thyroid uptake and scan

[Dawn1214]

Can anyone give me info on the thyroid scan and uptake. Also what is it going to be like being off my med for 4 weeks. Do they put you right back on the med after the test?

Thanks  Dawn

[Dawn1214]

Thanks Amy,

That is pretty straight forward. I don't quite get what the full body scan is for. Do you know what that shows?

Also is anyone allergic to ct contrast dye and had a thyroid uptake? If so did you have any problems  with the dye in the thyroid scan?

Thanks again  Dawn

[amela321]

Sorry, forgot to address the second part of your question.  Being off meds is different for everyone.  You will be hypothyroid, but different people react differently to that.  Some have no problems, some have every hypothyroid symptom in the book.  When I was extremely hypothyroid in August (TSH>100, as high as the lab would measure) I felt horrible.  I do know of some people, though, who don't really seem to have a lot of problems.  

According to endocrineweb.com, the following are possible symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (can't tolerate the cold like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido

Sounds fun, eh?  You, personally, however, may experience some, none or all of these.  Your mileage may vary!

Take care,
Amy

[amela321]

This is how it's gone for me.  This is after getting the scan dose.

The uptake was simply sitting in a chair.  They put a machine right up to your neck and that machine measures how much of the tracer dose is taken up by your thyroid tissues.    Obviously, if you've had a TT, your uptake would be extremely low to nothing.  The test takes about 15 minutes.

For the whole body scan, I lay on a table and a machine passes over me verrrry slowly.  They ask you to remain still.  For me, they took one of the whole body and then another of the neck and chest area.  They let me sit up for a couple of minutes between the two.  The two tests combined took about an hour and a half.

Both tests were completely painless for me.  I always ask for a blanket when I get a whole body scan because they keep it so cold in radiology.

Hope this helps.

Amy