Please help...

charcharx

my boss has cancer and she is currently going through radiotherapy, I have been avoiding her cause obviously it's bad to be around her while she's radioactive as it can harm the baby ..she made me a cake today, can I eat that? It may sound silly but obviously she has touched it and made it herself ..will that affect me?
Thankyou!

cMichelle0423

charcharx said:

my boss has cancer and she is currently going through radiotherapy, I have been avoiding her cause obviously it's bad to be around her while she's radioactive as it can harm the baby ..she made me a cake today, can I eat that? It may sound silly but obviously she has touched it and made it herself ..will that affect me?
Thankyou!

I'd probably talk to your doctor about this. I personally have no idea, but it seems like a doctor worthy question.

nackie

Talk to your doctor about it, but I'm not sure I would eat it. I had a similar treatment years ago and I wasn't even supposed to use the same sinks/shower as my SO. I don't recall anything about cooking, but he's the main cook in our household, so it may not have come up

purplepenguin3

I would guess that you'll be ok.  I work at a uranium mine and i'm completely fine so i would guess you could eat her cake without an issue to your baby.

charcharx

I had abit and left the rest, i couldn't call the doctor until tomorrow anyway so It probably wouldn't be great by then anyway, thankyou all for your help

Mamabeagle

I know you don't mean it that way, but this comes off really awful on your part. Do you think she worries that with your compromised immune system you could expose her to a fatal disease and steers clear of you?

Daybird11Six

ETA: lurking

My dad has had cancer three times, and all three times I have never been told that I need to avoid him because of his radiation treatments or chemotherapy for any reason whatsoever, and I am his only caregiver.

This really makes me sad. You're probably fine to eat the cake.

YouHadMeAtMeatTornado

1) Radiotherapy attacks dividing cells only, and than cannot be transmitted from one person to another, much less one person to a cake to another.

2) Even if she were undergoing chemotherapy, unless she were to mix her cocktail of drugs INTO the cake, it would have zero effect on you.

PrimRoseMama

Mamabeagle said:

I know you don't mean it that way, but this comes off really awful on your part. Do you think she worries that with your compromised immune system you could expose her to a fatal disease and steers clear of you?

No joke. I cringed. X_X

Heaven forbid someone fighting for their life with serious drugs bake you a cake! She did a sweet thing for you & you are more worried about Radiation Cooties.

I've been with, caring for & eaten the love-offerings of many friends/family going through RT. All the oncologists I've talked to have cleared food/clothing/utensils used by a person recieving treatment.

Honestly, she's probably more in danger from a cold she could catch from you than you would be from the cake she touched.

charcharx

She's already had chemo..
It was a really lovely thing and I felt really awful that I wasn't eating it until I was sure, but her doctor said not to go near me as I am pregnant and it could affect the baby, obviously it works both ways and she could catch something from me as my immune system is lessened.
I pury asked for advice whether it is safe to eat, as I wasn't sure, and I was just happy with a yes/no answer. I phoned the doctor this morning and he said it depends which type of radiotherapy she is going through, and he said to be on the safe side, don't eat it as it has risks

charcharx

I have read my original post and I didn't state that she was told not to be around me, so I can see it sounded bad, but that wasn't what I meant atall. We were in fact told to stay clear of each other

KateLouise

Glad you got an answer from your doctor.

My MIL had RT, and was told to stay clear of pregnant women for a period of time. She had to stay in the hospital for a length of time afterwards in a private room to ensure she didn't unintentionally come into contact with pregnant women.

Mamabeagle

charcharx said:

I pury asked for advice whether it is safe to eat, as I wasn't sure, and I was just happy with a yes/no answer.

OH why didn't you just say you only wanted yes or no answers?

Seriously though, you cannot control the responses you get online. The responses were very gentle especially considering how your post could be taken.

redfallon

charcharx said:

I have read my original post and I didn't state that she was told not to be around me, so I can see it sounded bad, but that wasn't what I meant atall. We were in fact told to stay clear of each other

You can edit your original post to add this other pertinent info.

PrimRoseMama

charcharx said:

She's already had chemo.. It was a really lovely thing and I felt really awful that I wasn't eating it until I was sure, but her doctor said not to go near me as I am pregnant and it could affect the baby, obviously it works both ways and she could catch something from me as my immune system is lessened. I pury asked for advice whether it is safe to eat, as I wasn't sure, and I was just happy with a yes/no answer. I phoned the doctor this morning and he said it depends which type of radiotherapy she is going through, and he said to be on the safe side, don't eat it as it has risks

I'm not sure I believe this, but its really pointless to argue about this over the interwebz. Would you feel the same if she bought it from the store? You know, the food you eat from restaurants could be prepared by folks going through radiation? The food you buy at the store could be handled by a person with cancer going through treatment. I mean, if you think about it you could be exposed to radiation of various levels just walking out your front door. :-??

So it seems kind of cruddy to me to be so uptight about this one cake baked by the one person who was trying to do a nice thing for you. That's my point. If y'all were told to steer clear of each other (by who?) then her baking you a cake is actually super sweet of her. My goodness.

~X(

YouHadMeAtMeatTornado

@PrimRoseMama, you mean to tell me that people undergoing various cancer treatments aren't quarantined/ banned from kitchens everywhere?



OP, I'm not totally sure I believe your doctor telling you not to eat it, or other parts of your story for that matter, but hey, I'm not here to argue. I understand there are countless things to be concerned about and to keep yourself away from when you're pregnant. I just think there are bigger/ more realistic things to get yourself worked up about than someone doing something sweet for you like baking you a cake.

ETA: I hope amidst your concern about cooties and whatnot, you at least showed some gratitude for the good deed that someone took the energy (likely in short supply) to perform for you.

dogsombrero

Thank god somebody with sense replied. I saw this last night but it made me feel so disgusted that I couldn't remotely respond without something ban-able coming out.

AggieKim

So, unless your boss is leaking fluids everywhere, you're likely ok. Depending on the treatment she is getting, you either want to avoid touching her fluids (so refrain from making our or sharing snot and such) or nothing at all. 

abidabi

This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, my dad had chemo and radio therapy together, was never warned about people getting radiation from him, think you should change doctors.

2-Step

I think some of you should probably educate yourselves about this subject before calling her awful. Just because you saw your family member or cared for them after they had radiation does not mean that you are an expert on all radiation therapy! There are different types of radiation therapy. The type that uses a beam is not the same as the type when someone ingests radioactive material for therapy. When the materials are ingested that person does becomes radioactive for a period of time and is told to stay away from pregnant people and children and is often times even quarantined for a period of time. 

If her doctor and the boss's doctor told them to stay away from each other then obviously there is a reason and that is the reason she is questioning the cake. I don't think this means she is an awful person who is uncaring, she is just trying to figure out what is safe for her baby. 

OP, you probably should save these questions for your doctor since it is not a common thing and not something to be answered by an internet board. 

4N6s

My dad is undergoing radiation and wasn't told to avoid people, etc...

amberrmariee20

Hmm I think some cases may involve avoiding certain people. My sons grandfather went through radiation therapy due to prostate cancer and he was told not to be around babies or children. He was told there's 2 different types and explained external vs internal radiation. Depending on the type of cancer one or both will be used... External poses no risk to others, but internal can pose health risks to people around you during the treatment process.

inomniaparatus

I think this was a fair question. I don't think op meant to insult cancer patients. If the woman is getting internal radiation treatments, then I do think there's cause for concern. External radiation is fine ... But doctors do recommend precautions be taken when internal radiation is administered.
I think, if you are uneasy with anything, better be safe or sorry. You can be polite and discrete about it.

linzidawn

My mum had radiotherapy treatment and was told to stay away from my daughter and other grandchildren for 3 weeks, she also had to stay clear of her own 23 yo daughter (my sister) because she's on dialysis (kidney failure) so I do think OP was asking a fair question..
So quick to judge on here without knowing all the facts..
Sure some radiation treatment is safe but not all

DrillSergeantCat

Not knowing which kind of radiation therapy she's receiving, it's probably best not to eat the cake. However, she would have been told if she should stay away from certain people and therefore, would hopefully not be baking you a cake. My mom had radiation therapy on her thyroid and was told to stay away from certain people for a length of time. 

ifishmanatl

I think the risk to you depends on the kind of radiation therapy your boss has had/ is undergoing.  Some cancers are treated with external beam radiation (irradiating tissue with an outside source), while others are treated with administration of radioactive iodine, (such as some thyroid cancers) or implantation of radiation-emitting pellets.  Ultimately, your boss's oncologist is most familiar with her condition, treatment, and necessary precautions to be taken around pregnant women.  I think it's best to go along with the oncologist's recommendations.