Help with RAI update - Medication?

[hope1102]

I just found out last week that after at CT and PET scans that I am going in for my thrid surgery.  I have been fighting the for 2 1/2 years and now it is back again.  Two cold spots one in the thyroid bed another farther up on my the side of my neck. The Oncologiest said he didn't know if we would do another RAI 131 because it didn't seem to be working on me.  I have had two already.  He is going to discuss with the other doctors and see if we might need to do Radioactive beam instead.  I am worried about this because he said if it was to come back again it would be very difficult to do and further surgeries.  I have read that sometimes they give patients some certain medications before a I 131 treatment to make those of us who don't uptake absore the idodine better.  Does anyone know about this my Oncologist did not.  Do I need to find another doctor before I go through with more radiation?

[utahmomma]

Did they give you I-131 for a scan dose before giving you the large amount for the treatment dose?   This can often cause what radiologists call "stunning" of the cancer where it doesn't want to absorb any additional radiation.  That's why I-123 should be used for the scan dose and I-131 should only be used for the treatment dose.

150mCi is a "starter dose" of I-131.  Your next dose should be in the 200mCi range - *not* another dose at 150mCi.

Please find a different oncologist or an endocrinologist who specializes in thyroid conditions.  Your doctor should be up on all of this stuff.

You might also want to recommend "Essentials of Thyroid Cancer Management" by Amdur and Mazzaferri (Eds) to your (soon to be former) doctor.  :-/

Utahmomma
papillary carcinoma with recurrence
three sisters with papillary carcinoma (one with three recurrences)

[hope1102]

The last two I 131's were at 150.  The Oncologist seems leary about doing it again.  My last treatment was last March.  During my summer check their was a slight trace of Tg.  They wanted to see where it would be in 6 months later with a Thyroid scan.  It went up to a 1.7?  (I think)  I thought I trusted him but when I asked about the medication for increasing my uptake, I showed him the book I read this in.  He said that is interesting... I have never tried that before.  Now I am wondering if he really knows????  I don't know if anyone else would have done anything different for me.

[AR-10]

Do you know what the doses of I131 were that you have already had?

Do you know what dose they would give you this time?
Do you trust the person dosing you?

Have your levels been kept low for cancer suppression?

I am not qualified to answer your questions, but I am qualified to ask more.
LOL!!

I figure if you could give a few more details it would help someone who really knows the decision you are trying to make a better chance to offer an opinion or two.

Best of luck to you.