Thyroglobulin level after radioactive iodine 131.

MarinMark
MarinMark Member Posts: 148
in Thyroid Cancer #1
Have been on vacation for a month, so haven't posted here. Hope everyone is doing well.

How long after 131 radioactive iodine do you people have your thyrolobulin level checked ? I heard two docs say six months later, and a few say six weeks after rai 131.

Has anyone here had the thyroglobulin checked just before 131, then had it checked four to eight weeks later ? If the rai is killing thyroid cells, it seems that the thyroglobulin would go UP after rai then go slowly back down.

So how many weeks or months after rai 131 should one get their thyroglobulin checked ? And has rai made it go up slightly ? Greatly ?

Comments

  • Celestec
    Celestec Member Posts: 12
    #2
    Thyroglobulin
    I also haven't been on here for a while but I am about to get my thyroglobulin checked after my RAI 05/10/11 and I like to check back here before that.

    I get my thyroglobulin levels checked in July, two months after RAI and I went from 16 (before RAI) up to 19.5. The doctor said this was normal to slightly rise and to come back in around the holidays to get it checked again. I'm hoping it comes down because I've already had two surgeries and two RAI treatments.

    Goodluck with everything!
  • MarinMark
    MarinMark Member Posts: 148
    #3
    Celestec said:

    Thyroglobulin
    I also haven't been on here for a while but I am about to get my thyroglobulin checked after my RAI 05/10/11 and I like to check back here before that.

    I get my thyroglobulin levels checked in July, two months after RAI and I went from 16 (before RAI) up to 19.5. The doctor said this was normal to slightly rise and to come back in around the holidays to get it checked again. I'm hoping it comes down because I've already had two surgeries and two RAI treatments.

    Goodluck with everything!

    Thank you, Celestec
    So your doctor said that iodine 131 does cause a slight rise in thyroglobulin ? Or did he say that the test is not that accurate to mean that there's no difference between 16 and 19.5 ?

    When you needed surgery, what was your level then ?
  • teamwink
    teamwink Member Posts: 97
    #4
    rise and fall of thyroglobulin
    I had mine checked throughout - the odd thing was that it was undetectable the whole time... until RAI. It shot up to about 7.5 then and stayed there for a bit. Then as quickly as it rose, it was back to undetectable again. So far, so good (I'm almost 4 months out from RAI). Hope this helps!
  • MarinMark
    MarinMark Member Posts: 148
    #5
    teamwink said:

    rise and fall of thyroglobulin
    I had mine checked throughout - the odd thing was that it was undetectable the whole time... until RAI. It shot up to about 7.5 then and stayed there for a bit. Then as quickly as it rose, it was back to undetectable again. So far, so good (I'm almost 4 months out from RAI). Hope this helps!

    Thank you, teamwink. Few questions
    YOU SAID "I had mine checked throughout - the odd thing was that it was undetectable the whole time... until RAI. It shot up to about 7.5 then and stayed there for a bit. Then as quickly as it rose, it was back to undetectable again. So far, so good (I'm almost 4 months out from RAI). Hope this helps!"



    Of course that helps !! How long after RAI was it measured as 7.5, and how long did it take before it became undetectable ?

    Is undetectable at your lab less than 5.0 ?

    Which technique did the lab use for measuring thyroglobulin ?

    When is the last time you had it checked ?

    When are you getting it checked again ?
  • teamwink
    teamwink Member Posts: 97
    #6
    MarinMark said:

    Thank you, teamwink. Few questions
    YOU SAID "I had mine checked throughout - the odd thing was that it was undetectable the whole time... until RAI. It shot up to about 7.5 then and stayed there for a bit. Then as quickly as it rose, it was back to undetectable again. So far, so good (I'm almost 4 months out from RAI). Hope this helps!"



    Of course that helps !! How long after RAI was it measured as 7.5, and how long did it take before it became undetectable ?

    Is undetectable at your lab less than 5.0 ?

    Which technique did the lab use for measuring thyroglobulin ?

    When is the last time you had it checked ?

    When are you getting it checked again ?

    Thyroglobulin
    My doc measured my Tg during RAI treatment on Day 5, and that is when it had shot upward (I'd expected quite the opposite). I'm not sure a specific technique, but it was measured from my blood sample. I have had it checked about a month ago and it is still undetectable. The lab notes that <.5 is the undetectable level. I hope I stay there!! I go back to my doc in Feb for an ultrasound and then again in August for my follow up scan - fingers crossed!!

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