Tg is 102 4 months post RAI

Lolly808
Lolly808 Member Posts: 6
in Thyroid Cancer #1
I just saw my ENT the other day and got my latest labs.

My Tg is going down, but it is still 102 4 months after RAI. It started out around 1500.

My TSH is 1.2 and not quite low enough as well.

Doc said that if my Tg doesn't come down significantly he may want me to have another RAI.

Is it normal or usual for ones Thyroglobulin level to be 100+ 4 months out of RAI?

I'm starting to get concerned. My WBS after RAI only showed uptake in the thyroid area, so I pretty much thought I was good to go.

Comments

  • sunnyaz
    sunnyaz Member Posts: 582
    #2
    Tg Levels
    RAI works up to six months and sometimes longer in the cells. Hopefully you have another blood test six months post RAI. Levels should be down to undetectable by then as undetectable is the ultimate goal.

    There are some factors involved in your questions. First, what was your RAI dose and what stage was your cancer? Did you already have metastasis? What type of Thyroid cancer did you have? What dose of Synthroid are you taking? Sounds like you may need an increase of dose to get your TSH below 1.0 to try to prevent recurrence.

    Blessings,
    Julie-SunnyAZ
  • alapah
    alapah Member Posts: 287
    #3
    sunnyaz said:

    Tg Levels
    RAI works up to six months and sometimes longer in the cells. Hopefully you have another blood test six months post RAI. Levels should be down to undetectable by then as undetectable is the ultimate goal.

    There are some factors involved in your questions. First, what was your RAI dose and what stage was your cancer? Did you already have metastasis? What type of Thyroid cancer did you have? What dose of Synthroid are you taking? Sounds like you may need an increase of dose to get your TSH below 1.0 to try to prevent recurrence.

    Blessings,
    Julie-SunnyAZ

    One more detail
    Do you happen to know if you have thyroglobulin antibodies? it's an important detail as antibodies affect the Tg reading and make follow up a bit tricky.
    If I remember corrrectly, Tg can spike after RAI before dropping. As Sunny points out, RAI is working in your system for up to six months.
  • MarinMark
    MarinMark Member Posts: 148
    #4
    Thyrogen
    Several papillary thyroid cancer patients have reported it took a year for their TG to go below "normal" or be "undetectable".
  • Lolly808
    Lolly808 Member Posts: 6
    #5
    sunnyaz said:

    Tg Levels
    RAI works up to six months and sometimes longer in the cells. Hopefully you have another blood test six months post RAI. Levels should be down to undetectable by then as undetectable is the ultimate goal.

    There are some factors involved in your questions. First, what was your RAI dose and what stage was your cancer? Did you already have metastasis? What type of Thyroid cancer did you have? What dose of Synthroid are you taking? Sounds like you may need an increase of dose to get your TSH below 1.0 to try to prevent recurrence.

    Blessings,
    Julie-SunnyAZ

    Thanks for the responses (((hugs)))
    I was diagnosed with Pap Thyca Stage 3. It had spread outside the thyroid into the surrounding area but no lymph node involvement.

    I had a heft dose of 209 mCi for my RAI. Kicked my booty it did.

    I'm currently on 175 mcg of Synthroid. Doc switched me from Levo to Synthroid after this last appointment. He said maybe the generic wasn't working for me. He said I was on a high dose as far he was concerned. I also take 5 mcg of Cytomel once a day in the am with my Synthroid.

    He did say he thought I wasn't absorbing the Levo well enough, hence the change. He said it's not supposed to make a difference, but he wasn't opposed to trying the name brand and seeing if it helps.

    I was on 125 a few months ago and my TSH spiked to 14! It had gone down to 3.92 the previous blood test. So he increased me to 137 then my GP bumped me to 175 a week later. So I went up pretty quickly in dosage. The next labs I did late August were the ones I posted about. TSH still not suppressed and my Tg at 102.

    I do not have any antibodies.

    November will be my 6 month mark. Hopefully the Tg will go down by then. It has been going down, but just not enough. It started out at about 1400 or so.

    My ENT said that if my Tg does not go down to undetectable in the next few months he may want me to do another RAI. ugh. I really felt awful after my RAI. It took me about 5 weeks to get back to work part time.

    But maybe if I do have to do it again the dose won't be upwards of 200 mCi's like the first time.

    I'm still feeling tired. I am feeling better than I was though for sure. I'm trying to swim and get my strength back.

    Just worried about the Tg.

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