# Ablation Dose



## randymorris

I finally got a large dose of NaI 131 today, they gave me 104.6 mCi of it, the smaller dose prior was as sussecpted, to search out what needed to be distroyed. Now to get through another 7 days of isolation (sigh)

The good news is they lifted the low iodine diet restriction, so I am happy for that.


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## Pebbles

What would happen if you took some iodine, are we allergic to iodine if we had RAI?


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## Andros

Pebbles said:


> What would happen if you took some iodine, are we allergic to iodine if we had RAI?


Most of us just seem to be allergic to iodine. I became aware of that for myself many years ago before I even had any obvious symptoms of thyroid disease.

How about you; are you allergic to iodine?


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## Octavia

Isn't that diet just the worst? Ugh! When I started mine, I thought "piece of cake!" (as in, easy!), but by Day 14, it was the most miserable, restrictive thing I'd ever done. I could hardly stand it anymore! Glad that's over...for you and for me!


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## Pebbles

Yes I'm allergic to iodine. Doc told me to stay away from any food that has it like fish. That's easy cause I hate fish! LOL


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## Andros

Pebbles said:


> Yes I'm allergic to iodine. Doc told me to stay away from any food that has it like fish. That's easy cause I hate fish! LOL


Stay the course, you don't want to land in the ER. It's no big deal, there are so many nice things we can eat and more healthily also, that I don't miss a thing.


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## Want2FeelGood

Octavia said:


> Isn't that diet just the worst? Ugh! When I started mine, I thought "piece of cake!" (as in, easy!), but by Day 14, it was the most miserable, restrictive thing I'd ever done. I could hardly stand it anymore! Glad that's over...for you and for me!


So the diet is worse that RAI side effects ?


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## Octavia

Want2FeelGood said:


> So the diet is worse than RAI side effects ?


Well, for me, yes... I had no side effects from the RAI, and I found the diet to be somewhat difficult to follow. I did it, but it wasn't easy. It took a lot more planning than I'm used to. And it seemed to cost a lot for me because I was making all kinds of shopping lists to make sure I had acceptable foods on hand at all times.


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## CLRRN

During my research in preparation for my upcoming RAI, I'm AMAZED at the disparity with instructions regarding diet and isolation time period.

My endo gave me a handout (from NIH) regarding LID and it reads all dairy is prohibited but yet says you can have butter on veggies. The instructions on thyrca.org says no butter. I will be using margarine-ewwww LOL

The instructions from my hospital says I have to be isolated for 48 hours after receiving RAI, my ENDO said 3 days and I've read other resources where isolation can be up to 7 days. Yikes.....I'm sure some of its related to the dose but still, how about some consistency here!! 

I'm so thankful for this board and all the support!!!!


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## Andros

randymorris said:


> I finally got a large dose of NaI 131 today, they gave me 104.6 mCi of it, the smaller dose prior was as sussecpted, to search out what needed to be distroyed. Now to get through another 7 days of isolation (sigh)
> 
> The good news is they lifted the low iodine diet restriction, so I am happy for that.


Well; thank goodness!!! I hope this does the trick for you! How do you feel? A little shaky?

What is the first thing you are going to eat? LOL!


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## Want2FeelGood

Octavia said:


> Well, for me, yes... I had no side effects from the RAI, and I found the diet to be somewhat difficult to follow. I did it, but it wasn't easy. It took a lot more planning than I'm used to. And it seemed to cost a lot for me because I was making all kinds of shopping lists to make sure I had acceptable foods on hand at all times.


Really. No side effects from RAI ? What does did you have ? My doc is proposing 175 (yikes !) because I am over 45, male, and had the cancer on both lobe sides of my thyroid, and there were some nearby nodes involved. Are side effects expected on 175 ?


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## Octavia

Want2FeelGood said:


> Really. No side effects from RAI ? What does did you have ? My doc is proposing 175 (yikes !) because I am over 45, male, and had the cancer on both lobe sides of my thyroid, and there were some nearby nodes involved. Are side effects expected on 175 ?


I had 100 to 105 millicuries (I was 41 and cancer had not spread). I would swear they told me (verbally) it was 105, but the card they handed me says 100...so somewhere in that range.

175 does seem like a lot...Sounds like your doc is wanting to be aggressive, which may be appropriate, since your cancer seems to be aggressive as well.

I would guess that the odds of side effects do increase with higher dosages, but that's just an assumption. Maybe scientific evidence exists with actual results one way or the other.


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## Want2FeelGood

Is 104 considered "large" ?


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## Octavia

Here are some guidelines I found, which indicate that you are in the ballpark.

http://www.nucmed.com/nucmed/protocols/Thyroid_Cancer_Treatment_Guideline.rtf

(It will open as a Word document.)

The gist of it:

Nuclear Medicine Clinic
University of California, Los Angeles
Guidelines for I-131 Therapy in Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

_The UCLA Nuclear Medicine Clinic performs the treatment of Thyroid Cancer with radio-active iodine (RAI) on a consultation basis. Physicians may refer patients to the Nuclear Medicine Clinic for treatment. 
Licensed physicians are authorized to use I-131 in the State of California. At UCLA Medical Center, only Nuclear Medicine specialists are authorized to treat patients with radionuclides.

The treatment strategy for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer is based on a Fixed Dose regimen, conform the guidelines of the Society of Nuclear Medicine (http://www.snm.org)

Dose of I-131 sodium iodide

Remnant ablation (post-op) 
Low Risk 50 mCi 
High Risk 100 mCi

Regional Lymph Node metastasis 150 mCi

Distant Metastasis 200 mCi

The above doses can be administered on an outpatient basis. Written radiation safety guidelines will be given to the patient.
RAI doses > 200 mCi require hospital admission._


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## Want2FeelGood

So 150 sounds appropriate.


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## CLRRN

Hey there...nothing like taking 3 weeks to reply...let's see, what am I going to eat??? I think it has to be some kind of seafood. Living near the Chesapeake Bay, we are surrounded by water, amazing restaurants and lots of seafood. I'm thinking cream of crab soup, stuffed shrimp. LOL Either that or a BIG FAT blue cheeseburger from RedRobin LOL

This LID combined w/going hypo really "tests" all aspects of your body. I've never felt so disconnected, it's weird. I'm glad I'm in the home stretch


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