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Rustifox said:

Hi, Paideia - sorry you have had to join us.

There is also another group - Thyca.org - that is very, very busy, and may also be of value to you. Here are the respective websites, for the Association, the local support groups, and the website for the online support group, too:
http://www.thyca.org
http://www.thyca.org/support.htm
The online group is located on yahoo forums - free to join - but be aware that it is a very, very busy group, with participants from all over the world, so I chose the 'no emails' option (sometimes there were over 100 posts to the group a day, so the email inbox could be overwhelming):
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/

After our RAI treatments, it takes anywhere from 3-4 weeks to 3-6 months, depending on how long it takes to get your hormone doses right, to feel totally normal...each time our hormone doses are changed, it takes approximately 6-8 weeks for the new dose to take full effect.

But most people start to feel a little more human again and less "hypo" by the 3-4 week mark after starting your hormones.

We don't go back on the cytomel after our treatments - normally, we are placed on T4/levothyroxine only.

Cytomel is not a 'stable' drug - you've probably noticed large variations in how you feel through the day/into the evenings while taking this short acting product. It provides short acting energy - but that is not a good thing to keep us healthy in the long run.

Cytomel allows our body to have wide fluctuations in our hormone levels on a daily basis, so while many people dealing with strictly hypothyroidism, instead of thyroid cancer, will debate it's merits, for us the 'stable' TSH levels is critically important.

Synthroid, or similar "LT4" - levo-T4, or synthetic T4 products, provide more stable and long acting levels of both T4 and T3 in our bodies. (T3 is synthesized in our tissues - our body makes it's own T3 in the cells after taking our hormones.)

It is recommended that we take a 'brand name' of levothyroxine - ie synthroid, levoxyl, etc - rather than generics, due to bioavailability issues, so if your pharmacist and/or drug plan suggests otherwise, stick to the 'brand names'.

'Suppression' - keeping our TSH very low, so we don't 'feed' or allow any remaining cancer cells to grow - is an important part of our ongoing cancer treatment.

There is more info on the 'generic vs brand name' levothyroxine issue here:
http://www.thyroid.org/professionals/advocacy/06_10_04_bioequivalence.html

Because of this 'need for stable TSH levels', most endocrinologists will not permit thyroid cancer patients to take cytomel on a long term basis.

We take this only when preparing for RAI treatments and/or I-131 scans, to keep us more comfortable while the long acting hormones are 'drained' from our bodies.

So, yes - you are only on cytomel because you are preparing for treatment, and will likely be prescribed synthroid, levoxyl, or unithroid after your treatment is over.

The 'average' dose of cytomel varies - 50mcgs is quite a large dose. Personally, I took 1/2 of a 25mcg tablet, and felt 'speedy' even taking that much cytomel - but everyone is different.

Many doctors will prescribe 25mcgs, and even then, recommend that you do not take any of it after about 4-5 pm - it can definitely interfere with sleep cycles.

If the dose were too high for you, you would likely experience some insomnia, strange/active dreams, possibly palpitations - and the hunger with this dose of cytomel is not unusual, either. It essentially stimulates a 'hyperthyroidism' type of state in your body - and raging hunger is pretty common with that.

The weight gain is very common in hypothyroid states, too, and most likely to disappear once your TSH is stabilized with hormones in a few months. There is a good list of some of the more common 'hypo' symptoms on page 4 of this document:
http://www.thyroid.org/patients/brochures/Hypothyroidism _web_booklet.pdf

If your work requires a sharp mind and decisive actions, you must take some time off for the 2 weeks prior to, and at least 2 weeks after your RAI treatment.

Once you stop the cytomel, you are/will be both medically and legally impaired - by acute and severe hypothyroidism - and definitely should not be driving, either. Most doctors recommend putting away the car keys for that 2 weeks prior/2 weeks after, with good reason - our reflexes are significantly slowed, and our judgement is altered, too... so if at all possible, you do need to take medical leave during this 4 week time period as a minimum, and wait until you have been cleared to return to active duty.

Even if your job just entails minor clerical issues, accuracy and function can become quite a problem when we are off all hormones. Carpal tunnel is common, as are arthralgia and myalgia types of symptoms.

In addition, you will have about a week after your treatment where you are, technically, radioactive - detectable by most radiation detectors, and this can potentially harm other people's thyroids, so isolation from others is normally expected for at least 1 week following high dose treatments.

It is also very, very important to stay away from pregnant women and/or children for at least 10 days - some radiologists recommend 2 weeks - after your treatment dose, even trying to avoid incidental contact.

There are some good guidelines here for RAI treatment doses:
http://www.mythyroid.com/radioactiveiodinecancer.html
And here is another set:
http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/pdf/radioiodine.pdf

I personally could not, physically or mentally/emotionally, have worked - even at a very menial job - during the 2 weeks after my treatment. While you will be very, very 'hypo' going into the treatment, your body will briefly get even MORE hypo after it - the intention of the treatment is to wipe out thyroid tissues of any kind in your body... so until the time passes, permitting hormones to be absorbed back in the cells of the body, your judgement, reflexes, and even emotional state will likely be quite impaired.

After treatment, it is a time to be very kind to yourself, while rebuilding your energy. Frequent naps will likely be needed during that last 2 weeks and the 2 weeks following the treatment dose... so do try to take the time. Most doctors would insist you remain off of active duty, Paideia.

Hope some of this helps. I have a personal web page done up here on CSN that has lots of links that may be of interest to you - things like guidelines for treatments, the importance of suppression therapy, etc. All the best to you.