Duration of treatment with radioiodine therapy
How long radioiodine therapy lasts can vary greatly from person to person and cannot necessarily be predicted in advance. It depends on the size of the irradiated thyroid volume and the radioactivity administered. The patient may only be discharged from the ward when the radiation emitted by the patient has fallen below a limit value and no longer poses any danger to the people around him.The radiation is therefore regularly checked by measurements at the same distance.
Some patients may be discharged home after only two days. The average stay is five days. In exceptional cases, however, the radiation can also decrease very slowly, so that the patient may only leave the ward after up to twelve days.
Incapacity to work after radioiodine therapy
As a rule, after discharge from the nuclear medicine ward after radioiodine therapy there is no longer any incapacity to work. In certain exceptional cases, however, certain precautions should be taken for safety reasons. These include, above all, avoiding close contact with fellow human beings in the first few days and keeping as much distance as possible. When working with children (e.g. kindergarten teachers or teachers) or if there is longer contact (from two hours) with the same people at the workplace, the doctor treating the patient may certify a longer period of illness.
