Surviving a high dosage of Radio Active Iodine at the National Cancer Institute..

After about 2 weeks in the hospital, my mother is finally discharged from the National Cancer Institute...I am very grateful she came out alive and well.. 

My mother Elaine, is 66 years old. She has been a single mother, and is not working. Unfortunately, I am her only daughter... huhu.. heaven knows how much I wish for siblings or people who can share my stress and also help take care of my mother...but for now, I have to be grateful she has a good friend and companion she lives with...

photo credit to medscape

She has been battling thyroid cancer for the about 10 years , and though thyroid cancer is said to be a kind cancer, she has undergone three thyroid/ throat surgeries and numerous Radio Active Iodine drinks in the past 10 years or so, the latest being current with a very high dosage of RAI I-131 as the cancer is spreading...

photo credit to thyroidmyroid.com

She has just been released from quarantine / isolation at the National Cancer Institute after taking that high dose of RAI and we do have fear the cancer is still spreading as there are nodes in other places where it should not have been..

This time around, she was in the National Cancer Institute Hospital longest, as she had two dosage of radioiodine .. the first being a mild one to gauge her blood reactions and cancer cells as well as to check on other things..

Then the second dose was administered five or six days ago. My mother was very scared and worried and talked to me about what to do if she did not make it out, sending me into a bit of a panic also... 

I could not visit her because she was in isolation and could just told her to hang in there, and that she could make it through, to drink plenty of water to flush out the radiation quickly and also strictly follow all advice given by the doctor or nurses.....

She had heard that some of her fellow cancer patients have been known to vomit and had their body swelled up... 

Then the radiographer was not much of a help when he also told my mother that  a 30+ year old lady died after drinking the high dosage RAI.. Sometimes it is horrible being in the government hospital as they will hold nothing back and tell you all the horror stories... But well, it is part of their procedure so you know what to expect and not to expect too much as well as the risk you are going through....

And it did not seem any better as the night before my mom took the booster, a lady in the room next to hers to her also passed away from consuming the dosage of RAI... 

The nurses said that 2 out of 4 people survived the dosage...... and it did sound like a horror story somewhat, (maybe she heard it wrong or is mistaken) but whatever it is... Thank God and all she made it through for now and she is back home with her good friend/companion...

The doctor says she must however return to get her blood tested every week for now, for the next couple of weeks or so.

Anyway, thank you Dr Fadzilah and all the nurses in the National Cancer Institute at the Nuclear confinement/isolation ward for their care... and thanks Miss Anita, her surgeon from Putrajaya Hospital for her patience, calm demeanour and care over the years with my mom's thyroid cancer/surgeries...

My mother is hoping for a nice holiday (a cruise, or a nice leisure trip to perhaps Taiwan or Australia) but with our financial difficulties (I am a struggling mom of three with a diabetic husband who also suffered from stroke twice, last year) , I am trying to raise some funds if possible to make it come true, or if any travel company etc want to sponsor, it would be just fantastic.. so if you who is reading this would like to help contribute in granting a 67 year old cancer patient her wish, in cash or sponsoring her birthday holiday please do help out...

https://gogetfunding.com/making-a-cancer-patients-dream-come-true/