RAI Precautions

This is the list that the nuclear medicine doctor went over with me. Keep in mind that there is no one universal list--from what I've been reading, there are a lot of conflicting opinions out there as to how cautious you need to be.

• Have someone drive me to and from the hospital. On the way home, sit as far away as possible. For me, it's a short ride, so she wasn't too worried.
• Have my own bathroom (check!).
• Maintain a distance of 6 feet from other people if they are in the house with me during the first 72 hours. The radioactivity will extend 3-4 feet from me during that time.
• Avoid public transportation.
• 90% of the radioactive stuff will be absorbed quickly by my body--the rest either gets peed out, spit out or sweated out. To quote my sister, "Good thing you're not a camel."
• Drink lots of fluids.
• Flush twice, wipe anything that may be contaminated.
• Shower at least once daily and wipe down the shower.
• Stay away longer from all pregnant women and small children.
• My two cats, who are very affectionate and like to sit on me whenever possible, need to go away for at least 72 hours. Laps would be a bad place to be since my bladder would be giving off radiation. For some reason, that is a funny image to me.
• After the third night, wash all clothes and sheets. Launder my stuff separately for a week.
• Use my own set of towels.
• Wash dishes and utensils after each use. Do not use disposables.
• If I have to prepare food just for myself, no issue. If I have to prepare food for anyone else, wear plastic gloves. Mr. W is on his own.
• Don't throw away anything in the trash that has saliva or other bodily fluids on it--flushing is better. Really?

As for protecting my salivary glands, I'm supposed to do the following. The radioactive stuff causes saliva to become thickened and may cause blockages in the glands themselves.

• Drink lots of fluids.
• Wake up during the night to keep taking fluids and sour candies.
• Suck on sour candies. One book says a new one every 15 minutes, another book says to wait 24 hours before starting. So which is it?
• Chew sour sugarless gum. One book says yes, one says not to in the first 24 hours since it will concentrate the radioactive residue in the ball of gum you're swishing around your mouth. No, no gum for now.
• Rinse my mouth a few times with a mix of baking soda and water. Ick.
• Massage the glands in front of my ears and along the jawline.

I think if I do this stuff right away, it will minimize problems later. However, people report having swollen glands months later without warning....