3 Things I Wish I Had Known Before the Radioactive Iodine Test

A radioactive iodine test is a medical test used to measure thyroid uptake to detect possible thyroid problems like hyperthyroidism. There is pretty extensive preparation that is required for it to be accurate. After completing the test and prep, here are a few things I wish I had known about the radioactive iodine test. 

1. Read through the information they provide about it thoroughly. There are more restrictions to the diet than you think, such as no soy products. (Which are often used as a dairy replacement). Also, there is a host of medications that one is not allowed to take at differing times. That’s what prolonged me being able to complete the testing as I had been taking two different medications that were not allowed during that time. 

2. Prep and batch cook your food. The list of what you can not eat can easily feel like it outweighs the list of what you are able to eat. Due to this, it is next to impossible to eat food out in a restaurant, or frozen meals. Food out in a restaurant you do not know fully what is in it and what it was cooked in. Frozen meals often have quite a bit of preservatives. When you are already in the kitchen try to cook ahead a meal or two. Then the food is already there and just needs to be heated up  for those times you do not want to or have time to fully cook something. Also prepping snacks is a huge must as well. Washing and portioning out the fresh fruit, celery with all natural nut butter is a fantastic choice for a snack as well. Then you can still have some of the aspect of convenience with snacks! Preparing food in advance ultimately assists in the temptation of straying from the strict diet. 

3. Give yourself extra time at the grocery store. I have been blessed up until this time where I did not have any extensive food restrictions, so it was a bit of a shock to have to read every food label. Food manufacturers are a bit sneaky at times of what they put into certain foods. Giving yourself some extra time while you are picking up items will help ensure you are picking the right items. Also, it can be helpful to have someone come with you to help choose items if you are a newbie to food restrictions like I was. 

Lastly, if you can find a family or friends to be a support buddy during this time. It can become overwhelming very quickly, it helps to have someone that you can share some of the frustrations with and be encouraging during this process. 

In the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing the staples that got me through the diet. 

with love,