amount of rai post total thyroidectomy/ 29.9 mCi

[Guest guest]

WHAT WAS THE AMOUNT OF RAI (mci)YOU HAD FOR YOUR FIRST TREATMENT

AFTER SURGERY?

~~m/r, 50 yof:

1996 dx: stage 2 pap/follic- 2 nodules less than 1 cm on

left lobe.

no mets. no lymph node involvement.

treatment: total thyroidectomy w/vocal chords & all 4

parathyroids left intact.

RAI 110 mCi

1997 clean scan

It is my understanding that course of treatment is not 'one

size fits all'. It sounds 'routine' - because the majority of cases

of thyroid cancer fall under the 'papillary- no spread ' variety and

the proven path of treatment is ninety- something percent

successful. Then there are the rest of us who will have some little

wrench thrown in- eg: age at dx or 2 different cancer cells present or

lymph node involvement or larger nodules, ( remember there are

different c. cells/types and several stages) etc etc

Having read about or heard of dozens of stories over the

course of my journey, from what the docs have said here and the

course my own doctors took- IMHO, if I were your wife, I would opt

for a TT.

...and to the person whose docs are considering the lowest dose of

RAI- I have no idea if this is going to be the best route for you or

not- I am only a happy survivor- but if they gave me a choice- I

would prefer an hour or day of nausea and some serious hard candy

sucking over a recurrence. More can 't hurt - really - & too little

can be risky. I believe the docs on this list have had more success

with initial aggressive treatment, which is probably why they do not

recommend the lower dose.

I have absolutely no studies to cite - this is ALL Anecdotal-

which holds no weight for the docs or in a court room- but it is my

perspective as a survivor and close observer. Buona fortuna a tutti.