Aa
thyroid gland regrowth
I had a thyroidectomy 2 1/2 yrs ago. My TSH numbers have been coming back way too low for past 3 months even with reduction in micrograms of synthroid. I had suspicious nodules (5 or 6) in my thyroid when it was removed (total) after years of Hashimoto's. Could my thyroid be growing back? My neck is large on both sides but not right in front.
I am a 52 year old woman and had a total thyrectomy for goiter 6 years ago. Even though there was some question beforehand, the tissue tested negative for cancer after surgery. I had problems ever since, basically turned from a healthy person to a person with all kinds of health problems. I wish my thyroid would grow back so my body can produce its own hormones again and I could be my old healthy self again. Is there anything I could do to encourage it.
I had a tt last year and my wbs after one year showed uptake in the thyroid bed. It is just remaining tissue that wasn't killed (for lack of better word) during the ablation.
I think that even if you have RAI you can still regrow tissue, again not necessarily a new gland. That's why they like to keep TSH pretty low especially in thyca patients to prevent that. Even so the body can do it. I know with thyca there is still a 30% chance of a reoccurence even with TT and RAI ablation, and that means new tissue growth.
In case some numbers help, I had TT with RAI at 50mi then RAI at 85mi. They think they got it this time. We'll see in 6 months.
In case some numbers help, I had TT with RAI at 50mi then RAI at 85mi. They think they got it this time. We'll see in 6 months.
Thyroid tissue can regenerate to a small degree. You can't grow a new gland, but some new tissue can grow.
If you have a large dose of RAI to ablate all cancer cells after TT, the there is nothing left to regenerate.
If you have a small dose to kill just part of the thyroid, as some Grave's patients do, then some tissue could regrow.
If You have a TT and no RAI, then some tissue could regrow. It's not actually a Total thyroidectomy, because you cannot surgically remove the entire gland without removing the parathyroids and the vocal cords.
If you have RAI for total ablation without surgery like you and I did, Stella, then it just depends on whether the dose killed all the thyroid tissue or not.
Total ablation by RAI alone is never guaranteed. It could be, if you are given a large enough dose. But the doctors give somewhere between 12-18 microcuries of RAI for that purpose, as opposed to 50-150 microcuries to clean up after a TT for cancer.
I got 12 microcuries, and the Endo said if it didn't work, I could do it again in a year. I wanted to kick her and ask her why she wasn't giving me 18 microcuries, but I bit my lip.
Grave's patients used to get a smaller dose, like 6 or 7 microcuries in an attempt to kill just enough thyroid to make the patient go into remission. I think that practice has stopped because the doctors finally realized it's better to kill it dead than damage it and leave the patient with an organ that is damaged. GL had that sort of treatment, and her meds have been going up and down ever since.
If you have a large dose of RAI to ablate all cancer cells after TT, the there is nothing left to regenerate.
If you have a small dose to kill just part of the thyroid, as some Grave's patients do, then some tissue could regrow.
If You have a TT and no RAI, then some tissue could regrow. It's not actually a Total thyroidectomy, because you cannot surgically remove the entire gland without removing the parathyroids and the vocal cords.
If you have RAI for total ablation without surgery like you and I did, Stella, then it just depends on whether the dose killed all the thyroid tissue or not.
Total ablation by RAI alone is never guaranteed. It could be, if you are given a large enough dose. But the doctors give somewhere between 12-18 microcuries of RAI for that purpose, as opposed to 50-150 microcuries to clean up after a TT for cancer.
I got 12 microcuries, and the Endo said if it didn't work, I could do it again in a year. I wanted to kick her and ask her why she wasn't giving me 18 microcuries, but I bit my lip.
Grave's patients used to get a smaller dose, like 6 or 7 microcuries in an attempt to kill just enough thyroid to make the patient go into remission. I think that practice has stopped because the doctors finally realized it's better to kill it dead than damage it and leave the patient with an organ that is damaged. GL had that sort of treatment, and her meds have been going up and down ever since.
The parathyroids would have nothing really to do with any regrowth.
AR - just really quick - are you saying it is possible to have growth after a TT? But if RAI is done that is not so?
What if RAI was done simply for Graves .. CAn it regrow then?
AR - just really quick - are you saying it is possible to have growth after a TT? But if RAI is done that is not so?
What if RAI was done simply for Graves .. CAn it regrow then?
You could be having some regrowth of tissue if you did not have RAI after the TT.
how long in that two and a half years have you been stable for months at a time?
An ultrasound of the thyroid would answer the question of any sort of growth.
how long in that two and a half years have you been stable for months at a time?
An ultrasound of the thyroid would answer the question of any sort of growth.
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