Brief Answer:
Thyroid

Detailed Answer:
I understand your questions and concerns.

1 The urgency to treat the condition depends on it's severity. How severe your Grave's disease is can be determined on the basis of

a) how you feel

b) findings on physical examination

c) results of laboratory tests such as TSH and free T4

Your note above says your endo mentioned it is mild. If that is the case, it does not seem to be an urgent matter.

However, some treatment will be necessary otherwise it may get worse.

2 I see you cannot tolerate methimazole. The only other alternative to this medication in the US is PTU (Propyl thio uracil).
But there is a risk of liver failure with this pill, although very uncommon. So it is currently not recommended in general but you can discuss it with your endocrinologist in person

3 it is quite likely you will need synthroid after treatment with radio-iodine.

It is unlikely you will not be able to tolerate synthroid because it is identical to the thyroid hormone your thyroid makes. Yes there is a XXXXXXX in the tablets to give them a unique color for each dose strength (in order to help distinguish various doses) and some people may be allergic to the XXXXXXX This is easy to resolve because one of the dose strengths (50 mcg) is white in color and without XXXXXXX

4 Radio iodine is generally safe. There are some precautions you will need to to take such as staying away from people for few days. Ask your endocrinologist for detailed instructions on this matter

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Brief Answer:
Follow up

Detailed Answer:
Yes it is likely so. Smokers who receive radio iodine have a higher likelihood of the thyroid related eye problem occurring.

So some endocrinologists use steroids to prevent this.

When a person receives steroid medications it can raise the blood glucose levels. It is hard to predict individual responses because in some people the blood sugars remain normal while in others they go through the roof. So it is best to check and see.

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