thyroglobulin ab & levels......

smk101170
smk101170 Member Posts: 1
in Thyroid Cancer #1
Hi I am new to this and am just looking anywhere for a definate answer. I had thyroid cancer 4yrs and 8 months ago. I had a total thyroidectomy. About a month ago I saw a lump in the side of my neck. I waited 2 weeks, ya know because im a mom and it will just go away! After about 2 weeks it began to hurt and feel like pressure toward the inside of my throat. Had levels done ab count is less that 20 and level is 0.2. All the sites ive looked at said the level should be 0 and anything higher than 0.1 needs another treatment or removal. Dr said just wait.
Anyone???? have answeer????

Comments

  • nasher
    nasher Member Posts: 505 Member
    #2
    what are your other labs
    did
    what are your other labs

    did they test for your T4 and TSH levels as well

    i would ask for an ultrasound at least so they can figure out what it is. If it is thyroid tissue yes i would say it needs to be removed. but it could also be hundreds of other diffrent issues.

    I REALLY HATE the wait and see approach.
  • sunnyaz
    sunnyaz Member Posts: 582
    #3
    I'm with Craig
    I agree with Craig (Nasher) on the "wait and see" approach. But, this is coming from someone with recurrent metastasis. Glad I never took that approach. I would get a sono (Ultrasound) and if it looks suspicious, get a Fine Needle biopsy. It doesn't hurt to be sure. If you have health insurance, there is no reason to wait and see.
    Blessings,
    Julie-SunnyAZ
  • alapah
    alapah Member Posts: 287
    #4
    Tg and TgAb levels
    I answered your question on cancer compass last night and it looks like they chose not to post my response - i think because I had offered a link to the site thyca.org...

    Anyway, i am assuming less than 20 count still means that you have antibodies. If you have antibodies, they can skew the Tg reading. I have antibodies and for a long time had a Tg near zero but not at zero. My endocrinologist told me that for people with antibodies the key is to observe trends in the numbers.

    Do you know what your past labs have been? Also, it is important to have your labs done by the same facility using the same assay to make they comparable. If your levels are rising from past figures, along with that lump sensation I'd imagine the docs need to do more exploring. Did the doc do an ultrasound? That would generally come first, then maybe a CT if the ultrasound is inconclusive. Labs alone cannot tell the whole story. If that doc is solely looking at labs to decide on a wait and see, I'd get a second opinion or change docs entirely.

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