I-131 Body Scan and Bone Scan

On Monday, August 9th I went in for my I – 131 body scan. This scan takes about 30 minutes for the full body and then 20 minutes for 2 pictures of the head. I needed to lie very still as an electronic track moved my body below a camera that picked up the radioactive iodine in the body. This camera tells the doctors where the isotope is in my body so they know where the cancer is. I was very nervous for this test to say the least. After I got the full body scan and face pictures, I was then taken to another room where they used a camera that looked like a funnel to take more pictures of my chin and neck. These pictures took another 30 minutes. Again, I was still and tried not to swallow much. When I thought all was well and good and could go home, I was told the radiologist needed more pictures of me. This time of my pelvis. My heart dropped. I knew this could NOT be good. If I have thyroid cancer, unless it had spread, they should not need MORE pictures of my pelvis. They took 2 pictures of my pelvis from both angles and then I went home and waited for the results. My endocrinologist called with the news. They found a spot on my pelvis. I needed to go in on Tuesday, August 10th for a bone scan to determine whether this cancer had spread to my bones. My thyroid surgeon then called and explained to me that my results were “highly unusual” because other than the cancer in my throat region (which is obviously expected), the only other spot was in the pelvic region. Without the bone scan, they could not pin point where exactly this cancer had spread to, but my I-131 scan was showing a spot on the pelvis. This news was devastating to say the least. This means a very distant spread to the pelvic bones was a possibility and this translates to possible stage 4 cancer. My world tipped upside down. I mentally prepared to hear the news on Tuesday. When I went in for my bone scan, I took the isotope (intravenously) that highlights my bones for the camera. This shows the doctor where in the bones the cancer has spread to. I went through the same full body scanning machine as the day before. This time, the camera looked at my bones and not the radioactive iodine. They took pictures of my head and my full body. Again, I remained still for 40 minutes while the track pulled my body through the camera. The technician then told me she was going to change the setting on the camera and was going to take more pictures of my pelvic region using the I-131 scanning camera. Once this was completed, the technician came back in and told me the radiologist who saw the spot in the pictures the day before, no longer saw the spot!!! He was going to write an entire addendum to my original report and explain it was some other type of contamination on my clothing, or a button on my jeans, or SOMETHING that was not there anymore. I found Justin pacing in the waiting room and broke the news. When we were standing outside the Evanston Hospital we jumped up and down hugging each other and I thanked God over and over again. Later in the day, my endocrinologist called to confirm the results. Never in my life have I felt such tremendous relief.