New results, looks like it's going in the right direction?

As above, my last unstimulated tg was 4. My last stimulated tg was 27 which I found out Monday.

Am I correct in thinking that stimulated should be about 5x unstimulated? In which case this about inline? The onc' was confused as he read my last report (in fact the one before the last) which showed unstimulated at 14.

I'm going in for a ct scan next on my lungs as they have been fried  and I'm short of breath. 

Latest result for Tg is 4.2 Vs the previous one from May of 4.9 (just double checked, statement above of 4 is wrong, thats me concentrating on the first digit :)  )

Onc said there was little to nothing showing on the scan from a low level I131 dose (100MBeq iirc vs the treatment doses Ive had of 1100 and 5500).

Would a Tg of 4.2 barely show on a gamma scan? Or is mine turning into a non-avid?

hi Guy,

I am 'non avid' and otherwise no expert... but your Tg is going down and that's what matters I think...

My Tg was about 150 before my second lot of RAI (5500dose). The Gamma scan showed all clear but my TG had trebled.

HOpe that reassures you for now... why not ask the oncologist that very question you put here?

Good luck.

HOw's the breathing /acid reflux issue? I am having an op soon to hopefully widen the airway so I can breathe easier called a cordotomy o the vocal cord...

Hi Guy

I hope yjoany's figures help put your 4.2 into perspective. At that level, I wouldn't expect anything to show up on a gamma scan. Have you ever seen one of those? It makes looking for a black can on a moonless night look easy.

Tg as low as yours is not going to make a significant 'glow'. Thinking to when my friend Karen started to have rising Tg - much higher than 4 - I think she had to have a PET scan for them to be able to find anything. A set of rising Thyroglobulin results will spot recurrence LONG before any of the scans or other tests can see anything. But yours isn't rising - so please relax on that.

As for going non-avid, you have absolutely no reason to think that. The Tg is so low that even if you zapped it with a really big dose, it's not going to make you light up like a christmas tree.

Zombie thread revival.

Latest Tg is "5" as left on my answerphone by my onc's secretary. Presumed that this is within statistical variation? The 4.9 and 5 results are from the same lab, on Exeter, the 4.2 was from Newcastle.

Anti Tg is 11

Can't remember the t4 or TSH.

Onc has upped my levothyroxine to 225mg. My heart palpitations have become enough that sleep eludes me. 2am to 4am was as good as I got. I asked my GP for some beta blockers and he prescribed me 40mg propranolol. Got to say that they are great, palpatations gone, and breathlessness gone too. Maybe my lungs arnt fried??

Hello Guy

Yep, Tg looks nice and steady and nothing to worry about.

It's a real shame you don't have the TSH and FT4 as we can't comment on the dose and palps without knowing more about those.

1. Latest Tg now 3. Heading the right way. TSH still 0.3 so levothyroxine upped to 250 per day. Normal starting baseline is 16mg per kg, I'm 100 odd kg so should be 150 175mg. 

Lungs all ok, it was the heart palpitations (lying awake at night listening to your heart pound like you have run a marathon). Pity, cos the lung doctor was quite pretty lol.

Neck falling apart, unrelated, and slipped discs are pushing my spinal column. Funnily enough this is how I found my original lump

Hi there!

Just a quick question - Does the consultant overseeing you know that you have been proscribed Propranolol by your GP? Propranolol has a direct interaction with Thyroxine, I would worry that by taking it you would inadvertently cause them to put your Levothyroxine dose up even higher. And 40mg daily is not an inconsequential dose, it could potentially lower the effectiveness of your Levothyroxine. 

Heart palpitations are awful and can really effect quality of life, I totally feel for you. I’m glad that the Propranolol has worked for you but it just seems rather counter-intuitive for a doctor to have you on both Levothyroxine and Propranolol at the same time, especially if they’re saying that your levels are not right at the moment.  

Sorry, this just raised alarm bells for me as I was proscribed Propranolol a long time ago for heart palpitations (long before my PTC diagnosis). I was on 10mg whenever needed. Once I began my treatment I was swiftly banned from taking this at all cost.

Taking Propranolol could allegedly do two things (there are arguments regarding which). It could give you a false test result - this  could in theory lead to your doctor over proscribing you with Thyroxine. Or it could actually lower your Thyroid function and your ability to make use of your Levothyroxine, again causing your doctor to proscribe you a higher dose. Either way, if either of those scenarios was true then both would potentially result in your Levothyroxine dose being increased. Edit: others say that Levothyroxine could make the Propranolol actually have more of an effect on you. It will be interesting to see what Geri can tell us about the interaction! 

Just before your dose was upped to 250mcg, were you taking Propranolol beforehand? I think there needs to be a discussion had with your consultant (not your GP). 

All the best.

Ali x

Just wondering if you could please advise on the best course of action for the above?

Thanks

Lass

I I ask my GP for some beta-blockers between the last test and this test so the results would concur with the statements above.

my TSH is still very slightly high which is why he preribes a higher dose of levothyroxine.

I will raise this with him asap

Guy