What does high numbers mean?

Hi there, My sister has had surgery to remove her thyroid and many lymph nodes from her neck region.  She has also had the iodine radiation.  

My question is why her "numbers are high?"  What does this mean?  In particular, the other piece of information that we have with this is that these numbers are not down enough to change the medication.  Could someone please shed some light on what this means?

Our family keeps getting info we just don't understand.

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

It would be difficult to comment specifically on the situation without knowing what is the ‘numbers’ being referred to. If T3/ T4, these could be high due to residual/ ectopic thyroid tissue in the body or due to external supplementation. It would be best to discuss the situation and the management plan in detail with her treating doctor.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!