I just had my first CT scan post-treatment (clear :)), and my blood work revealed my thyroids are hyperactive, resulting in my sudden weight loss and extreme insomnia. Ive seen a specialist, who said I either have Graves Disease or thyroiditis - I will be finding out which one soon. Either way, he says it is not related to my cancer/treatment, which I find hard to believe. I know hypothyroidism is a common long term side effect of radiation, but has anyone else experienced hyperthyroidism?

I was diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, but it was two years prior to my oral cancer diagnosis. I had a thyroid ablation with radioactive iodine in 2006, and then oral cancer in 2009, but my oncologist denies any link. I have always wondered.

Sharon

Emily

What are your actual TSH levels? It's very important to have the actual numbers from your blood work instead of just "normal range" or high or low. Otherwise you may be misdiagnosed by well meaning but out of date doctors. Look for any old medical records to see what your TSH level was before TX and radiation. That is the level you want.

I have only heard of radiation causing hypothroidism.
{to OCF posters:a test to measure the amount of TSH in your system will show lower than normal TSH when the thyroid is overactive. LOWER TSH = OVERACTIVE THYROID / HYPERTHYROIDISM. TSH that is higher than normal suggests a thyroid that is underactive and not doing its job of producing thyroid hormone. HIGHER TSH = UNDERACTIVE THYROID / HYPOTHYROIDISM.)

Remember that the so called normal reference range is approximately 0.5 to 5.0. So levels below 0.5 are considered possible evidence of hyperthyroidism, and levels above 5.0 would be considered possible evidence of hypothyroidism. BUT most endocrinologists believe that the range should be narrowed significantly, to 0.3 to 3.0.

Sorry to hear that you have this problem also
Charm