Today I started the Cytomel course before my low-iodine diet begins

[Skidmore]

mid-august. Am scheduled for a I-131 scan on 8/25 as year after follow-up. I know the chances are extremely slim that the thyroid cancer is still in my body, and that it is really treatable, but I hate this waiting. I hate feeling like I have a bomb in my body. I hate cancer. I truly hate that it took away three of my immediate family members to date.

Well, on the way to being hypothryroid in a few weeks. Bear with me.

[OzarkDem]

1. Waiting is hard

but it sounds as though it will be worth it. Let us know how its going.

[pecwae]

2. The waiting

Waiting for biopsy results, waiting for scan results, waiting for lab results. I found the waiting to be the hardest part especially when I had to wait over a weekend for a report.

I know nothing about Cytomel. Can you tell me something about it?

All the best to you.:hug:

[Maestro]

3. Cytomel is given to keep your metabolism going.

It helps when going hypo in preparation for radiation treatment. Sometimes it is given after going completely hypo and after radiation treatment to stimulate the metabolism since it basically shut down while the patient was waiting for the radiation treatment. In the case of Skidmore, it is being given as Skidmore goes hypo awaiting the scan.

[Maestro]

4. I have been through thyroid cancer myself.

This really is going to be the hardest part. Going hypo is not fun, at least it wasn't for me. Just know that this is a good thing because your body will be so starved for iodine that any remaining tyroid tissue will light up easily. Since you have already had your surgery and this is year follow-up I doubt you will see anything light up. Good luck.

[OzarkDem]

5. Thanks for that info

I like to learn about other cancers and treatments as well as breast cancer (yeah, I'm the geeky kind who attends the doctors conferences too). It must feel really bad to have treatment to suppress your metabolism, ugh. Pretty rough going for follow up, I get tired thinking about it. Do you rebound fairly quickly afterwards?

[Maestro]

6. Well, I had my surgery the last of Feb 03

From the Feb 28 until April 10, 11, or 12, I can't remember, I went completely hypo. This was done to starve any remaining thyroid tissue so that when I took the radioactive iodine, it (the tissue) would kill itself almost immediately as it soaked up the radioactive iodine.

Going hypo is horrible so I feel for Skidmore. In my case the following all occurred. I gained 20 pounds over about a four month period. I've only been able to get off about 5 pounds of that since then. I began to suffer from edema or water retention. I became very cold all the time. My hair started to fall out. I suffered from what doctors called, brain fog. My cognitive thinking skills were impaired and my memory was shot. My skin became very dry and it peeled especially in my hands and feet. And this was all before the friggin' radiation. However, all of this was better than the alternative, having cancer. :) In retrospect, my cancer was nothing more than a nuisance. Other people have it far worse than I did.

[wiggs]

7. Good luck Skidmore. Hope all is going well now. nt

[Skidmore]

8. Guys, I start the low iodine diet on 8/11, something I'm not looking

forward too. I'm already feeling achy at times. Synthroid just works better than Cytomel for me, but I know they want something with shorter half-life. I dread that awful diet because it is extremely restrictive. You don't realize how many foods in the world have iodine in them until you are on this diet.

I know what is ahead and am prepared.


What scares me more is that I discovered a lump on the lower left side of my abdomen while bathing the other day. It is not painful but when I look in the mirror, it is clearly visible and shouldn't be there. I'm waiting till my appointment on the 23rd with the oncologist. I'm unemployed now and am trying to keep doctoring to a minimum.

[OzarkDem]

9. Why not call the oncologist

and ask them about the lump? It may be no big deal and would save you a lot of worry. Just a suggestion.

Darn, I have a hard time sticking to any diet, kudos to you for sticking with the low iodine diet! Sorry to hear you're unemployed, hope you can get back to work soon!

[Skidmore]

10. I called the oncologist's office and they told me I need to go see

my primary care person first before they would do anything. I hate the medical system. Well, then I called my primary care person and the earliest I can get in is Friday morning. Did I say how much I hate the medical system.

It's not the insured part of the bills that is the problem now, but the co-pays. We both need medicine all the time. Between us, it is 3 scripts, but when you are on a fixed income, that's grocery money. I can't really look for work until this is over because I don't want to be in a position to really screw up an interview and I need to be able to put a coherent letter together. As someone mentioned above, during the hypothyroid phase of this, short-term memory problems and brain fog are real issues.

[OzarkDem]

11. The medical system does suck

"Big Time", as Dick would say. I remember having to go through all that, too.

Have you checked into any patient assistance programs for help with copays? Call your local United Way. There are a lot of programs started up in recent years to help w/ the problem as drug costs get so high.

Hang in there and try not to worry! When will you be finished with the hypothyroid part? Hope its soon!

[Skidmore]

12. Day after tomorrow I take my last dose of Cytomel and start the diet,

which will continue up through the 28th of the month. This is a description of the diet:

http://www.thyca.org/rai.htm#diet

So, I still have some work to do.

[Skidmore]

13. Well I went to my primary care person to have a look at

the lump on my left lower abdomen, since the oncologist said I needed to start there. She looked at it and said that it's a soft tissue subcutaneous mass, probably benign, and sent me on my way. Come back if it gets bigger. I don't feel any better about it. It makes me nervous now to have bumpy things growing on my body that aren't supposed to be there.

[OzarkDem]

14. Well that's somewhat reassuring

No one knows except a cancer survivor how much we obsess over every bump, lump, ache and pain. When do you see your oncologist again?

Now stop poking at it ;-)

[Skidmore]

15. I'm scheduled for blood work and a radiation treatment on 8/25 and a

scan on 8/28. Right now I'm doing the diet.

[Maestro]

16. They have you scheduled very quickly after the treatment.

I was in isolation for three and half days with my radiation treatment. I think my scan was about a week after that if I remember correctly. They (the doctors) wanted to make sure all the radiation was out of my body to make sure that if anything "lit up" it was definitely more of the cancer. Depending on the type of thyroid cancer, it rarely metastasizes.

[Skidmore]

17. I get to go home between the treatment and the scan, onlyl

because we have no children at home. But, I get to sleep on plastic and sit on plastic and use a separate bathroom, which has to be cleaned a gazillion times. No cooking or cleaning.

I'm not feeling so hot today. I ache everywhere, and my fingers and feet are swollen. I'm so tired. My hair feels like straw and is shedding. I am beyond being hungry any more. And I can't think or problem solve well now. I start a sentence and forget where I am in it. So, I haven't been posting much this week because of it. I got up this morning and got my husband off to work and laid back down and slept 4 more hours. I usually stay up and get a lot done in those early morning hours. He may be getting himself up the rest of the week.

[Forkboy]

18. How's things going for you?

I have the same thing,and I just stopped the Cytomel today in favor of Levothyroxine.Before the surgery they did a CT scan and weren't supposed to use the contrast dye,but they did.Now I have to wait an extra three or four months before the radiation treatment because of that.They're lucky I'm not the lawsuit type :)

I just got a heads up on some of the things to expect.No being around pregnant women,which should be easy as I dont know any.No being near my cat,which will suck.As for any changes in diet,as long as pasta is ok I'll make it through whatever they toss my way!