Radiation safety precautions

[u24217]

96 yr old who's still going. A little slower but my daughter won't let me be sedentary. She's a real nag about, at minimum, 360 ounces of water, short walks (with walker) 2x day, and nutrition!! Was living on my own but live with her now, because she's the coordinator of all the appointments. Pluvitico is last available treatment option. Coming up on my 4th treatment and only side effects attributable to Pluvitico is fatigue. Have noticed increase in pelvic pain but not sure if that's related to suprapubic catheter or Pluvitico or progression of cancer.

We have more of an issue with the safety precautions. Her home is an old 1800's farmhouse that has septic tank (installed too close to the house (before modern day regulations). Therefore, we're struggling with precautions for radiation safety. I have my own room but have to walk through the house to get to the bathroom and cannot empty urine/stool into the system! In addition, my 40 yr old granddaughter is currently in treatment for breast cancer. Currently emptying urine/stool from commode into bags and storing outside for the 6 most time frame to be ok for disposal.

Does anyone have suggestions on alternatives?

My faith is my focus and I surrender to the will of God!

[Tall_Allen]

You mean 6 days?

[u24217 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Darn autocorrect! Meant to be 6 months. Told by Nuclear Med person that we need to keep in barrel for 6 months before we could throw in garbage.

[Tall_Allen in reply to u24217]

The half-life of 177Lu is 6 days, so its radioactivity is 99% gone in 42 days.

[u24217 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thank you!! I do remember some discussion about 6 weeks to be safe for general disposal. Your response is very helpful!

[Derf4223]

I'm a mere layperson but what type of radiation are you concerned about? Pluvicto? Jevtana? MRI/CT/PET tracer/enhancer? Anyhow, I guess you mean Pluvicto's 1/2 life of 6 days. If there is 3 feet of soil around the septic tank (including foundation thickness) you are good to go potty. Soil eats up radioactivity.

[u24217 in reply to Derf4223]

Yes, sorry I'm talking about Pluvitico. Unfortunately, when we asked the Nuclear Med person about waste disposal and the unique situation with the septic tank, he told my daughter that because it's not far enough from the house, we needed to store the urine/stool until it would be safe enough for disposal. We live in WI and not sure if that's a factor. We were also advised to wash clothing separately at the laundromat (due to grey water) for the same reason; to close to the house. Weren't given any advice specifically about the showering.

We thought about staying at hotel (city sewer) with accessible shower and no maid service for the initial 3 days. Again, not recommended because of potential exposure to "other people". So we are at a loss for alternatives. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

[j-o-h-n]

Note: Do what I do....... keep away from ugly women............

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Wednesday 06/14/2023 7:03 PM DST