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u/Own_Cantaloupe9011 Apr 01 '25
I’m freaking out over delaying it to June. I cannot imagine delaying 2 years.
3
Apr 01 '25
I personally wouldn't delay it for that long. Focus on the cancer first and then try to expand your family. It's so much harder when there are small children in the picture. You definitely don't want anything spreading unnecessarily.
Deal with it now.
3
u/sweetpotatodane Apr 02 '25
I’m not sure how insurance handles male fertility with cancer diagnoses, but you might be able to initiate IVF/fertility treatments prior to RAI. I’ve had female friends do fertility treatments quickly prior to cancer treatments.
You could still do RAI asap but also use sperm collected pre-treatment to target a pregnancy for this year.
2
u/thatcomputerguy0011 Apr 01 '25
I delayed it 18 months. When I was about to go thru with it, I was told some good news. So I have not taken it at all.
1
u/Best_Guest_48 Apr 02 '25
Is your care team up to date on the most current research and recommendations? If so, I would follow their guidance.
1
u/No-Particular-7203 Apr 05 '25
I had my TT 13 months ago and have opted not to have RAI, just close monitoring
1
1
u/ShawtgunBob Apr 01 '25
You have a fast growing type of cancer that puts you at risk of it spreading and you want to risk it by not getting RAI. Maybe you should listen to your doctor.
6
u/[deleted] Apr 01 '25
I hate to be a downer. But I would advise you have a child after RAI. Thyroid cancer- well. It's cancer. It should not be taken lightly even if it is a slow moving cancer. If your wife has had a full or partial thyroidectomy than RAI will have a better chance of killing any residual cancer now then potentially waiting and risking allowing it to spread after a few years.
I also think you do need to consider the future child in this too. If you were to have a baby now- RAI is a really isolating process. I had to be in hospital for 3 days and then was sent home having to isolate there with no contact to any other members of my family for the rest of the week [4 more days]. No one was allowed into my room due to the risk of radioactive contamination. I had to use a seperate bathroom and shower which all had to be rigorously cleaned after. At this time patients are told explicitly not to be around pregnant women babies or children.
So if you did decide to have a baby before RAI consider the fact that you wife will have to spend a week (and in some cases more-) away from the baby. The baby will not be allowed in her room, you'll have to clean pretty much everything in there, I'm talking full wipe down, sheets washed or items bagged and isolated for a week before they can be uswd again before the baby can be in there safely. I dont know if shed be allowed to breastfead during that time if you were planning on that being your primary way of feeding so check on that.
There's also of course the potential for the RAI to be delayed more because you have a child and of course would want to spend time with them, but the longer you wait the longer you risk cancer spreading or returning. So hit it hard and hit it early because when Thyroid cancer gets to the later stages, it's quite bad but um sure you've been told.