Radioactive iodine treatment

Be sure to tell your doctor

• Pregnancy, or if you could be pregnant. The treatment is not given during pregnancy
• Breastfeeding. It must be stopped in advance, and the doctor will say when
• All medicines, especially thyroid hormones
• Recent CT scans with contrast, as contrast contains iodine
• If you have small children or pregnant women at home

How to prepare

• Diet. Usually for 1 to 2 weeks before treatment you follow a low-iodine diet: no seafood, seaweed or iodized salt. The clinic will give the exact list.
• Hormones. Do not stop on your own. If thyroid hormones must be paused, the doctor will say when and how.
• Test. Women usually have a pregnancy test before treatment.
• Belongings. Bring as little as possible. Some of it is best washed separately afterward.

What to bring

• Your referral and reports
• Your ID
• A list of your medicines
• A change of clothes and simple things for a few days

How it goes

1. You are placed in a separate room
2. The doctor explains the rules once more
3. You swallow the capsule or drink the liquid with water
4. For the first hours you usually cannot eat
5. You drink a lot and go to the toilet often, so the extra iodine leaves faster
6. A specialist measures the radiation, and when it drops enough you are discharged

What you'll feel

• You do not feel the dose itself
• Sometimes a dry mouth, a change in taste, mild nausea
• Swelling and tenderness in the neck can occur in the first days
• Isolation is boring, so bring a book or headphones

Afterwards

• For several days after discharge keep your distance from people, especially children and pregnant women. The doctor will give the time
• Sleep alone and use your own dishes and towel
• Flush the toilet often and wash your hands well
• Pregnancy is usually postponed for the time the doctor advises
• Follow-up hormone tests in a few weeks