Thyrogen Injection ??

I had TT on 5/13/2008 for a 1.5cm papillary, biopsy of thyroid post-surgery showed vascular involvement and cancer cells outside the capsule, whatever that means.  RAI scheduled for 7/23/2008. 

My doctor says she only does the thyrogen shot (expensive shots priced at $2000 but my insurance pays 70% of it). 

Has anyone researched or been advised the risk/benefit of using the thyrogen shot over the old fashioned way of going hypo from stopping hormone replacement for 6 weeks prior to RAI treatment ??  If going hypo for a full month is going to be more effective at getting ALL the thyroid cancer cells out of my body, I'd rather endure the discomfort of being hypo for awhile.  My endocrinologist advises to do the shots and not go hypo. 

The benefit of thyrogen injections is you are "hypo" for a much shorter time period, if at all because you stop the hormone replacement pill 4 days before the RAI......BUT... if I am going to put myself through radioactive treatment, I want to get the very most I can out of it !!  Anyone else dealt with this issue?

I had the Thyrogen injections and am glad I did....

I didn't have any side effects and you get to stay on your medication....

I used thyrogen for the RAI last April, 2007.  My one year body scan was in May, 2008, and once again we used the thyrogen for the tracer dose.  My oncologist (who is a thyroid cancer specialist), declared me cancer-free!  Of course, we still will do all the check-ups.  The doctor at the nuclear medicine department at the hospital where I had all of this done told me there is NO higher incidence of the cancer coming back with using thyrogen than going hypo.  Why go through that misery if you don't have to????

My insurance only had me pay a co-pay of $25 since they look at it as being a prescription.  Ask your insurance company about that.  And good luck!

 Chris

It was never really a question with me.  I did alot of research, called numerous leading cancer centers and found them to all be in agreement.  There is no longer a need to go through hypo hell unless your cancer has metastasized outside they neck and thyroid area.  Read back in some of the older posts, February forward, and you will find a lot of imput and details on the subject. 

The thyrogen shots were easy.  I had zero side effects.  Some, but very few, people have some slight effects.  You will probably still have to do the LID; doctors using thyrogen don't agree on that subject yet.

Good luck!