My First Body Scan... Help

[Guest guest]

I have been writing intermittantly with questions and you all have

been wonderful about answering them. Here's another one. I had my

TT on December 23rd and have been off hormone since. So I am

starting my 6th week now. I am really HYPO now, no question about

that. My scan is this week. Question is: how common is it to have

to do the RAI after the first scan after a TT? I mean is it pretty

much a sure thing that the surgeon can't get all those little cells

and I will need to go into the hospital for the radioactive Iodine?

Or is there a chance that it will be clear? I don't seem to get

straight answers from the doctor. I don't understand whether the scan

is just to see how much thyroid tissue is left or if there is

actually a chance there isn't any. I just want to know if chances are

I will be in the hospital Monday or not. It helps for planning my

life especially since planning anything takes so much energy and time

these days.

I really hope this message makes sense. And you know what I am

trying to ask.

Thanks again all, you are so much help. I can't wait until I am of

help to someone going through this instead of the one asking the

questions.

-Lilly

[Guest guest]

Lilly,

> Question is: how common is it to have to do the RAI after the first

> scan after a TT? I mean is it pretty much a sure thing that the

> surgeon can't get all those little cells and I will need to go into

> the hospital for the radioactive Iodine?

It's *very* common to have RAI following a TT. Since thyroid cells

are invisible to the naked eye -- and there's no way of knowing where

they might have migrated before your surgery -- it would be next to

impossible to remove all of them. And it's obviously important to

get rid of every last one of the nasty little buggers if you don't

want your cancer to come back. So RAI following a TT is the usual

course of treatment for most thyca patients.

> I just want to know if chances are I will be in the hospital Monday

> or not. It helps for planning my life especially since planning

> anything takes so much energy and time these days.

Chances are that your doctor will recommend RAI. Whether he can

organize it as soon as Monday is a different question. The radio-

active iodine and the isolation room both need to be ordered in

advance, and at some hospitals the wait for an appropriate room

can be as long as several weeks. Considering how long you've been

hypo, I hope your doctor can pull some strings to get you treated

soon!

Hope this helps. Please keep us posted.

ellen

--

mailto:ellen@...

[Guest guest]

Lilly,

> Question is: how common is it to have to do the RAI after the first

> scan after a TT? I mean is it pretty much a sure thing that the

> surgeon can't get all those little cells and I will need to go into

> the hospital for the radioactive Iodine?

It's *very* common to have RAI following a TT. Since thyroid cells

are invisible to the naked eye -- and there's no way of knowing where

they might have migrated before your surgery -- it would be next to

impossible to remove all of them. And it's obviously important to

get rid of every last one of the nasty little buggers if you don't

want your cancer to come back. So RAI following a TT is the usual

course of treatment for most thyca patients.

> I just want to know if chances are I will be in the hospital Monday

> or not. It helps for planning my life especially since planning

> anything takes so much energy and time these days.

Chances are that your doctor will recommend RAI. Whether he can

organize it as soon as Monday is a different question. The radio-

active iodine and the isolation room both need to be ordered in

advance, and at some hospitals the wait for an appropriate room

can be as long as several weeks. Considering how long you've been

hypo, I hope your doctor can pull some strings to get you treated

soon!

Hope this helps. Please keep us posted.

ellen

--

mailto:ellen@...

[Guest guest]

Lilly,

> Question is: how common is it to have to do the RAI after the first

> scan after a TT? I mean is it pretty much a sure thing that the

> surgeon can't get all those little cells and I will need to go into

> the hospital for the radioactive Iodine?

It's *very* common to have RAI following a TT. Since thyroid cells

are invisible to the naked eye -- and there's no way of knowing where

they might have migrated before your surgery -- it would be next to

impossible to remove all of them. And it's obviously important to

get rid of every last one of the nasty little buggers if you don't

want your cancer to come back. So RAI following a TT is the usual

course of treatment for most thyca patients.

> I just want to know if chances are I will be in the hospital Monday

> or not. It helps for planning my life especially since planning

> anything takes so much energy and time these days.

Chances are that your doctor will recommend RAI. Whether he can

organize it as soon as Monday is a different question. The radio-

active iodine and the isolation room both need to be ordered in

advance, and at some hospitals the wait for an appropriate room

can be as long as several weeks. Considering how long you've been

hypo, I hope your doctor can pull some strings to get you treated

soon!

Hope this helps. Please keep us posted.

ellen

--

mailto:ellen@...