did you have a salt craving after your low iodine diet

grateful1
grateful1 Member Posts: 80 Member
edited March 2014 in Thyroid Cancer #1
i went on a very strict low iodine, low sodium diet for two weeks prior to iodine treatment . when i showed up the head of nuclear medicine decided not to give me the treatment. he said he wanted to see more records, slides, etc. also he felt the treatment would not help me that much. i have an inoperable poorly differiated thyroid cancer tumor and other illnesses. when he felt my tumor, he said it was the worst he had felt all year. so i did not feel encouraged. i felt sad.
my endincrinologist had been with another cancer hospital so he sent me to the head of nuclear medicine there and it seems they may attempt treatment to my relief as i was diagnosed in feb, surgery was attempted in april--but i have had no treatment. i take polymva-- a supplement.when i was getting clearance for thyroid surgery they found i had a heart problem and took me off synthroid. my heart rate was high. i had a goiter--nonmalignant--on the right side for years and was taking synthroid for it..
anyway, other than pain in my neck, head, shoulder, etc. i was not feeling that bad. but since that diet about a month ago i have felt sick--nausea, pain in my stomach, weak, loss of appetite abd pain in the neck and head.
finally, i may get treatment tho. the endincrin. emphasized i should stay on synthroid and not go on the low iodine diet until a week before the treatment. i crave salt. so i eat it until they tell me to start the diet. did this happen to anyone else.thanks and good luck to all.

Comments

  • alapah
    alapah Member Posts: 287
    #2
    Sorry you've got such a
    Sorry you've got such a complicated case. I can sympathize as mine is atypical as well.
    By treatment I am assuming you mean RAI - radioactive iodine? If your endo is having you stay on Synthroid then you must be getting Thyrogen injections the week of the treatment? This, I believe, is the only way to raise TSH while on Synthroid/Levothyroxine - and you need a heightened TSH for the RAI to work.

    Seems the recommendations as to how long one should be on the low iodine diet vary greatly, but the average length seems to be 2 weeks. I did it for 6 weeks because I had to wait three months anyway because I'd been given an iodine contrast for a diagnostic CT and all of that iodine had to leave my system. I figured if I could help the process and better the results with the LID I would do it. It is a bland, boring diet but nothing the average person can't commit to for a finite period. Thyca.org has a really good downloadable recipe booklet that I used. It also contains sound guidance for what is allowed and what is not on the LID. It's definitely worth checking out. I did crave salt after! First thing I ate was fried chicken and a malt!
  • nasher
    nasher Member Posts: 505 Member
    #3
    alapah said:

    Sorry you've got such a
    Sorry you've got such a complicated case. I can sympathize as mine is atypical as well.
    By treatment I am assuming you mean RAI - radioactive iodine? If your endo is having you stay on Synthroid then you must be getting Thyrogen injections the week of the treatment? This, I believe, is the only way to raise TSH while on Synthroid/Levothyroxine - and you need a heightened TSH for the RAI to work.

    Seems the recommendations as to how long one should be on the low iodine diet vary greatly, but the average length seems to be 2 weeks. I did it for 6 weeks because I had to wait three months anyway because I'd been given an iodine contrast for a diagnostic CT and all of that iodine had to leave my system. I figured if I could help the process and better the results with the LID I would do it. It is a bland, boring diet but nothing the average person can't commit to for a finite period. Thyca.org has a really good downloadable recipe booklet that I used. It also contains sound guidance for what is allowed and what is not on the LID. It's definitely worth checking out. I did crave salt after! First thing I ate was fried chicken and a malt!

    well there is non iodised
    well there is non iodised salt out there if you really crave salt.

    for myself once i was done with the LID i had radiation treatment and it left a metalic taste in my mouth so for me at least after radiation i have not craved adding salt to anything cause i have a metalic salt taste in my mouth for months now.

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