Got a call today from my medical oncologists' office to let me know that my TSH level is high and they want to start me on some drug for 4 weeks to see what that does. I have a CT scheduled for about 5 weeks from now so I am sure they will look at that as well in determining just what my thyroid is doing or not doing.

My web search has revealed that a person "could" develop thyroid cancer due to previous radiation therapy. The internet is a dangerous place sometimes, and given that I had radiation twice....it got me to wondering.

Anyone have any words of wisdom/experience in this area?

Thanks.

Donna

Many of us are on thyroid meds after radiation. Can happen anywhere between a few months to several years later. A high TSH does not necessarily indicate cancer. It just means the thyroid is no longer functioning properly. A simple tiny pill once a day usually fixes it but it takes time to get the dosage correct. If you have a baseline of what your TSH was before you had radiation, that would be good. That is the goal you want to get to. Check with your RO. They should have done that blood test before they started radiation.

Take care,
Eileen

Donna

As Eileen posted, high TSH levels probably do not mean thyroid cancer at all, but that you need thyroid medication - a pill.
I had to fight to get mine. C'mon you mean you missed my canned screed:
[quote]Radiation very often damages the thyroid and leaves the patient cold and weak yet because there is controversy over what is the right TSH level with labs having a 5.5, a 4.5 or the most advanced ones in tune with the 21st Century, 3.0 as the highest acceptable level, it is very very hard to get a doctor to prescribe thyroid medication without pre TX baseline. I am a personal example since before TX, I had a TSH of 1.6 and after TX it shot up to 4.3 but no doctor would help me these last two years until I discovered blood tests done by a cardiologist that I got the results from the day after finding out I had cancer so I had paid no attention to the 1.6 TSH. With that, I have finally been started on one little pill that my endocrinologist thinks will bring back both energy and warmth.[/quote]
Keep us posted on what develops
charm

Carol's RO didn't do the baseline TSH before radiation. The MO added it to the lab work prior to her first chemo, which was only 3 days after start of rad. Charm's canned screed had me insist Carol have her baseline done.

My situation is the opposite. I was diagnoised with hyperthyroidism in 2006, and was given radioactive iodine to "zap" my thyroid. (Of course after it was deemed under active then I had to start on the "little pill".) Then in 2009, I am diagnoised with oral cancer. I did not have any of the common risk factors, but have always wondered did this treatment lead to the oral cancer. I guess one will never know, but you can't help but wonder. I am interested if there are any others that had this chain of events.

Sharon