Dr. Kepal Patel

And you're probably going to end up on thyroid medication for the rest of your life, like levothyroxine, because your thyroid doesn't work anymore. And the other option is surgery. Take out the thyroid. So same exact result. You're taking out the thyroid. Your thyroid is no longer there. You no longer have graves. And now you're on thyroid medication for the rest of your life.

And you're probably going to end up on thyroid medication for the rest of your life, like levothyroxine, because your thyroid doesn't work anymore. And the other option is surgery. Take out the thyroid. So same exact result. You're taking out the thyroid. Your thyroid is no longer there. You no longer have graves. And now you're on thyroid medication for the rest of your life.

And you're probably going to end up on thyroid medication for the rest of your life, like levothyroxine, because your thyroid doesn't work anymore. And the other option is surgery. Take out the thyroid. So same exact result. You're taking out the thyroid. Your thyroid is no longer there. You no longer have graves. And now you're on thyroid medication for the rest of your life.

But levothyroxine is such a safe drug that most patients would rather be on levothyroxine than be on the methimazole or the other drugs that we treat for graves.

But levothyroxine is such a safe drug that most patients would rather be on levothyroxine than be on the methimazole or the other drugs that we treat for graves.

But levothyroxine is such a safe drug that most patients would rather be on levothyroxine than be on the methimazole or the other drugs that we treat for graves.

If you want to go somewhere for surgery, you want to go to a high volume center that does a lot of thyroid surgery with good results. Because also the same population of patients who want to get pregnant also don't want radiation. Right. Because you take the reductive iodine, you can't get pregnant for six months to a year.

If you want to go somewhere for surgery, you want to go to a high volume center that does a lot of thyroid surgery with good results. Because also the same population of patients who want to get pregnant also don't want radiation. Right. Because you take the reductive iodine, you can't get pregnant for six months to a year.

If you want to go somewhere for surgery, you want to go to a high volume center that does a lot of thyroid surgery with good results. Because also the same population of patients who want to get pregnant also don't want radiation. Right. Because you take the reductive iodine, you can't get pregnant for six months to a year.

It's really a fear for surgery sometimes. They don't want surgery. It could be a cosmetic thing. They may not want a scar. Surgery does have its risks, right? There is risks of injury to the nerves that control your voice. There's potential injury to little glands called parathyroid glands that live next to the thyroid that can affect your calcium level.

It's really a fear for surgery sometimes. They don't want surgery. It could be a cosmetic thing. They may not want a scar. Surgery does have its risks, right? There is risks of injury to the nerves that control your voice. There's potential injury to little glands called parathyroid glands that live next to the thyroid that can affect your calcium level.

It's really a fear for surgery sometimes. They don't want surgery. It could be a cosmetic thing. They may not want a scar. Surgery does have its risks, right? There is risks of injury to the nerves that control your voice. There's potential injury to little glands called parathyroid glands that live next to the thyroid that can affect your calcium level.

So there are risks associated with surgery, but there are also risks with the radioactive iodine. It's radioactive. It can have fertility issues. It can cause other secondary malignancies or cancers 10, 15 years down the line. So it's a little bit of where the patient's comfort level falls.

So there are risks associated with surgery, but there are also risks with the radioactive iodine. It's radioactive. It can have fertility issues. It can cause other secondary malignancies or cancers 10, 15 years down the line. So it's a little bit of where the patient's comfort level falls.

So there are risks associated with surgery, but there are also risks with the radioactive iodine. It's radioactive. It can have fertility issues. It can cause other secondary malignancies or cancers 10, 15 years down the line. So it's a little bit of where the patient's comfort level falls.

I would say the trend that we've seen here, at least, is more and more patients are opting towards surgery and less towards a radioactive iodine. But I think nationally, still, radioactive iodine is still pretty common.

I would say the trend that we've seen here, at least, is more and more patients are opting towards surgery and less towards a radioactive iodine. But I think nationally, still, radioactive iodine is still pretty common.

I would say the trend that we've seen here, at least, is more and more patients are opting towards surgery and less towards a radioactive iodine. But I think nationally, still, radioactive iodine is still pretty common.

No. Okay. The amount of iodine you're getting is minimal.

No. Okay. The amount of iodine you're getting is minimal.