! was - Re: - Re: Re: Unreliable Clean Scan?

[Guest guest]

Thyrogen is " man-made " TSH. It's taken by injection to make your TSH go up

so you don't have to go off your meds for a scan. It's being used

experimentally for treatment in some places.

After surgery, some doctors (yours apparently does) prescribe Cytomel (T3),

which is a short-life thyroid hormone. It should help you to feel less hypo.

Not everybody takes it, not everybody feels the need for it, it's just to

help you feel " better " -- it's not mandatory. But you still have to stop

taking it 2 weeks before your treatment. 4 weeks after TT is on the short

side of how long after surgery to have RAI -- you'll probably (should) have

your TSH tested before the treatment to be sure your TSH is high enough

(usually 30, sometimes higher is required). Some people also take a bit of

Cytomel after treatment when starting regular meds (or after scans when

resuming meds), to give the body a kick-start while the T4 (Levoxyl,

Synthroid, etc.) starts building up. T3 not only leaves the body faster, it

gets active faster than T4.

The RAI (radioactive iodine) is dangerous for *thyroid tissue* -- that's the

whole idea, to kill off any that remains in your body after surgery. But you

don't want to harm the thyroids of your family!

Some people get other side effects from RAI treatment; some of these effects

are as much due to being hypo as the RAI itself (IMO).

If you have questions about your surgery, treatment, scheduling, or followup

plans, you have a right to get the doctors to answer them -- before things

are done! Make a list, call the doc(s) and ask them what's what.

Best wishes.

bj

Re: - Re: Re: Unreliable Clean Scan?

> Hi, I'm confused. Would you reccomend taking Thyrogen, or not taking it

> before the RAI? I see my endo 2 weeks after my TT (1-9) , but he

mentioned

> on the phone that he would do the RAI 4 weeks after surgery, and put me on

> " something temporary " which now I assume must be Thyrogen. Also, if we

are

> so radioactive after the scans that we can even be around our family, how

is

> it safe for the rest of our body that hopefully does not have cancer?

Just

> wondering, since apparently I won't be talking to a Dr again until the day

of

> my surgery. Thank you!

>

>

> SoCal

> Dx Pap CA on 12-27-02

>