is RAI dangerous to others if the have no thyroid

[jax190]

hi silly question i know but i was just wondering  when someone has RAI to kill off the thyroid why do they have to be isolated is it because the radiation they emit can kill off other peoples thyroid. my sister had RAI today and i wondered as i have a TT can i go near her as i have no thyroid. i know this sounds silly but it seems that by having this treatment it will only damage her thyroid and nothing else so wondered if it was the same for others.

[Slee69]

It depends on what kind of problems you're havng with your thyroid. IF it absolutely refuses to work correctly you're apparently better off "killing off" what doesn't work and substituting with the correct amount of meds so your body can function in a healthy manner. IF, on the other hand, you have had a brush with thyroid cancer, like me, then you want to get rid of it with the objective of getting rid of the cancer too! BTW, I've read that IF one must have cancer that Thyroid Cancer is the best kind to have because it is the most treatable. Which, BTW, my own surgeon also says.

[strawberryseed]

Hi all,

I am having problems understanding the RAI thing. If our own thyroids drew iodine from our blood to feed all of our cells, to make certain they are operating properly, they why would doctors want us to do RAI. Arn't they killing off the very thing that kept our bodies in good health. Could it be the lack of iodine that got us into this mess in the first place? I am really just trying to understand. HELP!!!

[Slee69]

Thanks for asking this Q. I wondered what harm might come from others if they're around me during my RAI isolation week. Apparently it is that the radiation would harm the other person's thyroid. Actually I'd already guessed this, but wondered if any other harm might also happen.

Slee

[utahmomma]

Funny you should ask.  I asked my endo and nuclear medicine department the same thing since all of my sisters, my daughter, and I have had our thyroids removed and I was told that we are fine to be around someone who has had RAI.  We are kind of the "support group" for each other during treatment since we can enter the "danger zone".  :-)  

[jax190]

hi just thought id mention my sister spoke to her doctor and apparently i am fine around her as i no thyroid i wont be affected by it.

[AR-10]

This is my opinion only. It has no factual basis, and if you try to sue me, I'm broke.  :-)

Short term exposure will not harm you, unless you are pregnant. If you touch her, or things she has touched, you should wash your hands well afterward. If you visit her for 15-20 minutes here and there, it shouldn't cause any harm as long as you are not dragging her radioactive sweat around the house.

If you sleep with her for the next week, you may regret it.

Just my opinion. Better get another one as well.