I used to have Grave’s disease (hyper-active thyroid). When I was 15, I went into thyroid storm. Many options were discussed, including ‘killing’ my thyroid with radiation or removing it surgically. Since I was so young, it was decided that every attempt should be made to save it… so no surgery or radiation was done.
Sadly, the thing burned so hot and bright that two years later it had died on its own. My thyroid is about as dead as a doornail, and has been for 25 years. I’ve been on Synthroid (or the generic) ever since. Looking back on the two years of hell I went through only to have the thing die, I kind of wish I’d had it removed immediately. It just seems like I could have skipped all that and jumped right into treatment for under-active thyroid, since I ended up there anyway.
Oh, well. Hindsight, and all that.