Thyrogen

LBlackman

Hello all, I have brought this up before, but my Dr. keeps insisting that I do not need to go on a low iodine diet but that I do need to stop my synthroid before my thyrogen scan. Everything that I have read says the opposite of what she is telling me. Everytime before my other scans I had been on the atkins diet which most of the foods have a high iodine level. I wonder if that is why my scans have come back clear or if there really isn't anything there. My family Dr. (here in Florida) noticed my neck being unusually swollen, I had laryngitis at the time, but he said it wasn't related to that. I usually do the atkins, espescially with bathing suit time coming, but I don't want to risk my scan not being accurate. I was debating doing the atkins until about two weeks before my scan then switching to a low iodine diet but I don't know what this will do to my digestive system. I just hate the weight gain and can't decide what to do. Any suggestions will be helpful.
Thanks,
Lynne

nasher

if you can stand it the Low
if you can stand it the Low Iodine Diet then it wont hurt you to go on it for 2 weeks prior to scan.

when they take you off synthroid they make your body want to uptake Iodine more. The entire idea behind the low iodine diet is that since you dont have as much iodine in your body when they give you the RAI that it will be taken up by any remaining thyroid tissue.

The best sugestion I have for you is ask your doctor if going on the LID will hurt you or mess up the scan.

good luck and keep us informed

LBlackman

nasher said:

if you can stand it the Low
if you can stand it the Low Iodine Diet then it wont hurt you to go on it for 2 weeks prior to scan.

when they take you off synthroid they make your body want to uptake Iodine more. The entire idea behind the low iodine diet is that since you dont have as much iodine in your body when they give you the RAI that it will be taken up by any remaining thyroid tissue.

The best sugestion I have for you is ask your doctor if going on the LID will hurt you or mess up the scan.

good luck and keep us informed

LID
The nurse said I could do it if I wanted to, but that I wouldn't like it. I think I am going to do it. I will look on the website and get some cooking ideas. I will also wait to start the atkins until I am done with my scan.
Thanks for putting up with all my crazy questions.....

nasher

LBlackman said:

LID
The nurse said I could do it if I wanted to, but that I wouldn't like it. I think I am going to do it. I will look on the website and get some cooking ideas. I will also wait to start the atkins until I am done with my scan.
Thanks for putting up with all my crazy questions.....

they are not crazy questions
It is important that you take charge of your treatment.

yea the LID is horible but its only for 2 weeks.

as far as the Atkins is are you doing it yourself or are you buying prepaired foods

cause if you are cooking your own foods you may not be able to go 100% Atkins but you can mabey do a modified Atkins LID... remember its a low iodine not a no iodine if you wish to spend the time and energy you may be able to do both and if you come up with good LID meals please share them. I am sure others will thank you

ask as many questions as you want to or that you can think of.
Craig

diane2h81

LBlackman said:

LID
The nurse said I could do it if I wanted to, but that I wouldn't like it. I think I am going to do it. I will look on the website and get some cooking ideas. I will also wait to start the atkins until I am done with my scan.
Thanks for putting up with all my crazy questions.....

Veggies and Fruit
I am also getting ready for my first scan with Thyrogen. I will do a modified version of the LID since my doctor also stated I did not need to do the LID. I feel more comfortable with the scan if I do the LID.

I shared this on another post but thought I would share it with you too. Here are a few tips and foods I had when on the diet.

I ate a lot of veggies when I was on the diet and made my own smoothies.

GLAD makes steam bags for the microwave, I would cut up fresh zucchini and yellow squash and steam (no seasoning added). Other veggies work too, just make sure they are on the approved list.

I also made my own version of a Greek salad; cut up fresh bell peppers (really like the red & yellow), cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and mix with olive oil and Italian seasoning (NO SALT). There is a limit on the serving of grains, but if you can find salt free pasta and then add that to the veggie mix.

You could also use the oil and Italian seasoning for a non spinach salad. I know spinach is not allowed, so no spinach salads

I can't remember what brand, but there are individual serving size of sweet peas in the freezer section. They are meant to be steamed but I defrost in the fridge and then eat as a snack.

For the smoothies I would use frozen fruit (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries...) with 100% pure orange juice, a banana and a handful of ice. I still have the smoothies all the time, but now sometimes add protein mix when I'm not on the diet.

I found a friend with a grill and had him grill 2 weeks worth of buffalo/bison meat for me. I put it freezer and would defrost one each day. From what I read buffalo/bison has less iodine then beef and whole pieces of meat less iodine than ground meat. Weird. I think the limit on meat is 6 oz a day.

If you have a bread machine there are a few low iodine bread recipes out there (the bread machine makes it easy). And if you have a whole foods, or something similar, you can get fresh 100% almond butter (taste almost like peanut butter). A slice of toast with almond butter was good for breakfast.

I also packed my entire food intake for the day in a cooler with a handy shoulder strap, that way when I'm on the go for work and such I don't have to worry about finding something on the approved list.

Hope that helps. I've only had to do the diet once so far but learned a lot going through it, a lot of what does not work lol.

LBlackman

diane2h81 said:

Veggies and Fruit
I am also getting ready for my first scan with Thyrogen. I will do a modified version of the LID since my doctor also stated I did not need to do the LID. I feel more comfortable with the scan if I do the LID.

I shared this on another post but thought I would share it with you too. Here are a few tips and foods I had when on the diet.

I ate a lot of veggies when I was on the diet and made my own smoothies.

GLAD makes steam bags for the microwave, I would cut up fresh zucchini and yellow squash and steam (no seasoning added). Other veggies work too, just make sure they are on the approved list.

I also made my own version of a Greek salad; cut up fresh bell peppers (really like the red & yellow), cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and mix with olive oil and Italian seasoning (NO SALT). There is a limit on the serving of grains, but if you can find salt free pasta and then add that to the veggie mix.

You could also use the oil and Italian seasoning for a non spinach salad. I know spinach is not allowed, so no spinach salads

I can't remember what brand, but there are individual serving size of sweet peas in the freezer section. They are meant to be steamed but I defrost in the fridge and then eat as a snack.

For the smoothies I would use frozen fruit (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries...) with 100% pure orange juice, a banana and a handful of ice. I still have the smoothies all the time, but now sometimes add protein mix when I'm not on the diet.

I found a friend with a grill and had him grill 2 weeks worth of buffalo/bison meat for me. I put it freezer and would defrost one each day. From what I read buffalo/bison has less iodine then beef and whole pieces of meat less iodine than ground meat. Weird. I think the limit on meat is 6 oz a day.

If you have a bread machine there are a few low iodine bread recipes out there (the bread machine makes it easy). And if you have a whole foods, or something similar, you can get fresh 100% almond butter (taste almost like peanut butter). A slice of toast with almond butter was good for breakfast.

I also packed my entire food intake for the day in a cooler with a handy shoulder strap, that way when I'm on the go for work and such I don't have to worry about finding something on the approved list.

Hope that helps. I've only had to do the diet once so far but learned a lot going through it, a lot of what does not work lol.

diet
Thank you so much for your comments. I am definately going to do the LID diet two weeks prior to the scan. The recipes sound great, some of that I can't have on the Atkins, so I will enjoy the change and make the best of it. If I find any healthy recipes for atkins / lid I will definately share them. Thank you both.
Lynne

LBlackman

diane2h81 said:

Veggies and Fruit
I am also getting ready for my first scan with Thyrogen. I will do a modified version of the LID since my doctor also stated I did not need to do the LID. I feel more comfortable with the scan if I do the LID.

I shared this on another post but thought I would share it with you too. Here are a few tips and foods I had when on the diet.

I ate a lot of veggies when I was on the diet and made my own smoothies.

GLAD makes steam bags for the microwave, I would cut up fresh zucchini and yellow squash and steam (no seasoning added). Other veggies work too, just make sure they are on the approved list.

I also made my own version of a Greek salad; cut up fresh bell peppers (really like the red & yellow), cucumbers, grape tomatoes, and mix with olive oil and Italian seasoning (NO SALT). There is a limit on the serving of grains, but if you can find salt free pasta and then add that to the veggie mix.

You could also use the oil and Italian seasoning for a non spinach salad. I know spinach is not allowed, so no spinach salads

I can't remember what brand, but there are individual serving size of sweet peas in the freezer section. They are meant to be steamed but I defrost in the fridge and then eat as a snack.

For the smoothies I would use frozen fruit (blueberries, blackberries, strawberries...) with 100% pure orange juice, a banana and a handful of ice. I still have the smoothies all the time, but now sometimes add protein mix when I'm not on the diet.

I found a friend with a grill and had him grill 2 weeks worth of buffalo/bison meat for me. I put it freezer and would defrost one each day. From what I read buffalo/bison has less iodine then beef and whole pieces of meat less iodine than ground meat. Weird. I think the limit on meat is 6 oz a day.

If you have a bread machine there are a few low iodine bread recipes out there (the bread machine makes it easy). And if you have a whole foods, or something similar, you can get fresh 100% almond butter (taste almost like peanut butter). A slice of toast with almond butter was good for breakfast.

I also packed my entire food intake for the day in a cooler with a handy shoulder strap, that way when I'm on the go for work and such I don't have to worry about finding something on the approved list.

Hope that helps. I've only had to do the diet once so far but learned a lot going through it, a lot of what does not work lol.

diet
Thank you so much for your comments. I am definately going to do the LID diet two weeks prior to the scan. The recipes sound great, some of that I can't have on the Atkins, so I will enjoy the change and make the best of it. If I find any healthy recipes for atkins / lid I will definately share them. Thank you both.
Lynne

Baldy

Thyrogen & Synthroid
This is odd. I just now talked to my endocrinologist, he said the Thyrogen injections I will be taking will make it unnecessary to go off Synthroid {or in my case Levothyroxine.} He said the Thyrogen will artificially elevate TSH levels making it unnecessary for me to become hypothyroidal. By the way, Thyrogen is a TSH.

diane2h81

Baldy said:

Thyrogen & Synthroid
This is odd. I just now talked to my endocrinologist, he said the Thyrogen injections I will be taking will make it unnecessary to go off Synthroid {or in my case Levothyroxine.} He said the Thyrogen will artificially elevate TSH levels making it unnecessary for me to become hypothyroidal. By the way, Thyrogen is a TSH.

Diet
What did your endocrinologist say about the low iodine diet? Did he/she recommend the two week diet before? Mine only told me to stay away from sea food.

Baldy

diane2h81 said:

Diet
What did your endocrinologist say about the low iodine diet? Did he/she recommend the two week diet before? Mine only told me to stay away from sea food.

Diet
Yes, but I haven't seen what is OK and what isn't OK yet. I'm supposed to receive the details of the diet sometime this week, I think.

LBlackman

Baldy said:

Diet
Yes, but I haven't seen what is OK and what isn't OK yet. I'm supposed to receive the details of the diet sometime this week, I think.

LID
I talked to the nurse yesterday about the LID diet and told them I had been on the Atkins prior to the previous scans and she confirmed that since alot of the foods on that diet are high in iodine it could have masked a recurance so now I am more worried than ever about the upcoming scan. I have had so many panic attacks recently, the one last week I ended up taking 15 mg of valium, the nurse told me that was good because a panic attack out of control could have caused a heart attack.....

lesliemarie8

Baldy said:

Diet
Yes, but I haven't seen what is OK and what isn't OK yet. I'm supposed to receive the details of the diet sometime this week, I think.

Diet
I'm about to have my 3rd Thyrogen Scan but the previous 2 were in another state with a different endocrinologist (she was a fantastic Dr.). My last endo was adamant about me needing to do a low iodine diet; here in TX they are telling me it's not necessary. I'm still going to do the LID.
I get most of my LID recipes from the Thyroid Cancer Survivor's Association Low Iodine Cookbook found at http://www.thyca.org/Cookbook.pdf. The thyca.org website is super informative for any and all questions that you may have and the cookbook provides recipes for a wide variety of foods, desserts, sauces, etc. I hope it is helpful for you all.

Baldy

Baldy said:

Diet
Yes, but I haven't seen what is OK and what isn't OK yet. I'm supposed to receive the details of the diet sometime this week, I think.

Diet
I start my LID monday, as far as I can tell, it won't be that much of an incovenience. There is a longish list headed "eliminate", but to my surprise, there is also a list headed "limit" where dairy is listed.

The main problem is I also need a high-fiber diet and my main source of fiber is high-fiber bread, most breads have salt in them, probably iodized, and are on the "eliminate" list. My daily intake of veggies will surely increase, hopefully this will work.

I look on this as an opportunity to lose some weight, I'd like to lose about 5 or 10 pounds and this will be a good start.

Alan

nasher

Baldy said:

Diet
I start my LID monday, as far as I can tell, it won't be that much of an incovenience. There is a longish list headed "eliminate", but to my surprise, there is also a list headed "limit" where dairy is listed.

The main problem is I also need a high-fiber diet and my main source of fiber is high-fiber bread, most breads have salt in them, probably iodized, and are on the "eliminate" list. My daily intake of veggies will surely increase, hopefully this will work.

I look on this as an opportunity to lose some weight, I'd like to lose about 5 or 10 pounds and this will be a good start.

Alan

LID
go to WWW.thyca.org they have a copy of the LID as well and some good recipies.

you also may find some more foods you should limit or avoid on there list (every bit helps)

another option with the bread is a bread machine... then you can make your own high-fiber bread and also know that it dosnt have iodine in it

good luck on it

myself i am not looking forward to going back on it even though its only going to be 7-10 days this time.

Craig

Baldy

nasher said:

LID
go to WWW.thyca.org they have a copy of the LID as well and some good recipies.

you also may find some more foods you should limit or avoid on there list (every bit helps)

another option with the bread is a bread machine... then you can make your own high-fiber bread and also know that it dosnt have iodine in it

good luck on it

myself i am not looking forward to going back on it even though its only going to be 7-10 days this time.

Craig

Diet
Yes, I know of thyca. I'm using it to supplement my endocrinologist's instructions as per his orders.

I see that wheat germ is OK, so I hope it and increasing my intake of vegetables, fruit & fiber caps will do the trick.

Alan

lori d

Baldy said:

Diet
I start my LID monday, as far as I can tell, it won't be that much of an incovenience. There is a longish list headed "eliminate", but to my surprise, there is also a list headed "limit" where dairy is listed.

The main problem is I also need a high-fiber diet and my main source of fiber is high-fiber bread, most breads have salt in them, probably iodized, and are on the "eliminate" list. My daily intake of veggies will surely increase, hopefully this will work.

I look on this as an opportunity to lose some weight, I'd like to lose about 5 or 10 pounds and this will be a good start.

Alan

LID is NOT low sodium diet....
please correct me if i am wrong..
being a TC survivor with 2 surgeries, and having my first scan -of any kind- (thyrogen) in a couple of weeks; the LID is NOT a low *sodium* diet!
i read (kosher) NON IODIZED salt is fine!! ( that's what i use normally ) and stay away from sea salt... (and the dairy, eggs, soy etc...etc.,)
the salt issue comes from most processed food! if you eat fresh, unprocessed foods normally, then a LID shouldn't be as much of a hassle. (even though i eat fish 5x p/week)
as some stated on this thread, even though my dr said a 'limited amount of iodine was ok' ... im just doing the diet.
following LID to achieve comprehensive and accurate results is well worth whatever discomfort it means for a couple of weeks.
can anyone share any side effects of the thyrogen scan? i heard you feel amazing after the injections! true?
thanks!

nasher

lori d said:

LID is NOT low sodium diet....
please correct me if i am wrong..
being a TC survivor with 2 surgeries, and having my first scan -of any kind- (thyrogen) in a couple of weeks; the LID is NOT a low *sodium* diet!
i read (kosher) NON IODIZED salt is fine!! ( that's what i use normally ) and stay away from sea salt... (and the dairy, eggs, soy etc...etc.,)
the salt issue comes from most processed food! if you eat fresh, unprocessed foods normally, then a LID shouldn't be as much of a hassle. (even though i eat fish 5x p/week)
as some stated on this thread, even though my dr said a 'limited amount of iodine was ok' ... im just doing the diet.
following LID to achieve comprehensive and accurate results is well worth whatever discomfort it means for a couple of weeks.
can anyone share any side effects of the thyrogen scan? i heard you feel amazing after the injections! true?
thanks!

yes low IODINE not sodium
Yes there is both kosher and non kosher non iodized salt out there.

FISH is going to be your hard point it sounds like.

I did not notice any effect from the Thyrogen injections... although being able to keep on Cytomel/Synthroid is defiantly the ticket.

yes most the salt comes from processed food... just remember that when you add your ketchup/malt vinegar/mustard /salad dressing/bbq sauce/A-1/whip cream/commercial made spices/... that these are all processed foods even if everything else you have is fresh.

Craig

Baldy

nasher said:

yes low IODINE not sodium
Yes there is both kosher and non kosher non iodized salt out there.

FISH is going to be your hard point it sounds like.

I did not notice any effect from the Thyrogen injections... although being able to keep on Cytomel/Synthroid is defiantly the ticket.

yes most the salt comes from processed food... just remember that when you add your ketchup/malt vinegar/mustard /salad dressing/bbq sauce/A-1/whip cream/commercial made spices/... that these are all processed foods even if everything else you have is fresh.

Craig

Low Sodium
But, since there's no way to know if pre-packaged food was prepared with iodized or noniodized salt, the sodium content listed on the label will tell you if there's most likely iodine there also and how much. When I did the LID, I stayed away from almost all pre-packaged foods.

Alan

sunnyaz

Baldy said:

Low Sodium
But, since there's no way to know if pre-packaged food was prepared with iodized or noniodized salt, the sodium content listed on the label will tell you if there's most likely iodine there also and how much. When I did the LID, I stayed away from almost all pre-packaged foods.

Alan

I did the same.
I also stayed away from pre-packaged foods. I made everything from scratch with non-iodized salt. I made large batches of soup, stuffed cabbage and spaghetti with meatballs and froze them before I went on the diet. This way I could just pull out a meal, heat and eat. It was a no-brainer.

Sea salt is a real no-no. Some people are under the impression it is iodine free and it has more iodine than regular salt because it's from the sea. Ie. no fish either. Most people choose it for the higher iodine content to help with healthy thyroid function. That is those with a healthy thyroid.

I found a natural peanut butter that did not have salt. I utilized it as much as possible. If you have a bread machine, you can make your own non-iodized bread. Or you can just bake it yourself in the oven.

Yes, low iodine does not mean low sodium. Big difference.

Blessings,
Julie-SunnyAZ

nasher

sunnyaz said:

I did the same.
I also stayed away from pre-packaged foods. I made everything from scratch with non-iodized salt. I made large batches of soup, stuffed cabbage and spaghetti with meatballs and froze them before I went on the diet. This way I could just pull out a meal, heat and eat. It was a no-brainer.

Sea salt is a real no-no. Some people are under the impression it is iodine free and it has more iodine than regular salt because it's from the sea. Ie. no fish either. Most people choose it for the higher iodine content to help with healthy thyroid function. That is those with a healthy thyroid.

I found a natural peanut butter that did not have salt. I utilized it as much as possible. If you have a bread machine, you can make your own non-iodized bread. Or you can just bake it yourself in the oven.

Yes, low iodine does not mean low sodium. Big difference.

Blessings,
Julie-SunnyAZ

agree with this with 1 problem for myself
I can NOT have a bread machine in the house... the smell of fresh baked bread makes me need to make another loaf cause I just ate the last one and... I dont need to add any weight.

yes each time i have done the LID i have prepaired at least 2 of the 3 meals a day beforehand and froze them. It makes it so much easyer especialy if you cant get the thyrogen shots.