After RAI Treatment
RAI often affects the taste buds for a short period of time and you may notice some changes in how food and drink tastes. These changes are temporary and usually improve within a few weeks of RAI treatment.
If dry mouth symptoms persist for a time, patients could ask their pharmacist for gel and spray products to ease them.
Sometimes the salivary glands are affected and may swell and cause pain. Rarely, there may be blockage in the tear ducts. If these symptoms occur, you should notify the physician who treated you because a short course of Prednisone may quickly reduce the swelling and may also help to reduce the likelihood of a problem later on. Keeping well hydrated by drinking regularly may help minimize the symptoms. Heat and massage may also help.
Regular brushing and flossing of the teeth will help maintain dental health, as there will be a decrease in saliva production.
Sometimes these side effects do not manifest until several months after the treatment. Patients should speak with the treating doctor or other specialist(s) for his/her recommendations regarding these issues.
Whole Body Scan (WBS)
Approximately five to ten days after RAI treatment, patients are asked to come back to the hospital for a Whole Body Scan (WBS), also known as a 131-I scan. The scan is performed in the Nuclear Medicine department of the hospital. Usually the scan takes between 30 minutes to one hour to perform.
Patients are asked to lie very still on a narrow bed that moves slowly through the scanner, continuously taking a digital picture of the entire body. Patients may feel cold, either because of the low temperature in the room, or because they are lying very still. While it is not necessary to remove your clothing for scanning, all metal should be removed such as jewellery or clothing with metal clips or buttons. It is also a good idea to use the washroom before scanning.
The scanner moves very close to the body, and many patients find it more comfortable to close their eyes while the top section of their body is being scanned. The WBS is not painful or uncomfortable in any way, although some may feel impatient or claustrophobic with the procedure. Patients who know they are claustrophobic should tell the technologist before the examination begins so that steps can be taken to help manage the situation.
Once the scan is completed and the technician ensures that a "good picture" has been obtained, the patient is released. In some cases, a Nuclear Medicine doctor meets with the patient after the scan to review the results. In other hospitals, patients have to wait until the written report is available before they can get the results of the scan from their doctor.
A small amount of thyroid remnant tissue will show up on the scan in at least 98% of cases since it is extremely difficult for surgeons to remove every microscopic bit of the thyroid from the neck. The nuclear medicine report may refer to this as "normal uptake in the neck". The RAI dose continues to ablate those remaining thyroid cells over the next few months, and it is likely that any subsequent scan (months or years later) will indicate a great reduction or elimination of this remnant tissue.
Disclaimer: The information contained on this website does not constitute medical advice. Visitors are encouraged to work closely with their doctors to make sure that their individual medical needs are met. The Canadian Thyroid Cancer Support Group (Thry'vors) Inc. does not endorse any product, treatment, service or practitioner and is not responsible for the quality of the information or services offered by other organizations or websites.
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