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DOs & DONTs before & after RAI

Had TT 3 months ago, i'll be on RAI next week. i just want to seek advice to those who had RAI. Can you please tell me what are the things i should do and not allowed to do. Help please! thank you!
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Avatar universal
The taste buds will come back.....mine did.
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Avatar universal
I finished my RAI treatment (dose 150) almost 3 weeks ago, about 3 weeks after I had my thyroid removed. I was allowed to go home but had to be quarenteened in my room for a week.
There was a rough 2-3 days, burning in my mouth and nausea. Try to eat and drink so that you can get this moving thru you as quickly as possible. I was told to keep sugar free gum in my mouth at all times and lemon drops. They wanted me to get up every 3 hrs to brush my teeth, tongue and mouth. Try to save your saliva glands. I can't taste salt or sweet anymore. The surgeon said it might or might not come back. My TSH levels were 150 so I was a walking zombie...but feeling much better now. Three days after I took my RAI I was able to start my synthroid back up.  Good Luck!
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Avatar universal
I'll enter the hospital monday @12 & give the pill @ 1pm, i'll be discharge thursday morning. my problem is... i have 2 children (15&10y/o) we have a very small flat. have only small living room & 1 bed room. we all stay in the bed room but separate beds. now, when i got home thursday, can we sleep all in the same room? can i share the bed with my hubby? thank to all!
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1157646 tn?1343967128
At the moment it's too soon to tell.  

Only had RAI 10 days ago and am still in the process of going hypo.  Doctor reckons I will start heading hypo sometime in the next 2 weeks or so.  Am on no replacement at the moment, but will need replacement as I go hypo.
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1139187 tn?1355706647
Do now you have no thyroid function and are on full replacement.?  How is that going?  I'm thinking of maybe doing the same if things don't change..
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1157646 tn?1343967128
Bruce, I had RAI as I have both hashi's and graves.  The graves antibodies were multiplying like crazy and causing me to go extremely hyper to the stage I was ending up in hospital on a very regular basis (sometimes 2 days a week, other times weekly) because I was so hyper.  

I saw a new endo (who was lovely) and he said I had 2 options; RAI or surgery.  No other option anymore.  I am allergic to antithyroid meds and they caused me to go into anaphalaxis.  Decided not to have surgery as it was too dangerous for my personal health situation.
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1139187 tn?1355706647
Nat,  why did you have the procedure?
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1157646 tn?1343967128
Deb has given a pretty good insight, I had RAI myself 10 days ago now.  The main things I would say is to drink LOTS of water the first few days.  The day I had RAI and the day after I was drinking 1 Litre every hour!  Also suck on plenty of sour lollies or eat slices of lemon to help your saliva glands keep working well.  

As for isolation, I had mine on a friday morning in hospital and I was in an isolation room until late afternoon Sunday when I was allowed home.  In saying this, my doc and nurses came and checked on me regularly.  As Deb said, the first day they wear lead aprons,  from day 2 they just wore 2 pairs of gloves.  

I was also allowed a visitor, she was allowed in the room for 45 mins and then she had to leave and had to stay more than an arms length away.  They had a seat for her near the doorway and I stayed on the bed.

If you can I reccommend making a trip to the nuclear department and talking to them, I saw them a week before and they went through everything with me.  It was good at putting my mind at ease a bit.
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1139187 tn?1355706647
Hey Deb,

Will she just have to drink a bunch of stuff?  how does this work?

bruce
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Avatar universal
Forgot to mention.,,,,,no contact with pregnant women for 2 weeks and overnight stay is usually 2-3 days depending on health issues.
So its advisable NOT to have the children at home for at least a week after RAI.
A trip to the Nuclear Dept. will clear all this up and they usually give you instructions on RAI.
It also puts yr mind at ease.
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Avatar universal
You will be isolated and you will see Doctors and Nurses...they just wear a lead apron.
As for kiddies....they say no contatct for a week, I made sure by making it 2 weeks.
Radiation is transferred via bodily fluids mostly so you will eat off disposable plates etc....flush regulary and wipe toile over everytime and drink more water than a goldfish could drink.
The more you flush, the less chance of saliva gland problems later on.
No sleeping with a partner for 3 days and if anyone is in the room, they must be arms length away and stay no longer than an hour in the room.

Most people think it is COMPLETE ISOLATION...its not.
Hospitals allow visitors too.

Graves/Hyerthyroidism Dx Mar. 2007
RAI/Thyca June 2008..TT Sept 2008
Pit. Gland Tumour Removed Mar 2009
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1139187 tn?1355706647
Sorry my ipod does not type very well.  My Doctor told me that you will basically be unable to sleep in the same bed with someone, and unable to be around the kids.  Ive taken testosterone before and had to limit my contact to the kids and my wife while on it because they may grow a beard LOL.

I think the RAI is a good idea after your surgery as I was told that sometimes they can leave a tiny little nodule that can wreak havoc on your body.  From what I understand (how it was explained to me) the thyroid is made up of tons of tiny little spore cells or nodules.  They try to do a radical surgery and get them all out, but they could leave one that could still shoot out "juice" to your system.  (one of my 10 endos uses the term "juice" instead of "thyroid" which I think is funny.  Little does she know I could have a PHD myself in endocrinology after all this crap).  

I have thought a couple of times about having RAI myself because it just seems like most folks on full thryoid replacement do much better than folks like me on smaller amounts.

There are some folks on here that have been through what you are going to go through.  I am told that 90% of the people that have it done do very well.  The other 10% end up on here searching for answers!

bruce
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Avatar universal
RAI is the follow up treatment for my thyroid cancer. I'll be confined in the hospital for 4 days, doctor told me that i will be isolated, even nurses & doctors are not allowed to see me. But i dont know if after the 4 days isolation if i can go back to my normal life? Hope others can help me. Thanks Brucergoldberg!
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1139187 tn?1355706647
Ny doctor said you cannot have contact with your little ones while on this radiation,  please post why you sre having this. Also do people with hashimotos ever do this to speed up the process?
Helpful - 0
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