poster said, by the time you can get to a doctor, you're already going to absorb all you're probably going to get from this exposure, because iodine 131 has a half life of about a half an hour, so by the time three hours have passed, it's all decayed away to normal iodine.  The reason you found potassion iodide listed as a treatment is that if you take a tablet, it floods your system with more iodine than your thyroid can handle, and it won't accept any more; assuming you take it BEFORE or IMMEDIATELY after your exposure to radioactive iodine, it prevents your body from absorbing the radioactive stuff and it just flushes right out of your system.  \n\nIf, however, your cat was treated with something other than iodine, whatever isotope was used may have other effects on you (strontium deposits in bone, for instance, replacing calcium)  Only way to know for sure is to figure out what the treatment was and ask your doctor for advice.  It is probably nothing to worry about, but worth checking with a medical professional just to be sure.
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Alternative Treatment for Thyroid problems include glandulars of animals such as pig thyroid(armour thyroid),and natural T3/T4 extracted from the pig thyroid gland.\nKelp tablets for natural iodine source.L-thyroisin,and other nutritional supplement products.Coconut oil also has benefits for the thyroid gland,as well as dietary modification.
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I would see another Doctor. Synthroid is a common treatment for thyroid conditions, however without further details, Its impossible to say. \n\nAlso have a look at this information:\n\nhttp://search.yahoo.com/search?_adv_prop=web&x=op&ei=UTF-8&fr=fp-top&fr2=op&va=natural+thyroid&va_vt=any&vp_vt=any&vo_vt=any&ve_vt=any&vd=all&vst=0&vf=all&vm=i&fl=0&n=10
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Thyroid - your pituary is trying to persuade it to make more T3, and it's not responding properly.  It's the usual symptom of hypothyroidism, and easily treated.
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Usually, if you have a reaction to thyroid medication, it signifies that the dosage needs adjusted.  There are other thyroid meds so I am sure your doctor will put you on something else.  Meanwhile, there is nothing that you can do.  There are no OTC treatments and no changes in diet that will help.  The only current and effective treatment for  hypothyroidism is a prescribed medication.  I suggest you schedule an appointment with your doctor asap.