RAI Procedure

Hi, I have had a full thryoidectomy followed by RAI. I can’t say your experience will be the same as mine but it might help to hear what happened. So I’m only 24 and have multi focal papillary thyroid cancer. They decided to do RAI but because of my age etc and how much tissue was left I had the smallest dose which was 1.1 or something. I was an outpatient and was able to go home but you have to keep a 2 meter distance from anyone and don’t see children or people who might be pregnant. I took the capsule on the Thursday and then had scans on the Monday. Which took about 1hr 30 mins they do lots of different scans and some are full body and some are just head and neck. I get the results on the 10th July. I was told that you only have to stay in hospital if you have either of the two higher doses. But when you see the nurse they will explain everything and give you leaflets etc. I had mine done at Brighton and the nurse was great! I was told on the Monday that I could go back to normal but avoid children till the Wednesday so was only really a week of avoiding people. Hope this helps and would be happy to chat if you have anymore questions :)))

Like CL25 says in their reply, some of what happens with the RI treatment depends very much on the dosage of radiation you're given. This was decided by my Oncologist in collaboration with the Nuclear Medicine team at my hospital and I had one of the  higher doses of radiation available for my follicular cancer treatment. The impression I got when  I asked for information  on the decision making process  was that the type of cancer  and size of the tumour as well as an assessment of the probability of the cancer having spread and that it could return all play a part in the decision on how high the dosage will be so it can be rather complex. 

I spent two days and nights in the isolation room at my local hospital and the only people briefly allowed into the room in that time were the Nuclear Medicine team who  wore protective clothing when they came to measure my radiation levels with a geiger counter a few times a day. We had to stand 2 meters apart so they brought a measuring tape with them each time! Food was left outside my room for me and I had my own bathroom and TV. I took lots of novels and puzzle books with me that I then had to dispose of before I left as they would've been exposed to the radiation.

I had my scans done before I went home and was told to isolate from my family for a few days. I then went back to the hospital so that my radiation levels could be measured for the last time and was told that I was OK to go back to life as normal, so the process took 5 days for me in all.

I hope this helps and if you have any other questions please feel free to ask.

Yeah you are exactly right that as much as you read online etc everyone is different and they base it on each individual and their cancer etc. but good to hear two different peoples experiences! 

Thank you so much for your reply- it has been most helpful!!! Feeling a lot less stressed now I have a much clearer  picture of what potentially may be the same course of treatment for me, especially the fact that I might actually be able to go home and only have to avoid people for a week or so!!! Good luck with your results on the 10th July! 

Thank you for replying to my post, this has given me a great insight into how they assess what type of isolating you need to do and what the experience will be like as an in-patient. Wishing you all the best on your journey. 

You're very welcome, this forum is so helpful for sharing knowledge and experience and demystifying what can  feel like a daunting process.

Feel free to ask any other questions you think of and I hope it all goes well for you when you have the RI.