What testing are people having after thyroid cancer surgery?

Posted by koh @koh, Jan 3, 2023

What tests are people having and how often; to follow the Hurthle cell carcinoma and thyroid levels. My doctor is not doing what she had said I needed to have for follow up and I’m tired of constantly asking for tests because I don’t feel well.
What areas do we need to have with bloodwork? How often should I have blood work? Are there other scans that should be done? I have a pain in my neck and it feels like a swollen gland. Dr finally did ultrasound and Ct scan and then just said it’s fine ( lymph node was bigger but not big enough to worry?). Pain still there so I’m curious what tests and scans are used for follow up. Thanks!

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Thyroid Cancer Support Group.

Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jan 8, 2023

@koh, you've probably already seen this:
- Hurthle Cell Cancer Long-Term Follow-Up https://www.thyroidcancer.com/thyroid-cancer/hurthle/follow-up

I'm tagging @traceyjhp @cnicole @susanau @bfrank @connierogers @joe6767 @skipeak to bring them into this discussion to share their cancer follow-up schedules and testing.

It sounds like you are not confident in the current followup plan that you have with your oncologist. It also sounds like you have 2 separate issues going on 1) what is the normal followup regime and 2) what is causing this persistent pain? I would tackle the pain first. You want that investigated and your questions answered to ensure it is either a normal part of the healing process or needs further investigation.