6 month cancer check up

It's time. I (Kristin) start treatment for my six month papillary thyroid cancer check up tomorrow. I will be having a radioiodine scan on Monday, but before that happens, I have to have some specific treatments. I will have two shots (probably in the butt), then take a radioiodine pill, and stay in the hospital for a few days before the scan. Here is some information about what is going to happen to me.

(Note my excitement about getting two shots in the butt - seriously, this is really going to be a pain in my butt, ha, ha, ha!)

What happens at follow up appointments

After your treatment has finished, your doctor will want you to have regular check ups. These may include:
Being examined by your cancer specialist
Blood tests
X-rays

Scans

You will not have all these tests at every visit. But your doctor is likely to examine you at each appointment and take blood tests. Your doctor will also ask how you are feeling and whether you have had any symptoms or are worried about anything.

Scans are only usually done if you or your doctor have any worry that the cancer may have come back. But if you have had radioactive iodine treatment you may be asked to have a scan with radioactive iodine about 4 to 6 months after your treatment. This is to make sure that the treatment killed all the thyroid cancer cells.

A few days before the test you may have an injection of a hormone called recombinant human thyroid stimulation hormone. This helps the cancer cells take up the radioactive iodine. * (More info at the bottom)

Several different types of blood tests may be done. If you are taking thyroid hormones, your hormone levels will be tested to make sure they are right for you. If your parathyroid glands were removed or damaged during surgery, the calcium levels in your blood will also be checked.If you have papillary cancer, you can have a test for thyroglobulin. The levels of these substances may go up if the cancer comes back. The levels often go up before you have any symptoms so they are a sort of early warning system. Both these tests have to be sent to specialist labs and may take up to 4 weeks to come back. So you won't get the results for about a month after you've had the test.

At first, your check ups will be every 4 to 6 months. If all is well, they will gradually become less frequent, until they are only once a year. You will have check ups for at least 10 years, and often for life.

Many people find their check ups quite worrying. If you are feeling well and getting on with life, a hospital appointment can bring all the worry about your cancer back to you. You may find it helpful to tell someone close to you how you are feeling. If you are able to share your worries, they may not seem quite so bad. It is quite common nowadays for people to have counselling after cancer treatment.
From:
http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/default.asp?page=4232

More about the shots I will recieve this week:

Recombinant human thyroid stimulating hormone (rhTSH)
It may be possible to be treated with recombinant human TSH (or rhTSH) to overcome the problems of stopping your hormone replacement treatment. This man-made drug (also known as thyrotropin alfa or Thyrogen®) is similar to the TSH produced in your body. If you are given rhTSH you do not need to stop taking your thyroid hormone replacement tablets, and will not develop the symptoms of hypothyroidism.

The drug rhTSH is given as an injection, usually into the muscle in your buttock. (SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT)
You will be given two injections, 24 hours apart.
(One on Wednesday, One on Thursday this week)
You can be given the radioactive iodine the next day if you are having a scan.
(I will be admitted to the hospital on Friday)
The scan will then be done 48–72 hours later. The thyroglobulin blood test is done 72 hours after your second injection of rhTSH.
(This will happen Monday)

There are very few side effects to rhTSH. Some people feel sick (nausea); are sick (vomit); have headaches; or feel weak. rhTSH is not suitable for everyone, and your doctor can tell you if you are able to have this treatment.
From:
http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Thyroid/Aftertreatment/Followup