Re: drainage from eyes post-RAI :..(

June 23, 2002

No eye problems - but wanted to tell you I found the post RAI period more

difficult too. It seems I had a good sized remnant putting out thyroid

hormone. Now I don't know how much is killed in the first few days, when

the RAI in the body is still very high, vs the ongoing action over the next

six months. Considering the way I felt, it must have been a lot.

We are now in the process of determing the ideal dose of levoxly for me.

So Rob, hang in, it may take a while. While doctors tell us this is an easy

cancer, the truth is it is still an assault on our bodies, we have suffered

the trauma of surgery and radiation and we need time to recover.

Good luck,

Helen, TT PAP 2/02

RAI, 200mci, 4/02

Scan 5/02

Adjusting meds,

But I have other health issues that

may be complicating things.

June 23, 2002

Hi Rob,

I received only 30mCi on wed. By thurs my eyes were puffy and watery and my

tongue felt like I burned it on scalding water. The tongue is feeling better but

my eyes are still puffy and very watery. I'm sure it will dissipate in time. I

started my levothroid yesterday and feel surprisingly better already. I still

look like I've been out all night partying, some party huh.

Hope you feel better soon, sounds like the worst is almost over.

Lynn - Oregon

drainage from eyes post-RAI :..(

I received 150 mCi of RAI on Friday at 1pm CDT. Since that time my eyes

have been increasingly goopy and look glassy when I look at them in the

mirror. They are full of dry gunk after a night of sleep. I searched

through the complete archive using " eye " and " drainage " as search terms. I

found nothing. Does anyone have a similar experience post-RAI?

BTW, thanks for the support from everyone. Public and private messages

have been very helpful. I have found this postRAI period more difficult

than " hypo-hell, " I know that I still am quite hypo and will be only

gradually ascending out of hh But now that I can eat no-LID, I am not very

hungry!

Rob in Neb

For more information regarding thyroid cancer visit www.thyca.org. If you do

not wish to belong to this group, you may UNSUBSCRIBE by sending a blank email

to thyca-unsubscribe

June 23, 2002

While salivary gland problems seem to get more attention, tearing eyes after RAI

ablation is not uncommon, and for the same reason - RAI is in bodily fluids,

including tears as well as saliva.

See quotes below.

I hope it will clear up for you soon.

-

NYC

----------------------------------------------------------------

...... from an online radiology text ...

" Acute Complications of I-131 Thyroid Ablation Therapy:

" 14- Chronic or recurrent conjunctivitis, keratoconjunctivitis, decreased

lacrimal function.

" About one-quarter of patients treated will have subjective complaints

of xerophthalmia [1,26], and about 18% will have objective evidence of

decreased lacrimal function after one year [26].

Objective evidence for persistent keratoconjuctivitis sicca can be found

in up to 7.6% of patients three years following treatment [26].

Therefore, although decreased lacrimal function is common after

therapy, it is generally a transient side effect [26]. "

http://www.auntminnie.com/MD2/nucmed/Endocrine/Thyroid/I-131%20for%\

20cancer/I-131%20for%20thyroid%20cancer.html#rhTSH

-----------------------------------------------------------

J Nucl Med 2001 May;42(5):738-43

" ..... CONCLUSION: Salivary and lacrimal gland dysfunction

(sicca syndrome) is relatively frequent after radioiodine therapy.

In most cases this is a transient side effect, but in some patients

it may persist for a long period or appear late. "

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=PubMed & list_uid\

s=11337569 & dopt=Abstract

R Blinn wrote:

> I received 150 mCi of RAI on Friday at 1pm CDT. Since that time my eyes

> have been increasingly goopy and look glassy when I look at them in the

> mirror. They are full of dry gunk after a night of sleep. I searched

> through the complete archive using " eye " and " drainage " as search terms. I

> found nothing. Does anyone have a similar experience post-RAI?

>

> BTW, thanks for the support from everyone. Public and private messages

> have been very helpful. I have found this postRAI period more difficult

> than " hypo-hell, " I know that I still am quite hypo and will be only

> gradually ascending out of hh But now that I can eat no-LID, I am not very

> hungry!

>

> Rob in Neb

June 23, 2002

Hi, Rob -

Keep in mind that the post RAI period IS still hypo hell. More time

has gone by since you've been without hormones, and it takes 6-8 weeks

to get them fully into your system once you start back on them. I

know that my worst hypo time has been after RAI, and I'm still feeling

kind of dragged out and overwhelmed and brainfogged almost 4 weeks

later. Skin's still really dry, nose is dry and bleeding, feels like

I'm being choked a lot. Fun stuff. I figure I just have to give it

time. (this too shall pass....)

And, I DID have a bit of that dry gunk you mention for a few days

after my RAI.

Hope your appetite come back soon so you can enjoy all those things

you were denied!

Hang in there!!!

Cheers,

Alisa

2/15/2002: Nodule found during bad sore throat

2/27/2002: FNA - suspicious for pap thyca

3/4/2002: Hysterectomy/oopherectomy-possible ovarian cancer - BENIGN!!

4/9/2002: TT - Stage 2 pap thyca encapsuled in 2.5 x 2 x 1.6 cm

nodule, Hashimotos discovered

5/28/2002: TBS (2 mCi dose on 5/24) and 100 mCi RAI

6/6/2002: TBS - No sign of mets

Currently on .125mcg Levoxyl

Age: 48 Location: near Seattle WA

Please feel free to email me privately anytime

> I received 150 mCi of RAI on Friday at 1pm CDT. Since that time my

eyes

> have been increasingly goopy and look glassy when I look at them in

the

> mirror. They are full of dry gunk after a night of sleep. I

searched

> through the complete archive using " eye " and " drainage " as search

terms. I

> found nothing. Does anyone have a similar experience post-RAI?

>

> BTW, thanks for the support from everyone. Public and private

messages

> have been very helpful. I have found this postRAI period more

difficult

> than " hypo-hell, " I know that I still am quite hypo and will be only

> gradually ascending out of hh But now that I can eat no-LID, I am

not very

> hungry!

>

> Rob in Neb

June 23, 2002

Hi Rob,

I have eye problems when I'm very hypo, which you are post-RAI... My eyes

water and drain all the time out the far corners, which get very sore from

all that salt water!

They also puff up a lot on the upper eyelids, which look awful to me but

people don't seem to notice much. They don't ' " crud up " in the morning, but

the drainage is just so annoying..there's not a lot I can do but put up with

it! Just like all the other junk that comes with hypo-ness!

Sandy

June 24, 2002

Rob,

My eyes were real bloodshot and teary the whole time I was hypo and continued

until about 4 weeks after RAI. The tears would just run down my face at times.

I noticed this after my surgery/hypo in 2001 and it happened again this year.

They were also very itchy at times. My endo suggested artificial tears to help

with the redness and the itchy feeling. It was strange because they felt dry

but the tears would just run at times.

I can relate to not being hungry after RAI. I had 150 also and had problems

with nausea for about 2 weeks and everything I did eat tasted like cardboard and

left an icky feeling in my mouth. For the nausea as suggested on this list I

drank ginger ale and took pepcid AC. This helped alot!

All this does pass but it is definitely not a fun experience. Hang in there

this list has alot of good advice and nice people.

Judy

1/25/01 TT, 50mci 2/16/01, 150mci 3/4/02

Pap w/foll variants 3 nodules 1.3cm, 7mm & 6mm