Question 1

i have a thyroid disorder at 15 i was given radiation pill. now at 26 i have nogules and a lesion. would this cause my b12, d, & rbc to be low?

Accepted Answer

No: Vitamin deficiencies and low blood counts are not related to thyroid disease. Your nodules may be related to the thyroid diseases you had previously.

Question 2

how long should it take to regulate my thyroid after a thyroid eradication ? i took the radiation pill a year ago in december and my thyroid is still not regulated. i have blood work done every 6 weeks and my pills keep changing.

Accepted Answer

It : It usually takes 3-6 months to get the thyroid regulated after i-131, but it may take a year or more. Reasons for difficulty getting the thyroid regulated include 1) not taking the medication on an empty stomach 2) taking antacids or medicines like Zantac (ranitidine) or Prilosec which decrease absorption of the thyroid 3) taking calcium or iron at the same time you take the thyroid, 4) checking labs too frequently and 5) relying on inappropriate lab tests. If you have a TSH level in the normal range, and you are feeling well, then you are regulated.

Question 3

i had to take a radiation pill for thyroid cancer. i feel like my taste has changed? things don't taste the same! will my taste return to normal?

Accepted Answer

Possibly.: Often with cancer and its therapy things like taste change.  You have or have had something in your body that has or had a deep effect on it in thyroid cancer.  Your therapy is done to destroy the acncer cells wherever they are in your body.  So it may come back if the cancer is gone or be more persistent if you need ongoing therapy.  If this is so, see your doctor for a potential remedy for it.

Question 4

second bout of cancer. several years ago in gall bladder and now thyroid. it was removed and he's (58 years old) is now radiation pill. survival rate?

Accepted Answer

D/w your  oncologist: Survival for cancer will depend on diffferent things like the stage, type of cancer ( biology of cancer), your overall health condition, treatment received, response of treatment etc.Now, i doubt that the cancer in the gallbladder is directly connected to the thyroid- thus these are two separate occurences. Prognosis of follicular/papillary is good if surgically resected w/negative margin.D/w md.

Question 5

can i request to take out my thyroid after radiation made me worse?

Accepted Answer

Not enough: Information to recommend any course of action.  Discuss with physician performing or responsible for having "radiation" performed.  Btw assume radioactive ablation or thyroid?

Question 6

should  radiation be used on a thyroid if there has been no biopsy?

Accepted Answer

Yes in some cases: If you have graves' disease without any thyroid nodules, then a good treatment is radioactive iodine.  If you have a hot nodule that was confirmed on a thyroid uptake and scan, then you don't need a biopsy prior to ablation.  Otherwise, it's a case by case basis but there are cases (more common) where it is appropriate to ablate without a biopsy.

Question 7

can your thyroid return to normal after radiation treatment?

Accepted Answer

No: If it is radiation to the thyroid, it never becomes normal and need to have life long thyroid supplementation.

Question 8

will all thyroid tissues show on a radiation iodine scan, even if they aren't cancerous.?

Accepted Answer

Preferentially: A radio-iodine scan identifies any tissue that absorbs iodine and will preferentially "light up" any thyroid tissue. Metastatic thyroid cancer (outside the thyroid) will often take-up iodine, although to a lesser extent. Therefore, in order for a scan to effectively identify cancer 'elsewhere', all of the normal thyroid gland must be removed first.

Question 9

how safe is i 123 thyroid uptake and scan test as far as the amount of radiation you are getting during, after the test?

Accepted Answer

Very safe: The amount of radiation to your thyroid or body is extremely small with a test dose of i123 used for thyroid scans.  However, it is a useless test in the evaluation of a thyroid nodule unless your TSH level is below normal.  A thyroid nodule of 2.3 cm needs to be biopsied.  The thyroid scan is unlikely to change that recommendation.

Question 10

can you tell me why after radiation treatment for an over active thyroid the meds still don't work well and can't be regulated?

Accepted Answer

Not true.: Medications work very well for both overactive and underactive thyroid.  Problems with regulation are related to your dosing or to the adequacy of the ablation.  Those should be easy to figure out.

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Doctor answers about:

Radiation tablets for thyroid

A member asked:

I have a thyroid disorder at 15 i was given radiation pill. now at 26 i have nogules and a lesion. would this cause my b12, d, & rbc to be low?

A member asked:

How long should it take to regulate my thyroid after a thyroid eradication ? i took the radiation pill a year ago in december and my thyroid is still not regulated. i have blood work done every 6 weeks and my pills keep changing.

A member asked:

I had to take a radiation pill for thyroid cancer. i feel like my taste has changed? things don't taste the same! will my taste return to normal?

A member asked:

Second bout of cancer. several years ago in gall bladder and now thyroid. it was removed and he's (58 years old) is now radiation pill. survival rate?

A member asked:

Can i request to take out my thyroid after radiation made me worse?

A member asked:

Should radiation be used on a thyroid if there has been no biopsy?

A member asked:

Can your thyroid return to normal after radiation treatment?

A member asked:

Will all thyroid tissues show on a radiation iodine scan, even if they aren't cancerous.?

A member asked:

How safe is i 123 thyroid uptake and scan test as far as the amount of radiation you are getting during, after the test?

A member asked:

Can you tell me why after radiation treatment for an over active thyroid the meds still don't work well and can't be regulated?

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