Tg Results

1nathaliakarina

I had my check up with my Endocrinologist and got my lab results. My TSH level is .02 and my Free T4 level is 1.95 which my doctor says it is ok. My TG level was 1.4, if I am not mistaken that level should also be undetectable, but according to my doctor not to worry, because it is not above 2. Can anyone give me any advice.

nasher

more info please
more info please

at what stage treatment are you
1) post TT
2) on Low Iodine diet
3) post RAI
4) months/years past.. ect

TSH <-- what your Pituitary gland produces
T3 and T4 <-- what your thyroid makes / what your replacement medicin gives you

from thyca.org ( http://www.thyca.org/thyroglobulin.htm )
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The measurement of the protein Thyroglobulin (abbreviated Tg) in blood, is an important laboratory test for checking whether a patient still has some thyroid present. The power of a serum Tg measurement lies in the fact that Tg can only be made by the thyroid gland (either the remaining normal part or the tumorous part). This means that when a patient has had their thyroid completely removed, the measurement of Tg in a blood sample can be used to check whether there is any tumor left behind.

Detectable Tg Levels: When patients have had cancerous growths that make Tg, the absence of Tg in a blood sample is usually good news for a patient who has had thyroid surgery to remove their thyroid gland containing a cancerous growth. However, many patients still have measurable levels of Tg in their blood after surgery. Often this Tg is coming from a small amount of normal thyroid left behind. This means that a measurable level of Tg does not necessarily indicate the presence of tumor. Often physicians will give a small dose of radioiodine to get rid of the last remaining part of the normal thyroid gland in order to make later Tg measurements a better marker for any tumor left behind.
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so if you are not months/years out you still may have some TG (thats what they check to see how much thyroid is left prior to and post radiation)

they always leave some of your thyroid in your body when they do the surgery cause of all the tisues in the neck and major blood vesles and such not to mention vocal cords it is imposible to remove 100% without damageing other things in your neck that is why they do radiation theropy afterwords...

your TG level is one of the things they use to determin if there is anything left and decide what treatment is adviseable.

if you have any questions you should talk to your doctor I can not remember what the unditectable levels are for those eithor