Guest guest Posted June 1, 2003 Report Share Posted June 1, 2003 > > > I have been unable to find the side affects of RAI. In some recent > posts you have talked about the tongue hurting...what's that about? > And what else can I expect? Nausea? Fatigue? And how long? I have no > idea! And I didn't even think about RAI having side effects until > today! I have been dealing with one big event at a time, so it's time > to deal with this one. Hi, ! Here's a link to the official list archive on RAI ;-), which includes side effects. Look about the middle of the page for post RAI info. It also links you to info on precautions you'll need to take afterward: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/33681 There are a number of POSSIBLE side effects from RAI - like most things with thyca, it's a YMMV situation, so don't let what you read scare you. Some of the potential side effects are really more from being hypo (which you are for a longer time AFTER the RAI, of course). Most of the time, these side effects are temporary, though some of us do have some lingering challenges. I am not happy about several that I still have, but I'd still choose to do the RAI again in a heartbeat - my nuc med doc told me it reduces the chance of recurrence by a factor of 3! Post RAI is usually where you will probably feel the most fatigue, but that's from being hypo. As you get on meds, this will decrease. You may want to ask your doc about putting you on Cytomel for a few weeks in addition to your T4 to help with this. Some don't have nausea (I didn't), but some do (oh, ....are you there?). A few things that can help: - Taking the T4 on an empty stomach (check with your hospital - I was told not to eat or drink for 4 hours prior to getting it) - Ask the doc to put some anti-nausea meds on your chart so they are available IF you need them. - Don't force fluids. It's a good idea, according to the experts here (my doc gave me the same advice) to drink a bit more than normal, but not to overdo this. - Have something with you that could offset it - peppermint tea, ginger candy, gingerale (ginger in any form), coke..all are good at helping with this. A common side effect is that food tastes salty or metallic for a few days or a week after the RAI (not very fair, since by then you're ready to go off the LID (I like your " I " diet :-)) with a vengence. Another is salivary gland trouble. Something that helps this is to suck sour candies (sugarfree will make your dentist happier) or something else that gets your saliva flowing (spicy things, ginger, etc) for a few days post RAI. Cheers, Alisa Currently - TSH 0.09, 140mcg Levoxyl 2/15/2002: Nodule found 2/27/2002: FNA 3/4/2002: Hysterectomy/oopherectomy-possible ovarian cancer - BENIGN!! 4/9/2002: TT - Stage 2 pap 2.5 x 2 x 1.6 cm nodule, dx Hashimotos 5/28/2002: 100 mCi RAI 12/16/02: WBS (5 mCi): clean scan - no thyroid tissue in body!!! Age: 49 -- Location: near Seattle WA --- Check out my posts: Radioactive Girl - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/19472 My LID - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/15872 My RAI - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/15873 LID stuff - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Thyca/message/25430 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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