radioactive iodine treatment--how soon could u eat anything but liquids afterwards

grateful1
grateful1 Member Posts: 80 Member
edited March 2014 in Thyroid Cancer #1
I had iodine treatment two days ago and they gave me a sheet saying I could eat a regular meal two p.m. today. I can barely swallow liquids. What was your experience? Is something wrong with me thanks and good luck. Incidentally my tumor was inoperable==so they tried to shrink the whole thing but couldn't so my last option now is external radiation I guess

Comments

  • alapah
    alapah Member Posts: 287
    #2
    Hi grateful
    I don't recall having any difficulty eating or swallowing after. What dose were you given? Is it your throat that's the problem or could it be that your salivary glands are not working well. Amazing how important saliva is to eating and digestion. I'd recommend calling the nurse or doc tomorrow to see if there might be something they can do to help you. Sorry to hear you're likely going to EBR but feel free to ask questions - i had 30 treatments to my neck last fall. I'd be glad to help you through it.
  • grateful1
    grateful1 Member Posts: 80 Member
    #3
    alapah said:

    Hi grateful
    I don't recall having any difficulty eating or swallowing after. What dose were you given? Is it your throat that's the problem or could it be that your salivary glands are not working well. Amazing how important saliva is to eating and digestion. I'd recommend calling the nurse or doc tomorrow to see if there might be something they can do to help you. Sorry to hear you're likely going to EBR but feel free to ask questions - i had 30 treatments to my neck last fall. I'd be glad to help you through it.

    eating-swallowingafter rai --thanks to alapah
    thanks so much. I am going to call thev dr today. I had the iodine tues. It is friday and i still can not get down anything but liquid--thin ones. I think it may be connected to the fact to a teaching hospital. one doctor wanted to test if the iodine could remove--that is shrink a thyroid and two large tumors, etc. he kept using the word will cure me. doctors never use that word--i should have been leery then--this was just test of a new machine they got--and they get very few cases where nothing has been removived. i guess i had a huge dose.What is ERB. thank you for your help.what do u mean u had 3o treatments. do u mind sharing your experience. thanks
  • alapah
    alapah Member Posts: 287
    #4
    grateful1 said:

    eating-swallowingafter rai --thanks to alapah
    thanks so much. I am going to call thev dr today. I had the iodine tues. It is friday and i still can not get down anything but liquid--thin ones. I think it may be connected to the fact to a teaching hospital. one doctor wanted to test if the iodine could remove--that is shrink a thyroid and two large tumors, etc. he kept using the word will cure me. doctors never use that word--i should have been leery then--this was just test of a new machine they got--and they get very few cases where nothing has been removived. i guess i had a huge dose.What is ERB. thank you for your help.what do u mean u had 3o treatments. do u mind sharing your experience. thanks

    EBR=external beam radiation
    When the surgeon did my thyroidectomy, he found that the tumor had been partly stuck to my trachea so he scraped what he could. I was told by five different radiation oncologists that it would be important for me to go through six weeks of external beam radiation treatments targeting my trachea but also surrounding neck tissue to help ensure that no new tumors would grow on my trachea. The radiation doses only took a few minutes but were administered every M-F for six weeks. My esophagus got a tad fried which made swallowing and eating many things difficult by the midpoint in the process but I was able to eat enough, thankfully. The skin on my neck was red too, like a bad sunburn, but that improved with time once the six weeks of treatments was over. It's not very common for thyroid cancer patients to require external beam radiation but I have run across a few on message boards. The experience is also similar to what some folks go through who have types of neck cancers.
  • grateful1
    grateful1 Member Posts: 80 Member
    #5
    alapah said:

    Hi grateful
    I don't recall having any difficulty eating or swallowing after. What dose were you given? Is it your throat that's the problem or could it be that your salivary glands are not working well. Amazing how important saliva is to eating and digestion. I'd recommend calling the nurse or doc tomorrow to see if there might be something they can do to help you. Sorry to hear you're likely going to EBR but feel free to ask questions - i had 30 treatments to my neck last fall. I'd be glad to help you through it.

    alapam ABR
    what is EBR-THANKS FOR YOUR ADVICE
  • grateful1
    grateful1 Member Posts: 80 Member
    #6
    grateful1 said:

    alapam ABR
    what is EBR-THANKS FOR YOUR ADVICE

    RADIATIONALAPAM FOR THYROID
    EXTERNAL RADIATION IS MT LAST HOPE. SURGERY FAILED. THE TUMOR WAS IN OPERABLE. IODINE COULDNT SHRINK IT. SO NOW THERE IS RADIATION. MY ESOPHAGITIS IS SHOT THO. THANK YOU GOOF LUCK

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