Your visitors will be asked to leave. Then your nurse will give you your dose of radioactive iodine in your room. The amount you get will be based on the results of your blood tests and scans. You can drive yourself, have someone pick you up and take you home, or take a taxi or private car.
Some of the radioactive iodine will be taken up by your thyroid cells, but there will be some left over. Most of the extra radioactive iodine will leave your body through your urine pee , and smaller amounts will leave your body in your saliva spit , sweat, and bowel movements poop.
The radiation safety physicist will tell you when you can go back to work. Call Nuclear Medicine at if you have any questions about the scan or your follow-up appointment.
Access-A-Ride web. Air Charity Network www. American Thyroid Association www. The RLAC program is for patients and their families who have finished treatment. This program has many services, including support groups, seminars, workshops, counseling on life after treatment, and help with insurance and employment issues.
For more information, call If you have any questions about radiation safety, call Monday through Friday from am to pm. If you have an emergency after pm , during the weekend, or on holidays, call your endocrine doctor, or go to urgent care or the nearest emergency room. You may also call Nuclear Medicine at if you have any questions about appointment times or your treatment. Your feedback will help us improve the information we provide to patients and caregivers.
We read every comment, but we're not able to respond. If you have questions about your care, contact your healthcare provider. For more resources, visit www. Back to top About Radioactive Iodine Treatment Treatment with radioactive iodine lowers your risk of your thyroid cancer coming back. Back to top Before Your Radioactive Iodine Treatment Discuss your treatment plan Your doctor will discuss your treatment plan with you.
Your treatment plan will follow these steps that will take place over a few days: 1. Patients who need to travel immediately after radioactive iodine treatment are advised to carry a letter of explanation from their physician.
Radiation detection devices used at airports and federal buildings may be sensitive to the radiation levels present in patients up to three months following treatment with I Depending on the amount of radioactivity administered, your endocrinologist or radiation safety officer may recommend continued precautions for up to several weeks after treatment. Doctors do not use radioiodine therapy in pregnant patients.
Depending on the stage of pregnancy, I given to the mother may damage the baby's thyroid gland. If you are pregnant, discuss this issue with your doctor. When given to a nursing mother, radioactive iodine can reach a baby through her breast milk. Most physicians feel that this procedure should not be used in women who are breastfeeding unless they are willing to stop breastfeeding. Also, you should avoid getting pregnant for at least six to 12 months after treatment.
Hyperthyroidism treatment is almost always done on an outpatient basis because the dose required is relatively small. The radioiodine I is swallowed in a single capsule or liquid dose and is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream in the gastrointestinal GI tract.
Although the radioactivity remains in the thyroid for some time, it is greatly diminished within a few days. The effect of this treatment on the thyroid gland usually takes between one and three months to develop.
Maximum benefit occurs three to six months after treatment. Usually, a single dose is successful in treating hyperthyroidism. However, rarely, a second treatment is necessary. A third treatment is very rarely necessary. Patients may experience pain in the thyroid after therapy like a sore throat. Ask your doctor to recommend an over-the-counter pain reliever if this occurs.
It is highly likely that this procedure will destroy some or most of your thyroid gland. Since hormones produced by the thyroid are essential for metabolism, most patients will need to take thyroid pills for the rest of their life following the procedure. Thyroid pills are inexpensive, and patients will typically be prescribed one pill per day.
There are essentially no other permanent side effects from the procedure. The risk of cancer from this therapy is very small. Please type your comment or suggestion into the text box below. Note: we are unable to answer specific questions or offer individual medical advice or opinions. I diagnostic whole body images demonstrate no abnormal focus of activity to suggest metastasis. I post treatment whole body images demonstrate multiple abnormal foci of activities consistent with extensive cervical lymph nodes and pulmonary metastases.
These findings confirmed by subsequent CT images. Please contact your physician with specific medical questions or for a referral to a radiologist or other physician.
To locate a medical imaging or radiation oncology provider in your community, you can search the ACR-accredited facilities database. This website does not provide cost information.
The costs for specific medical imaging tests, treatments and procedures may vary by geographic region. Web page review process: This Web page is reviewed regularly by a physician with expertise in the medical area presented and is further reviewed by committees from the Radiological Society of North America RSNA and the American College of Radiology ACR , comprising physicians with expertise in several radiologic areas.
Outside links: For the convenience of our users, RadiologyInfo. For RAI therapy to be most effective, you must have a high level of thyroid-stimulating hormone TSH or thyrotropin in the blood. This hormone is what makes thyroid tissue and cancer cells take up radioactive iodine. Most doctors also recommend that you follow a low iodine diet for 1 or 2 weeks before treatment.
This means avoiding foods that contain iodized salt and red dye 3, as well as dairy products, eggs, seafood, and soy. Your body will give off radiation for some time after you get RAI therapy. Depending on the dose of radioiodine used and where you are being treated, you might need to be in the hospital for a few days after treatment, staying in a special isolation room to prevent others from being exposed to radiation.
Some people may not need to be hospitalized. Once you are allowed to go home after treatment, you will be given instructions on how to protect others from radiation exposure and how long you need to take these precautions. These instructions may vary slightly by treatment center.
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