[Ski]

#1073694

It’s a bit art, a bit science ~ keep in mind that whatever dose they give him, only that 85% (or so) reflected in his uptake will stay in his thyroid. You might want to ask the dosing doctor how they come up with it ~ I believe it’s a function of the goal (total ablation vs. not), and the uptake percentage, and there may be other elements the doctor considers, but I don’t know what those are.

[amyl]

#1073695

Hi Ski,
I don’t understand what you mean about ~85% staying in his thyroid. Can you explain that please? The tech said they would probably need a lower dose since his uptake was so high. I didn’t really understand why that was. The goal is total ablation of the thyroid.

Thanks for your help!
Amy

[DianneW]

#1073696

Amy, Ski meant that since 85% of the RAI will be taken into the thyroid, that’s how much will stay in the thyroid to do the destruction of thyroid tissue. The part that isn’t taken into the thyroid will be eliminated, mostly in the urine.

A person who has an 85% uptake will need a lower dose for total ablation than a person with a 50% uptake, since more of the dose given is actually taken in and used to destroy the thyroid. Even so, every thyroid reacts differently to a given dose, and so there is not a good track record of predicting how much RAI it will take to have a given effect on a patient’s thyroid gland. Treatment failures do occur, and it’s also not uncommon for the dose given to be inadequate, resulting in slow control of hyperthyroidism followed by many months of slowly falling levels requiring constant adjustments of replacement hormone.

I know your son is hoping to control his hyperthyroidism quickly, and I suspect he would be disappointed to end up in the group of inadequately treated patients who had to wait many months/years to feel well again (as per my experience). This is the time to have a good talk with your endo and radiologist to make sure he’s receiving a dose that you can be certain will work quickly, so you’re not taking a gamble here. Ask how many milicuries he’s being given.

[amyl]

#1073697

Thanks Dianne,
I talked to the Tech about how much iodine they will be using tomorrow but he didn’t know. They will be doing another scan before giving my son the iodine. The results of the new scan will be used to determine the correct amount. I can ask how many milicuries they will be giving him but how will I know if it’s enough? Can you give me an idea of what an adequate amount would be?

Thanks!!
Amy

[DianneW]

#1073698

Amy, I"m sorry I can’t be of more help, but you will have to have that discussion with the people who are treating your son and ultimately trust their judgment. I can tell you that I had 10 milicuries and that for me it wasn’t enough. My uptake was 78%. As I mentioned though, the track record of predicting individual patient response isn’t really high. I’ll send you some reading material on that by email.

[amyl]

#1073699

Thanks Dianne,
That actually does help me. At least I know to expect an amount around 10 milicuries and not 100 milicuries. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that our doctors know what they’re doing. I’ve been asking everybody lots of questions which hopefully tells them that I’m watching them carefully ” title=”Smile” />

As always, thanks for your help!
Amy

[amyl]

#1019723

Well, we have begun the RAI process. My son had his uptake scan today and he was at 83.4% at 6 hrs. Tomorrow morning, he will have the RAI done. Can anybody tell me how they determine how much iodine to give him tomorrow?

Thanks!
Amy

[elf]

#1073700

I was given 10 mci, too, and it was enough for me. I stayed off med for 5 months after RAI (didn’t need anything, my tests were eurothyroid), and turned hypo in the 5th month. My uptake was around 60%.

[amyl]

#1073701

Today, my son’s uptake was 72.5% and they gave him 15 milicuries of RAI. Hopefully that will be enough to ablate his thyroid.
Amy ” title=”Smile” />

[DianneW]

#1073702

I’m glad they gave him that much. It shouldwork! Now, don’t forget to let us know how it’s going for him. I hope it works sooner, rather than later.

[amyl]

#1073703

Thanks Dianne! I hope it works sooner rather than later too. I’ll definitely keep in touch.
Take care!
Amy

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