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I was born in Yakima Washington in 1959. From what I understand, that makes me a downwinder. If you look at my family, you can easily see that it's true.

Four of the five women in my immediate family have had thyroid issues. My mother had her thyroid removed after a benign tumor began to restrict her airway and her ability to swallow. It was caught soon enough, but the doctors said it had the potential to become cancerous if it had been left alone.

I had my thyroid removed because of multiple "hot" nodules that were causing hyperthyroid disease. Incidentally, I find it amusing that now that my thyroid has been surgically removed, I have what is called "aquired hypo-thyroidism". Like I caught it as a virus on the playground.

My younger sister is on medication permanently, to suppress her production of thyroid hormone. Her thyroid was "storming" and causing symptoms that looked very much like a stroke.

My older sister has thyroid tests which are just barely normal enough that her HMO won't agree to treatment. But her weight is impossible to lower and her exhaustion interferes with her daily life.

The only one of us who does not have noticable problems yet, is our baby siser, who is ten years younger than the rest of us. So I think we will wait and see about her. But her date of birth is such that she may have escaped.

When my thyroid was removed, it was completely covered with growths and it was totally black. Weird at the very least. And there is no history of thyroid disease in our extended family. Just those of us who lived in Yakima and the tri city area in the 50s and early 60s.

I was very glad to read that that stupid study that said there was no effect of I 131 on the thyroid of children born in the tri city area, was discredited. I was outraged when I heard of it.

We just really need to be more cautious as a nation when trying new technology, to be sure that our by products are not harmful, and not to be too glib about the health of innocent populations.

posted 4 years, 6 months ago
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