What happens now? I-131 and small kids? How is this going to work?

mirandasparks
mirandasparks Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Thyroid Cancer #1
Hi everyone! My name is Miranda. I just had a TT on Nov. 1, 2010. I am having some trouble with breathing, ended up in the local E.R. due to this and on 2 inhalers now. I am coughing up lovely phlegm and it seems skin maybe. It is rather nasty but also alarming. I am concerned because it was a freak thing found at my yearly visit with my doctor. What started out as me gaining weight from the previous years drama. (ie- shattered ankle with 18 screws and 2 plates to fix, husband having kidney cancer, both kids sick with asthma issues a lot) I told him do not fuss at me too much because I know I have not been doing what I need to be doing. He looked at me and said Miranda, your throat is swollen. So he ordered an ultrasound of my throat and there it showed up dark spots. I then went to an ENT who put me on synthroid to suppress the growth. I did not like his answers so I made another apt to see a specialists. All my thyroid levels were WNL this whole time so I am sure they were thinking that it is nothing. Well this nothing turned out to be a whole lot of something, thyroid cancer. I was shocked to say the least because I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 1/2 year old who have already had to endure so much with my husbands kidney cancer and my broken leg and now this. This is just really getting to be too much. The Endo finally gets in to see me and he runs his battery of tests and they are all normal. I am telling ya, I have been more "normal" during this whole thing than all my life! They do 9 needle biopsies and they all come back positive for cancer but what kind is unsure. Scheduled with a new ENT who does a TT on Nov 1 and when I got my pathology report back, the lymph nodes that they took out, all 4 of them were positive for the papillary carcenoma. I go back to see my dr on Dec 6 and set up the I-131 treatments. How long do they last and how long can I not see my kids? How long til I will feel like myself again. Everyone keeps telling me that I will start getting cold, well, rest assured that I have not started yet. I ma so ready to be cool for a while. Just wondering what the standards were for this. This is a very scary feeling. As I told my doctors, husband and pretty much anyone who will listen, I never had a clue. I was never tired other than just what I thought was normal small kid and working full time exhaustion. Thanks for taking the time to read this and any help would be greatly appreciated!

Comments

  • nasher
    nasher Member Posts: 505 Member
    #2
    i recomend going to
    i recomend going to thyca.org they have alot of information for you and your faimly..

    here is one of the answers from the thyca site.

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    http://www.thyca.org/rai.htm#after
    ---
    What do I do at home?
    If you go home immediately after a treatment dose, use the following guidelines regarding distance, time, and hygiene.

    Minimize contact (less than 3 feet or 0.6 meter for more than 1 hour each day) with everyone for the first five days, and with small children or pregnant women for eight days.
    Do not sit next to someone in an automobile for more than one hour.
    Sleep in a separate room and use separate bath linen and launder these and underclothing separately for one week.
    Wash your hands with soap and plenty of water every time you use the toilet.
    Rinse the sink and tub thoroughly after using them.
    Use separate eating utensils or disposable eating utensils. Wash eating utensils separately for one week. Do not prepare food for others.
    Flush toilet 2-3 times after use for two weeks after discharge.
    Males should sit when urinating to avoid splashing for one week.
    Discuss with your doctor how long you should wait before starting a pregnancy after your treatment (usually at least two months for males and six months for females).
    If you are breastfeeding, it should be discontinued, but can be resumed for subsequent childbirths.
    ---

    as far as being normal.. after about 3 weeks i was mostly normal just low on energy... I posted my story on this site as well
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    http://csn.cancer.org/node/204377

    My experiance with thyroid cancer nov 2009-oct 2010 (LONG)
    ---
    it took me about 6 months after before i started feeling cold more often than i used to.. dosnt mean i feel COLD but just more sensitive to it.

    please keep us up to date on everything. and please ask as many questions as you can think of we will be glad to answer on what how when and more...

    yes it is an extreamly scary thing and it still scares me now and then waiting to hear from the doctors on how i am still doing and an offical am i cancer free status.

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