Did you ever get an uptake scan?

NOPE!!! Just the ultasound.

Im wondering if you had if the cancer would have showed up then. When I had mine..thats what they were looking for...or so I was told. Im starting to wonder if that small amount of I131 did damage to my thyroid. My FT4 has been going down consistently over the last few months. I was told it was harmless but I dont have a whole lot of trust where that area of medical treatment is concerned.

Is it possible that the cancer that you had just developed since your ultra sound? From what Ive read its a very slow self contained cancer. Regardless of that...I would want it out of my body asap! I also agree with you in that...it could very well be why you could not regulate on meds and that your body was telling you something. Good for you that you listened. Big Hugs...Kathy

Funny you say that you think that the I131 damaged you thyroid. My boss is in her 70s and a lung/brain cancer survivor and at her last check up she had a bone scan and they used some form of radio active material, since then she says her hair has changed it is getting really course. After her chemo and 25 radiation treatments on her brain her hair came in baby soft. She is getting quite worried about it. My son who was 10 at the time had a bone scan in jan on his foot but his hair seems the same. Maybe they had to use more on her??? Before he had his scan I asked if it could damaged his thyroid they said its a different form so his thyroid wouldnt be damaged.

I think I would get a copy of the ultrasound. If it shows a nodule bigger than a certain amount, I forgot what, you might have needed it biopsied and they didn't do it. Get your results!

Get a Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) would help.

Hi Kathy and Malbers,
Actually, I was wondering if you were both misdiagnosed? I know that you (Kathy) posted that you didn't have the antibodies for Graves' and you actually had a case more like thyroiditis. I was reading thyroid for dummies and it really sounds like you may have had a case of thyroidititis all along, as you can actually get thryoid eye disease with it, and experience hyperthyroidism according to that book. I'll look in there and tell you exactly which page i was reading that described your case really well.
Malbers, I was wondering about you, too, since you were having such a hard time getting regulated on meds. It seems like there is a connection between people who have a lot of trouble on the meds but aren't allergic to them, but it may just be coincidence. Did they ever check your TSI%? Do you have antibodies for Graves?
I was Dx'd with Graves' by thyroid uptake scan (showed toxic diffuse goiter) and by my TSH and FT4. I have never had a TSI% though, so don't know about my antibodies? All the same, I felt like my care was mismanaged for about year when nobody would even test me because everyone wanted to bounce me to the next person and thought the other was taking care of me.
These thyroid issues are really frustrating and I don't think they are being taken seriously enough by the medical community. They are debilitating, but they're treated like they're nothing, really. I got that whole spiel of "Lets ablate your thyroid ,and you just need to take a pill every day for the rest of your life. No biggie!" and you know what? I may just be a big wuss, but the thought of it was a big deal to me and it still is. How can the doctors be so nonchalant about it? Makes me furious!
Hannah

I did have a TSI done twice.....once in Nov'07 and it was 17 range is below 1 and then again this year and it was 4. I also had TPO done and it was 1115 range being under 50. When diagnosed my FT4 58.4(7.5-21.5) FT3 6.8(3.5-6.5) and no TSH until I was over medicated once last year and now that I have no thyroid. Just gets more confusing everyday!!!!! I do think that I really have graves but that graves was the results of the other issues in the thyroid. It was my bodies way of screaming for help!!!

Hanna...well thats what I thought for the first year after being diagnosed. I argued with my docs that whole time. In fact I saw my doc just yesterday and asked about the flu shot. She recommended I didnt get it because of the Graves but more importantly the TED. I again said to her...but I dont have the antibodies for Graves. Her reply...yes you do Kathy...you have Graves! You had the antibody tests done after being on meds for over a year. I couldnt get one done before then. I couldnt get a TSI test but got Canadas version of that...its called the TSH Rec AB test. I scored under 5 range is between 1-10. My doc said that it could have been a 4 which shows normal but it could have been 11 at diagnosis. I also had theTPOAb test that showed normal. The only test that came back flagged was the Throglobulin which is an indication of thyroiditis, graves or thycancer. When I had my uptake scan it was 15% above normal and the written explanation was Graves Disease with thyroiditis as a secondary condition. I still dont feel I have a definitive diagnosis. Aarrgg...this gets me mad and frustrated! Im being treated as though I have graves and the meds worked but according to my doc I could stay in remission for the rest of my life or it could come back with a vengeance in a month from now...no one knows...Big Hugs...Kathy

That's what I would do, for anybody's doctors arguing about getting the flu shot and whatever else, we need to use the thyroid antibodies as an example of not doing it. Because I feel that's what stimulating the immune system will bring about or raising the antibodies of any type.

Thanks dairy...! {{{hugs}}} :-)

Hey sorry about you diagnosis etc. thyroid cancer often presents with a cold nodule or multi nodual goiter, as these nodules are predominately cold tfts will be normal (i cant remember the stats, but i think its something like 80% of thyroid cancer nodules are cold). a fine needle biopsy is prefered to confirm cancer diagnosis.

ultra sound scans will show lumps (such as nodules), but wont show what it is made of. an uptake scan will show whether a nodule is hot or cold (for example you may have graves and therefore have uptake throughout the gland, how you may also have a nodule, where there is no uptake), however again this wont show what it is made of. there are also blood tests called tumour markers, which can be used to detect cancer, however these are not used that frequently (in the uk that is, i cant comment about anywhere else).