RAI question

[Spinlover]

Hi All,

I am due to have total thyroidectomy ( completion surgery) surgery in the next few weeks, I also have to have RAI.

Quick question does RAI always require a hospital stay, I have been googling and still none the wiser, the surgeon told me RAI is required but did not elaborate, said the nuclear medicine consultant will give me all the details, unfortunately she id off for 2 weeks.

I just like to know - try and make plans

Many thanks in advance

[Poniesrfun]

In the US, it is rare for someone to be hospitalized for their isolation unless there is absolutely no home alternative (such as small children) - and even then it is usually denied. Moms end up going home and continuing to prepare meals, etc. unless they have someone else to care for their kids and pets.

The trend here is for the very minimum dose - and, unless there is reason to suspect higher risk, many simply opt out due to the potential side effects. The most common side effect is nausea when taking the "pill"; one can usually get a prescription for odansetron to take beforehand to prevent this. The salivary glands can be affected, causing dry mouth and tooth loss. At MDAnderson, part of thyroid cancer care is seeing the team's dentist for evaluation before RAI. This was more common in older, very high doses of I-131. You need to avoid getting pregnant for some time following RAI (not a concern at 65 🙃). You need to drink lots of fluids to help eliminate the RAI from your body (it doesn't "wash out" what works on thyroid cells). For a few days at home, need to use only non-chlorine bleach wipes and cleaners in the bathroom as chlorine bleach (like Clorox) can cause radioactive residue to aerosolize. In the same vein, keep the toilet lid down when flushing. Sheets and towels will be fine with multiple rinsing. You can protect your phone or computer with plastic wrap to protect the keys (won't always work with touch screens). Also on doorknobs

The radiation is contained in body fluids - sweat, urine, sputum, feces. The objective is to keep stuff off things you touch from sweat (thus the plastic wrap) or to dilute it with lots and lots of wter (multiple flushes, multiple rinses). Radion travels through interior walls so if you share your home or are in an apartment make sure no one sleeps on the other side of a wall within six feet of you. Radiation is distance and time - a quick hug won't hurt another adult but avoid kittens, children and pregnant people. If you stay six feet away, you don't have to stay behind a closed door. You can chat, have visitors, share meals as long as you do it at a distance of at least six feet.

You definitely want Thyrogen injections thyrogen.com/patients/ as going weeks without levothyroxine will leave you like a limp rag. Have your levothyroxine and calcium scripts filled beforehand so you're not caught without. Make certain the RAI is essential for you (the surgeon didn't say why?) and you don't have to do it immediately; you can take levo, wait a while and wee what your Thyroglobulin levels are at three and six months.

Patti in AZ

[Spinlover in reply to Poniesrfun]

Thank you Patti,

This forum is so helpful, in helping me formulate the right questions for the consultants. I definitely do not want anything I don’t need !

Many thanks ☺️