Thyroid Cancer Support Group
Thyroid cancer is cancer of the thyroid gland. There are four forms: papillary, follicular, medullary and anaplastic. If you or anyone you know and love is affected by thyroid cancer, join this community to lean on the support and experiences of others.
OK, I know I've been off for a while - we've had a lot of health problems in our family and I went to help out my Mom and Dad for a while - didn't have time to get on. I'll get on tonight to do more in depth reading and stuff...
BUT, I had my thyroglobulin and antibodies checked before I went and when I came home I had the results in the mail - my thyroglobulin went down, my antibodies went up - I read on thyca.org that the thy going down is good - that means most of the remaining tissues were killed, but the antibodies are bad - could mean more cancer. I'm not too stressed out yet - I can't talk to the doc till tuesday anyway.
Here is my question. When I was doing research and asking my old doctor about checking for recurrence, they all acted like the body scans were the best thing since sliced bread for checking for more cancer. When I talked to my doc before we did the blood tests (my six month post surgery check up) I talked to her about some of the reasons I'd prefer a PET scan over a body scan for checking for more tumor. She told me that the body scan is to see how well you uptook the RAI, not to see if there is more cancer. If they suspect there is more cancer, they need to do PET or MRI scans..... I'm so confused now. I really felt like all the info I got made it sound like the body scans were what you needed for this. Does anyone else out there know any better than me?
I trust my doctor totally, but I also feel like a patient has to stay informed in order to make good sound decisions about your own health.
BUT, I had my thyroglobulin and antibodies checked before I went and when I came home I had the results in the mail - my thyroglobulin went down, my antibodies went up - I read on thyca.org that the thy going down is good - that means most of the remaining tissues were killed, but the antibodies are bad - could mean more cancer. I'm not too stressed out yet - I can't talk to the doc till tuesday anyway.
Here is my question. When I was doing research and asking my old doctor about checking for recurrence, they all acted like the body scans were the best thing since sliced bread for checking for more cancer. When I talked to my doc before we did the blood tests (my six month post surgery check up) I talked to her about some of the reasons I'd prefer a PET scan over a body scan for checking for more tumor. She told me that the body scan is to see how well you uptook the RAI, not to see if there is more cancer. If they suspect there is more cancer, they need to do PET or MRI scans..... I'm so confused now. I really felt like all the info I got made it sound like the body scans were what you needed for this. Does anyone else out there know any better than me?
I trust my doctor totally, but I also feel like a patient has to stay informed in order to make good sound decisions about your own health.
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theatre and I are there already. I'm having a very berry tea with crackers, cheese and cherry tomatoes and she's having a joint with some beer and we're both on really comfy recliners on thick pile carpet. we need some help with the decor if anyone is around??
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I'm trying to exercise daily. I was doing fairly well until I sprained my ankle 2 weeks ago but now I'm getting back on the horse. Today I walked over a mile with my arm weights that are about 22lbs total. I was out of shape and it was hard on my arms. I also did my 30 situps. I'm also going to drink a lot of water and try to eat healthy. I do tend to have a sweet tooth but I'm cutting...
The PET (Positron Emmission Tomography) scan uses radiated glucose (18-FDG) to detect cancer mets- often thyrogen is injected into the person to make for better scanning results.
The iodine (I-123/ or I-131)scan does detects uptake; hence, residaul cancer- which requires (I-131) RAI treatment, with a WBS. Radioactive iodine is great for treatment and detection- I have read that ablation can take up to a year.
Incidentally I-131 is preferred most MDs both for scan and ablation.
It seems best to employ a variety of follow-up techniques and not just one type: remember also the docs also get general clinical data- so we all help each other.
And yes the informed patient is a better treated patient- time is limited, and a doctors time is really, really, scarce- so don't be afraid to use medical terminology when talking to a Dr. If you make a mistake, they will inform you, and they will not laugh. My MD's reacted positivly to my use of med speak- i get more time.
Gosh I hope this is what you were looking for- I can be long-writing hope hope you get well