hard time dealing with thyroid ca

unctarheel
unctarheel Member Posts: 1
in Thyroid Cancer #1
I am about a month out from have tt. Since then I have been extremely depressed. I can't seem to snap out of it. I had no problems with my thyroid but I had 3.8 mass in my neck when they did the surgery they found cancer in my thyroid( papillary). I already had weight issues before this, now its worse. I can't sleep & have no energy. My doctor has me taking 75 mcg of cytomel 50 in am and 25 in evening I think I am taking it too late I usually take around 9 or 10 pm. Only sleep like 2 or 3 hours then cant any more. Started the meds Oct 3 at this dosage.

these are my labs as of oct 3 I dont understand them. I feel so alone and down

THYROGLOBULIN 1.9 THYROGLOBULIN AB <20
THYROTROPIN 23.55 THYROXINE.FREE 0.15

Comments

  • alapah
    alapah Member Posts: 287
    #2
    Welcome
    Sorry your post sat unanswered for a few days and sorry you're going through this. First, i just want to say that you are not alone.There are a bunch of us out here who understand how you feel and can listen and offer advice.

    The period between surgery and getting RAI (which I assume you are doing since you are taking Cytomel at the moment) can be rough but it will improve. I never took Cytomel so can't offer advice on timing but you should call your doctor to ask that question and let them know how it is affecting your sleep. They may be able to recommend things to improve the situation for you.

    There is a great intro to understanding thyroid labs at thyca.org (http://www.thyca.org/labtests.htm). Tons of great info on that site!

    Thyroglobulin is produced only by thyroid cells. In a thyroid cancer patient, the object is to remove the thyroid and kill off all remaining thyroid cells, taking that number to zero. This reduces the likelihood of reoccurrence. It takes a while in the process to reach that pint. You are still in the early stages of treatment so don't be alarmed if the number for this (aka Tg) is more than zero on you current labs. Thyroglobulin AB are thyroglobulin antibodies. A lot of people have these (i do). They can create errors in the true Tg reading if present. It is important to know if a patient has antibodies because it will affect how well the Tg reading can be used as a marker of the presence of thyroid cells. I am not familiar with thytropin. Free thyroxine is, i believe,refers to the amount of available converted thyroid hormone in your system.

    Is your doctor (or his/her nurse) available to you? I bet they would answer all of your concerns and questions about the labs and taking cytomel. I have been impressed with the responsiveness of my docs - hope that you find yours that way.

    Hang in there. It will get better.
    Eileen

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