Sleep alone for 7 days unless otherwise instructed by your doctor. Avoid kissing and physical contact with others, and maintain a distance of at least 3 feet from women who are pregnant and children under 18 years old.
For the first 8 hours after RAI treatment, people must remain at least 3 feet from other people. For the first 7 days after treatment, people will need to: sleep alone. avoid any physical contact with other people.
Avoid kissing or sexual intercourse for three to four days after treatment. Do not sleep together for an entire night until a week after treatment. Avoid prolonged physical contact, particularly with children and pregnant women; limit to 15 minutes.
You are also required to self isolate for 7 days after your radioiodine treatment in order to minimise the risk of contracting COVID-19 whilst there is still a large amount of radioactivity in your body. A small proportion of people with COVID-19 may become very unwell and require admission to hospital.
The radiation will pass out of your body through your urine within days. Until that time, you will give off radiation in your sweat, your saliva, your urine, and anything else that comes out of your body. It is important to avoid exposing other people to the radioactivity from your body.
Sleep alone for 7 days unless otherwise instructed by your doctor. Avoid kissing and physical contact with others, and maintain a distance of at least 3 feet from women who are pregnant and children under 18 years old.
Some patients worry that undergoing radiation therapy can be harmful to others because they are radioactive. For example, patients sometimes think they can't cuddle with their partner or hold a grandchild on their lap until after treatment. However, most patients don't need to worry about being radioactive.
If too much radioactive iodine enters your body, the radioactive iodine will destroy your thyroid gland so that the gland will stop making hormones. Too much radioactive iodine in your body can also cause thyroid nodules or cancer.
You will have to stay in your room for at least 1 to 2 hours after your treatment. You can use your cell phone or watch TV to help pass the time. You won't be able to have visitors during this time. You may not have any side effects from the treatment right after you get it, but you may have side effects later.
A swollen or tender neck and feeling flushed
Some people may have a feeling of tightness or swelling in their neck for a few days after treatment. This is more common if you still had a large part of your thyroid gland when you have radioactive iodine treatment.
In effect, men were 1.7 times more likely and women 1.3 times more likely to gain enough weight to be considered in the obese body mass index (BMI) range. When compared with drugs alone, treatment that included RAI was linked with an additional gain of about 1.3 pounds.
Considerations. The radioactive iodine leaves your body through your urine. You should not need to take special precautions, such as flushing twice after urinating, for 24 to 48 hours after the test. Ask your provider or the radiology/nuclear medicine team performing the scan about taking precautions.
You can still use tap water for decontamination.
Any radioactive material that gets into surface water or ground water sources will be diluted to very low levels by the water and will be safe to use for washing skin, hair, and clothing.
Protecting others from the radiation
Being in a room on your own (isolation) protects other people from radiation. Pregnant women and children are not allowed into your room. Other visitors may be able to stay for a short time when it is safe for them to do so.
So the general rule of thumb is that after three months, all of the radioactivity is gone. Please let me know if you have any questions or need clarification.
Some people with cancer who receive radiation therapy worry that their bodies will become “radioactive” after they receive radiation treatment. Their concern is that close physical contact with others could expose them to radiation. “The general answer to this concern is that physical contact is fine,” Snyder says.
However, the amount of radioactivity is minute, so special precautions may or may not be advised for 24 to 48 hours (often this simply includes flushing twice after urinating). Consult the health care provider or the radiology/nuclear medicine department performing the scan.
The radiation stays in the body for anywhere from a few minutes to a few days. Most people receive internal radiation therapy for just a few minutes. Sometimes, internal radiation therapy can be given for more time. If so, they stay in a private room to limit other people's exposure to radiation.
Any radiation therapy that is transient, including external beam radiation or brachytherapy that is removed, poses no risk to family members.
External-beam radiation therapy to the pelvis (such as to the anus, bladder, penis, or prostate) and brachytherapy (also called internal radiation therapy) can affect a man's sexual function. If blood vessels or nerves are damaged, it may be difficult to get or keep an erection; this is called erectile dysfunction.
•
A common side effect of radiation treatment is not producing enough saliva. This may cause dry mouth and bad breath, which affects kissing and oral sex.
Food to avoid
You shouldn't eat these foods as they have high levels of iodine: fish, seafood, seaweed, kelp and laverbread. raw green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli. cakes and biscuits made with eggs or butter.
Some precautions may include: Remaining in the hospital for some time after the implant is placed. Limiting the number of visitors during treatment and possibly the amount of time you spend with them. Limiting your time spent with children and pregnant women.
For 24 hours after your dose: – Drink at least 1 glass (8 ounces) of clear fluids such as water or juice every hour. Keep drinking plenty of clear fluids such as water or juice for at least the first 3 days.