Good luck!

May your personal tsunami end with a complete recovery. Thoughts still with you, nasher.

That's a place that's ALWAYS good to get out of! Hope your recovery goes smoothly. My understanding is that the radioactive iodine is used to make sure they got all of the thyroid cells. I would expect they are checking to see if the cancer has spread any. With no thyroid, you'll be on Synthroid (or the generic) for the rest of your life. You may find that you're going to be more sensitive to the cold and can get chilled easier. Until you get your dosage worked out and your body gets stabilized on that dosage, you may find yourself a bit irritable and such. Hormones, or the lack thereof, can mess with a lot of things. On my drug plan at least, I don't see any real difference in the cost of Synthroid vs. generic but Synthroid does seem to absorb into my system better. You'll always want to take either first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and wait 45-60 minutes before eating. Otherwise, the food can reduce how much of the dosage gets into your system. You'll be seeing an endocrinologist at least yearly with blood tests to check your hormone levels. They may adjust your dosage level based on that. Expect your initial dosage level to change probably within the first year.

Welcome home!!
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Nasher, wish your recovery go well!