RAI Treatment...One more day ONE More Day... Day 3

You know that feeling when you are sick and have been stuck in the "house" and need to get out?! Now imagine being stuck in a ROOM! Yeah not so much fun BUT it's just ONE more day and I get to feel somewhat normal again. 

I have been doing FaceTime with my girls and although I have a screen protector on my iPad I still wrapped it in another plastic. From using it the plastic had shifted so this am they couldn't see me well so I liked like a crazy lady peeling away the plastic as we tried to see one another. My four year old expressions was priceless. I enjoyed the laugh. 

The highlight of this experience that helped me last night besides eating another burger for dinner was that my bestest friend,for 27 yrs, got engaged last night! She lives in Florida so I couldn't be there to party but LOVED sharing in her excitement through the phone. That def helped lift my spirits. 

I know the end is near and the only set back is I can not be with my kids for another couple days just because they do not want me to have more than 1 hr of close contact with them just yet and to be honest how is that possible with a 3 month old and my 4 year old who climbs all over me :) But I know that what I am doing now is to help prevent any reoccurrence in the future. It's a small price to pay to make sure 30 years from now I can be there for when my own girls get engaged or have a wedding or just need some mamma time!

RAI Treatment....Grease Please....2nd Day

Nothing seemed to help. I slept and woke up nauseous so I would just nap again. But like I mentioned before drinking water at least a glass an hour would help flush this radiation out of my system. So the more I slept the less I was up to drink, not good.  I kept thinking what my post RAI meal would be. I wanted something heavy, greasy. Finally I realized whenever I was hungover, I had grease and felt better. 

The low iodine diet is pretty intimating at first. It can be confusing so I read some recipes on the thyca.org site for meals I could make that both my husband and I could eat so I wasn't constantly making two meals. Well hamburgers were one of them. 

Luckily I have my mom helping me though treatments so I woke up from yet another nap feeling hungover without the joys of partying to earn a hungover and I requested grease. I needed grease to feel better. BAM it hit me I could have a burger. So I  requested a burger on low iodine bread with my no salt added ketchup and finally I was getting some relief!

RAI Treatment... The First 24hrs

The worst part of my first 24 hrs of treatment was saying goodbye to my kids. I wasn't sure how long I was going to be away from them. After I left them I stopped by where I was staying to make sure my room was setup for when I returned because for the first 3 days you are highly radioactive so you have to isolate yourself as much as possible from others. Next step to Yale we went. It was a fast appointment, we just reviewed everything briefly and answered our last minute questions. After consents signed I swallowed my pills. 

I received a standard dose was given a letter and was on my way. But before I left they measured my levels within distance. 5 feet away I was transmitting 12% 1 foot away 230% that is why they want me 6 feet away from people. On the car ride home I had to sit in the back. I had a 3'hr window before these pills totally kicked in. Once we pulled up to the house to isolation I went. 

I ate a little napped drank a lot, drinking is fastest way to flush system. I was good until the following morning. That is when metallic taste started in my mouth, was very cold and nauseous. I had a bad headache and no appetite. Needless to say after naps, lemon water, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on iodine free homemade bread, Tylenol, a long shower and a Dramamine I finally felt a little better. And by a little better I meant exactly that. A little better!

I survived my first 24 hrs and had another 48 hrs to go....

*Please note treatment and recovery varies from person to person. I am NOT a doctor. If you are receiving RAI treatment please follow your doctors instructions. Most importantly be cautious and abide to all instructions given to you from your own doctor.