The Christie, Stopping Liothyronine medication and Low-iodine diet

The Christie 21st October

On the 21st I went to The Christie in Manchester to talk about my Radio-iodine treatment. I went with my mum and boyfriend as they wanted to know where it was for visits. Yes we got lost and ended up being an hour late but the important fact here is that we managed to get there... eventually. Whilst waiting to be seen Charlene who is a young persons cancer worker came to see me and said she would stay with me throughout my appointment so she could give me a tour afterwards and we could get to know each other better. 

When I was called in the doctor who I am suppose to see was on holiday so there was a replacement doctor. She asked me if I knew what was going to happen to which I replied I knew most of the details thanks to Charlene. She explained that I would be staying in a room on my own that has a bathroom, a TV, I am able to bring in books but they might have to be left there a while due to the radiation. If people are to visit they have to stay behind a led wall and visiting times are limited from 20 minutes to an hour depending on the amount of radiation there is which will be monitored with a Geiger. The nurses have to wear led vests if they come into the room and the door will be shut. Makes me feel as though I won't get any fresh air for a week.

The doctor explained what the treatment was, that I will be taking radiation in the form of a capsule that goes directly to the thyroid gland where it is absorbed by the thyroid tissue. It will also travel to anywhere else the cancer may be which will show up in a scan. This treatment is meant to destroy the rest of the thyroid cells that remain after surgery. The treatment will leave you radioactive for a while causing you to keep your distance from people and animals for weeks or months. 

Some side effects of this treatment include:

Short term

• Swelling of the neck
• Sore throat (may take weeks to settle down)
• Dry mouth (may take weeks to settle down)
• Taste of food may change (may taste a metallic taste for weeks)
• Nausea
• Salivary glands may swell for some weeks

Long term

• Permanent dry mouth
• Fertility- may find it hard to conceive ( can not get pregnant for up to a year)
• There is also the possibility of getting secondary cancer 

You have to stop your hormone tablets two to three weeks before the treatment which may cause you to become:

• Tired
• Have mood swings
• Have water retention and weight gain
• Feel weak

You also have to start a low- iodine diet two or three weeks before treatment which includes you not being able to eat foods such as:

• Dairy (cheese, milk, eggs, yoghurt's) or anything with dairy such as chocolate
• Sea salt and iodised salt
• Seafood/ fish
• Bread and pastries
• Soya based products
• Foods artificially coloured red or pink with food dye (E127)
• some cough mixtures and health foods/ supplements
• No fast food, takeaways or food from restaurants 
• Egg noodles
• Onions, eggplant and garlic
• Some cereals
• processed meats

You are allowed to eat:

• Fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables
• Fresh and frozen meats
• Rice and pasta
• Home made bread
• Cola, lemonade, sodas, fruit juices, squashes.
• The best way to make sure of the iodine content is to prepare all the food yourself from fresh.

When you have been told all this information you are asked if you have any questions, I did not so was asked to sign a consent form which was read out loud to me.

You will then see a nurse who will send you for blood tests and provide you with a folder which is handed to you filled with lots of leaflets and booklets filled full of information. There will be questionnaires to be filled out in there and information on facilities for people who are allowed out of their room. At the Christie YOU (young oncology unit) ward there are music rooms, games rooms, complementary therapies, art workshops. Unfortunately I will not be able to take part in these because of my treatment. There will be more information on the Christie website if you want to read more about it. 

All the leaflets and booklets included in the pack the nurse and doctor gives you

The Christie tour

Charlene took me, my boyfriend and my mum around the ward I will be staying in. Showed me the room I will be in which was tiny. The wall with led was odd as it moved to shut when you pressed a button high up on the opposite side of the room. The led wall was tiny, it came up to my stomach. There was however a TV in there with freeview even though I was told the signal would not be good. There was a playstation and an xbox. We were then shown the games rooms, music room, TV room and showed the nurses rooms around the ward where I discovered my old college tutor is working at the Christie. We was looking at each other for a while until she stood up saying I had a twin and knew me then came over to hug me. Everyone there was really nice even though it was a short tour due to the unit being fairly small but it is kept very clean and is not cold like some hospitals are. 

Stopping medication and starting low-iodine diet 28th- 30th October

I am on my third day of stopping my tablets and starting my diet in preparation for treatment. I am still taking my calcium tablets which I have cut down to one tablet a day last week instead of two. I am not feeling too bad so far. I keep forgetting what foods I can not eat and then get annoyed when I realise I can't eat what I wanted to. I have been having ups and downs between feeling tired and normal and feeling rather spaced out, not being able to concentrate properly. I have not been feeling very hungry but when I do get hungry it is usually late at night. Sleeping has not been easy even though I feel really tired when I want to sleep. My body feels very restless as if the tired aches go through to my bones leaving me feeling heavy. It has been gradually getting worse but hoping it does not get too bad.

I have been reading the low-iodine cookbook which might help you with recipe ideas. 

On the plus side my scar on my neck is fading quite a bit and looking neater but it still itches sometimes and feels sore.

Can barely see it now.

I shall keep you updated, my next post will be in two weeks before I have my treatment to inform you of how I am feeling further into the diet and stopping my medication.

If you have any questions please do comment and I will reply :) 

Thank you for reading.