My father in law has gained a LOT of weight due to thyroid problems and we are now a year out from him completing his cancer treatments.

He is now starting thyroid medication under the care of an endocronologist. I sense he is feeling extremely tired and depressed. I am assuring him he will feel much better when his thyroid is straightened out with my fingers crossed.

But now he is being told he needs cataract surgery. His vision quality has drastically worsened just recently. After some reading I see that systemic diseases like hypothyroidism can cause cataracts and I think is most likely the cause of his cataracts.

I have tri8ed to see if there are any special precautions to be taken with regards to the srugery but can find none.

Because of Papa's tendency to be stoic and not complaihn, I am worried that perhaps his hypothyroidism went untreated for much longer than it should have. I debate whether or not he needs to be lectured about being too stoic to avoid any future consequences like this from happening again as a result.

Any insights or observations on any of the above?

Thanks,
Marma

Someone should have been checking his thyroid levsls every 6 months after he had radiation even with no symptoms. Getting the dosage level correct is tricky and takes many months. Depending on how off the scale he is will depend on how long it takes him to get back to normal, usually a couple of months. Once he goes on the meds, he should be checked every three months until they get it under control. Since the in range scale is fairly wide, it is best to get back to your pre radiation TSH level if possible. Check with his doctors to see if they did thyroid test for baseline prior to his radiation treatment.

Take care,
Eileen

P.S. The thyroid test is a simple blood test and can be done when you have any other blood work done without drawing additional blood.