Hello again,

Does RAI treatment require you to stay home for 1 week, prior to returning to work, due to the radioactive state??
I read this somewhere online.

Oh my god, this is going to be a problem.
I have a new job offer as of oct 15th.
I still haven't submitted my resignation in my current job.

If I have to be off from work for 1 week, my new job offer may not work out.

This is quite stressful for me, since the new job offer is actually at my old job, where I was a replacement staff. I had an excellent relation with them, they asked me to come back when a new position opened up, with a much higher salary than my current job.

Please advise, if you know anything about this.

Shakira

I had RAI on a Friday afternoon, and was given the OK to go back to work Monday morning, but to sit out of the morning staff meeting (we sat around a crowded conference table). By Tuesday, I was fine to resume normal activities. My dog came home from the sitter Monday night and we quickly resumed snuggling. That was a year-and-a-half ago, and he is fit as a fiddle.

I don't know of anyone who was told to avoid their job for more than the usual 72 hours.

Hello – Following are some very general guidelines from the American Thyroid Association regarding safety precautions following RAI. Your doctor or nuclear medicine specialist will need to give you more specific guidelines, as they can vary from state to state, but this should give you a ballpark idea.

You will want to look at the tables labeled “hyperthyroidism” and not the ones labeled “carcinoma”, as patients with thyroid cancer receive a significantly larger dose.

(Note on links: if you click directly on the following link, you will need to use your browser's “back” button to return to the boards after viewing, or you will have to log back in to the forum. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).

http://thyroidguidelines.net/sites/thyroidguidelines.net/files/file/thy.2010.0403.pdf [thyroidguidelines.net]

Hope this helps!

Hi Shakira -
I had treatment on Thursday @ 10:30am. I took the Friday off and was back to work on Monday. Thursday and Friday I stayed in my room mostly (with the occasional visit to the bathroom ) . By Sunday, I was sitting in the living room with my family. When I went back to work on Monday, I think I was more weirded out then I should have been; I stayed alone and avoided other coworker's for a bit.

I think taking time off also helped me regroup and figure out how I was going to tell other people about my journey and treatment.

Thank you, everyone, for sharing me your RAI experience.

My endo told me he'd like to start with ATD first, so I'm on 5mg Tapazole since last Thursday.
If this doesn't work out successfully, then he said he'd send me to get the RAI treatment.

I was concerned about all the treatment options and its consequences / side-effects, mainly because I'm starting a new job in 2 weeks. Since the job itself is a great opportunity for me, I really didn't want anything to be an obstacle, like my Graves disease treatment.

So far so good. Given it's only 5 mg, I have no side-effects, and no more palpitation. I'm also taking some natural herbal medicine simultaneously; buggleweed and some other plants that are proven to be helpful for hyperthyroid.

I'll see how my next blood test, in 5 weeks turns out.

Shakira7

Hi Shakira,
Congratulations on your new permanent job! That is really great. I hope the responses you received from Amy, Kimberly and gatorgirly, are reassuring and helpful to you!
Shirley

Thank you, snelsen! Yes, I'm looking forward to my new job, as I've already worked with them before.