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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I have been here before, a long long time ago and now I am back.Forgive me for not just saying what I want to say,even under a triple dose of antidepressants it is still raw and seeping and I am hesitant at revealing it as at least under the bandages around my heart I don,t have to look at how raw and wounded.My child was cleaved from my heart by his own actions. my child of ten,turning eleven...
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Has anyone tried these supplements? Do they give MGers more quality of life by improving memory and overall well being?Thanks!Barbel
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