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Avatar universal

I've got my timetable

Hello everyone,

I went to my rad/onc today and have my timetable for treatment:

Wed 10/25 bone scan and chest  x-ray
Mon 11/6 stop cytomel (dr said I didn't have to go on LID just avoid shellfish and certain meds)
Mon 11/20 scan dose
Wed 11/22 scan
Mon 11/27 treatment dose

While I won't be radioactive during Thanksgiving I will be extremely hypo, so I am not having it at my house this year.
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158939 tn?1274915197
Congrats on your test results!!!

Right now I have about zero energy.  I have been feeling horrible for about a week and I just woke up from a 6 hour nap after work (only because my kids woke me up to say goodnight).  

Found out yesterday my son (15 years old and skinny) is diabetic.  That was a stress I really could have used a little Synthroid to deal with.  :-(

The next two nights I have dinners I have to attend and just pick at the salads (sans dressing) while everyone else eats.  

Mostly I'm exhausted, ache all over, total brain fog, and I can't decide between ripping someones head off or crying.  I feel like sleeping all the time but stay up most of the night because my brain won't shut off.  Typical whacked out thyroid level stuff.  I just have to keep remembering, two weeks to go!

Good luck with yours and let me know!
Congrats again on the scans - that's wonderful news.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My bone scan and chest x-ray came back clear. YEA!!!!  If I just get a clear RAI scan I will be ecstatic.

How are you feeling now?  This is my last week with meds, and I am wondering how I'll do.

Keep me posted on your progess.  Good Luck
Helpful - 0
158939 tn?1274915197
How did your bone scan and chest x-ray go?

The hospital called today and told me to stop my vitamins and minerals even though I searched to find ones with no iodine or soy.  I'm going to be a complete wreck in a few weeks.  :-(

You're right - the things we will do to get out of Thanksgiving.  You'll be on your diet and I'll be just coming off of microwave status.  Wonder what we can cook up for Christmas?!?!  :-)
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Avatar universal
The things we will do to stay away from Thanksgiving. :-)   I still feel pretty good with the cytomel.  Not as good as I did at first, but then I took three 25 mcg pills a day, now I am taking two.

On Nov 5 will be my last day of pills, then the 20th will be my scan dose.  I'm taking the week of the 20th off and the week of the 27th, but I won't be radioactive during Thanksgiving, just etremely hypo, and then the week after is when I will be radioactive.

I go this morning for a bone scan and a chest x-ray.  Keep me posted on how you are doing, as I am right behind you.
Helpful - 0
158939 tn?1274915197
Hi Ceegee,

Long chat with the Nuke Med program at my hospital.  Since I stopped Synthroid on 22 October and went on this diet (yech) yesterday (23 Oct), I'm scheduled for my THC level test on 13 Nov.  Scan dose on 14 Nov and full-blown nuke on 15 Nov.  The tech said I should have a TSH of 30 by going cold-turkey for 3 weeks (and because I'm on a high dose, 200mcg, of synthroid) but if the TSH isn't at 30 by the 13th we'll have to postpone a week and I'll be radioactive for Thanksgiving.  

They want me isolated for 5 days and my followup scan on 20 Nov.  My tech also explained that most of the radiation is expelled through the urine (hence the flush two or three times) but a significant amount is in saliva.  NO kissing (or any other sexual contact for 5 days).  FYI.


I'm feeling really lousy and have no energy.  How are you doing on the Cytamel?
Helpful - 0
158939 tn?1274915197
Hi Ceegee,

I had my right thyroid lobectomy (papillary carcinoma) on 11-07-03.  I asked to have the entire thyroid removed if they found cancer.  Unfortunately the pathologist didn't find it until I was in the recovery room.  After that 3/4 of my sisters were also diagnosed with thyroid cancer.  The other sister and my daughter were both "pre-cancerous".  Because of my family and personal history, I elected to have my left thyroid lobectomy (non cancerous) on 12-23-04.  

My papillary carcinoma was Stage I and my THS levels remained stable until last month when they jumped over 3x higher than the reading 6 months before.  I'm also having a bit of discomfort when swallowing.  That's why I'm opting for the RAI now.

The only other one in my family to have the RAI was my youngest sister who had a lymph node removed and was diagnosed as Stage II.  She said they RAI is no big deal but going off synthroid is the killer.  Two days without it and I'm seeing what she's talking about.  The body aches and fatigue are already overwhelming.

Now I know what she means when she tells people if there is every a major disaster here she's going to be knocking over pharmacies for synthroid!  :-)

(she's kidding of course . . .  I think)
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had my TT 9/19.  I actually feel better with the cytomel than I did with the synthroid, although I think my dose needed to be increased before I switched.

No diet he just said no shellfish.  I think I will watch what I eat so the scan can be as accurate as possible.

When was your TT?
Helpful - 0
158939 tn?1274915197
So you aren't restricted from dairy products??  Okay, I'm jealous!  I live off of cheese and eggs and both are huge "no no's" on my diet.  I also can't have anything cooked with butter or salt so say goodbye to eating out anywhere this month. I can have the inside of a baked potatoe but no butter, sour cream, seasonings - can you say "wallpaper paste"?!?  :-)

Today's diet has been coffee (non-dairy creamer) and fresh fruit.  This is going to be a looooonnnnnnggggg month.  :-)  I can have 6oz of fresh meat each day but nothing processed with any additives (have to get it fresh from the butcher and make sure no "natural flavors" i.e., salt have been added).

Did you feel a huge energy drop when you went off synthroid (even though you were on cytamel)?  If I have to do the RAI again I may go the cytamel route although it looks like you'll be med-free for about 2 weeks regardless.

Sorry about the diagnosis, the "variant" diagnosis isn't fun.  How long ago did you have your TT?

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had papillary cancer w/follicular varient.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My doctor told me off synthroid for at least six weeks and I have been since 10/4.  I like the cytomel, actually I feel better on it than I have in a while.  I don't look forward to going without meds, if what I have read is true.

My dr also said I didn't have to follow the LID, just no shellfish and some certain medicines.  We don't use iodized salt and my dh usually cooks and is very organically inclined.

He didn't give me a target TSH either, but I do have to have blood work the day before both my scan dose and my ablation dose.

Helpful - 0
158939 tn?1274915197
Today is day two of no synthroid for me (day one of the diet) and it looks like we will have about the same timetables.  I may be radioactive about a week before you.  I didn't opt for the Cytomel - just "cold turkey" from the synthroid and it's kicking my butt.  I have ZERO energy today (can't wait for 4 more weeks of this).

My doctor's office told me I had to be off synthroid and on the RAI diet for three weeks in order to achieve a TSH of >30.  Is that the level they are looking for on you too?

Did you have papillary carcinoma or a different diagnosis?

Keep us all posted on how you are doing!  Good luck.
Helpful - 0
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