What is radioiodine?Radioiodine (sodium I-131) is a form of radiation therapy that has been used for many years to treat thyroid conditions. It is safe and effective but requires you to observe certain precautions to decrease the small amount of radiation that other people may receive from your body and bodily fluids. Show
How long does the radioiodine stay in your body?Radioiodine stays in your body for only a short time. Most of the radioiodine that does not go to thyroid tissue will be eliminated from your body during the first few days after treatment. Radioiodine leaves your body primarily through your urine, but very small amounts can be found in your saliva, sweat and bowel movements. Ask your doctor for more information. You also may get more information from the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging at www.snmmi.org. How can you reduce radiation exposure to others?Radiation exposure to other people can be reduced by keeping a reasonable distance between yourself and others and keeping the time you are close to others to a minimum. Your doctor should review the following instructions with you and answer all of your questions. It is important to let your doctor know if you will not be able to follow all of these instructions. These instructions apply if you are returning to your own home after treatment using private transportation. You should ask your doctor for additional instructions if you are planning to use public transportation or stay in a hotel or other non-private lodging. First 8 hours:
First two days:
First week:
Additional instructions for women who are breastfeedingYou must stop breastfeeding before you can be treated with radioiodine. If possible, you should stop breastfeeding for 6 weeks prior to treatment. You should not resume breastfeeding after treatment for your current child, but you may safely breastfeed babies you may have in the future. Failure to follow this guidance may result in permanent damage to the thyroid gland of the nursing infant or child. PregnancyRadioiodine treatment should not be given during pregnancy. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or could be pregnant. If you are planning to become pregnant, you should wait at least 6 months after treatment to ensure your thyroid hormone level is normal and that you do not need additional treatment. Consult your doctor. Other things you should know during the first week after treatment:Small amounts of radiation from your body may trigger radiation monitors at airports, border crossings, government buildings, hospitals, and waste disposal sites for up to 3 months after treatment. Ask your doctor for advice if you will be in these areas. Your doctor can provide you with a letter describing your medical treatment if you cannot avoid these areas. Discarded items that are heavily stained with urine, saliva, nasal secretions, sweat or blood may trigger alarms at waste disposal sites. Ask your doctor for advice on how to safely dispose of these items. This information may be used to meet the requirements of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for giving written instructions to patients following treatment with radioiodine.More specific instructions may be required in certain circumstances. Radioactive iodine treatment is a type of internal radiotherapy. It uses a radioactive form of iodine called iodine 131 (I-131). It is a useful treatment in thyroid cancer because the thyroid gland absorbs and stores most of the iodine in your body. The thyroid gland gets iodine from certain foods and uses this to make essential thyroid hormones. Radioactive iodine is a targeted treatment. The radioactive iodine circulates throughout your body in your bloodstream. But it is mainly taken up by thyroid cells, having little effect on other cells. Thyroid cancer cells in your body pick up the iodine. The radiation in the iodine then kills the cancer cells. It is only suitable for some types of thyroid cancer. It is a treatment for:
It can treat the cancer even if it has spread. But even if you have one of these types of thyroid cancer, this treatment may not be necessary or suitable for you. Not all of the cancer cells take up the iodine so you may have a test dose to see if they do. When do you have radioactive iodine?You might have radioactive iodine treatment:
You may only need to have this treatment once. But it can be repeated every 3 months if needed, until there is no sign of any thyroid cancer on your scans. Before your radioactive iodine treatmentFor your treatment to work, one of the hormone levels in your body needs to be high. This hormone is called thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH. A high level of TSH helps any thyroid cancer cells in the body to take up radioactive iodine. To increase the levels of TSH, your doctor will ask you to do one of the following:
Your healthcare team will explain what you need to do and what is going to happen. They will also let you know when to re-start your hormone tablets if they have asked you to stop taking them. Low iodine dietYou might need to have a low iodine diet for a few weeks before you have your treatment. This prepares the thyroid cells so that they can absorb the radioactive iodine. All food and drink contains some iodine. A low iodine diet means that you should avoid foods that have a high level of iodine in them. Foods you are allowed You can eat the following foods because they contain very low levels of iodine:
Restricted food You can eat a small amount of these food items as they have a moderate amount of iodine:
Food to avoid You shouldn't eat these foods as they have high levels of iodine:
You can return to your normal diet after you have had your treatment. Pregnancy and breastfeedingTell your doctor if you think you may be pregnant. You should not have this treatment during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor if you are breastfeeding. You will need to stop breastfeeding before you have treatment with radioactive iodine. What should I avoid before radioactive iodine treatment?Food to avoid. fish, seafood, seaweed, kelp and laverbread.. raw green vegetables such as spinach and broccoli.. cakes and biscuits made with eggs or butter.. milk chocolate and white chocolate.. take away foods, fast foods and restaurant food as their ingredients aren't known and might contain iodine.. Why do you have to isolate after radioactive iodine treatment?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.
What can you not do after radioactive iodine treatment?First two days:. Do not share cups, glasses, plates or eating utensils. Wash items promptly after using. ... . Do not share towels or washcloths.. Flush the toilet twice and rinse the sink and tub after use.. Wash your towels, bed linens, underwear, and any clothing stained with urine or sweat.. What is the most common complication of radioiodine therapy?Risks and side effects. Neck tenderness and swelling.. Nausea and vomiting.. Swelling and tenderness of the salivary glands.. Dry mouth.. Taste changes.. |