Chemo??

jknallen

Question about a previous post and it's answers.  I don't get the chemo issue.  I've never heard that nad was wondering why you can't be around people recieving chemo while you are pregnant.  If someone could please explain I would greatly appreciate it.  My FIL has been on chemo for a year now and has been off since I've gotten pregnant but will be starting back up again in the next few weeks and my Mom was just diagnosed with breast cancer and is going to be starting chemo in a few weeks and I would like to hope that I don't have to stay away from either of them while I'm pregnant or have a new baby at home with me that they would of course love to see.  TIA!

britishbride05

i don't know... but i'm wondering the same thing.  my uncle started chemo on friday night and i was told i couldn't visit him.  pregnant women and children aren't allowed (i understand kids... the germ issue)

i assumed it was b/c there were people on the floor receiving radiation, so i couldn't be near that.

madameprimm

People who receive chemo are radioactive. For example, my mother has to take chemo pills occasionally because of her thyroid cancer. When she takes them, nobody can use anything after her (toilet, cups, etc). We can't touch her, and we have to keep the pets away from her.

CKLee1107

I just mentioned this posting to my hubby and he said the radiation level is what they are worried about.  Depending on the treatment they are receiving (chemo I don't know enough about) people are slightly radioactive afterwards.  I guess one of DH's coworkers/bosses has a huge pill he takes that he has to stay home for a couple days because he is told by drs to not go near pregnant women, young kids, elderly/immune-challenged people...Essentially staying away from people in general tends to be his best bet when he takes that meds (couple times a year)...So maybe ask your FIL since he has gone through chemo if he had ever heard that in his prep instructions before...?  People going through treatments that can affect people they know/come into contact with typically are given instructions as to who they should be limiting contact with for the safety of those other people as well as their own...

jknallen

I will certainly be asking my doctor about that one!  I will also have my mom ask her doctor when she goes to meet him on Thursday and I will get DH to ask my FIL's doctor because FIL is older (75) and a lot of the time doesn't hear the instructions right......the beginning of his treatment was awful, we had to go and get everything straightened out and stuff so that we knew what was going on so we could tell him.  He most likely will have no idea.  But I will certainly look into a lot more.

I do see the radiation thing but I thought that chemo was something different and didn't have radiation stuff in it.  But I will find out soon.

kiki_1218

I work on a large Oncology floor at a hospital. Pregnant woman can't administer chemo but can be around people receiving chemo. You just don't want to touch their urine or other body fluids.

britishbride05

Chrissy-n-Tim:

I work on a large Oncology floor at a hospital. Pregnant woman can't administer chemo but can be around people receiving chemo. You just don't want to touch their urine or other body fluids.

can i just "wow" about your weight loss!  that's motivational!!

skinnursemandee

madameprimm:

People who receive chemo are radioactive. For example, my mother has to take chemo pills occasionally because of her thyroid cancer. When she takes them, nobody can use anything after her (toilet, cups, etc). We can't touch her, and we have to keep the pets away from her.

 

This is incorrect.  She was taking Radioactive Iodine pills. Which will cause her to be radioactive.   I had cancer and was on chemo and had radiation.  The chemo is okay to be around anyone as long as you do not touch our body fluids.  Radiation is different, they request no pregnant women be in contact, no sharing of utensils, double flush toilets etc.

Due to damage done to my body from chemo etc, I had to have my thyroid radiated with RAI Pills which is also used for thyroid cancer.

kiki_1218

britishbride05:

Chrissy-n-Tim:

I work on a large Oncology floor at a hospital. Pregnant woman can't administer chemo but can be around people receiving chemo. You just don't want to touch their urine or other body fluids.

can i just "wow" about your weight loss!  that's motivational!!

Aw thank you!

jmrussell03

At the hospital I work for, pregnant nurses are not assigned to care for any patient who has had chemo in the last 4 months. It is due to radioactivity that can be potentially harmful to unborn children.

jmrussell03

This is from Cancer.org...

Chemotherapy drugs are dangerous to others in these ways:

• They can cause abnormal changes in DNA. (They are mutagenic.)

• They may be able to alter development of a fetus or embryo, leading to birth defects. (They are teratogenic.)

• They may be able to cause another type of cancer. (They are carcinogenic.)

• Some may cause localized skin irritation or damage.

If you have any questions, go to this site and it can answer many for you. People receiving chemo are supposed to follow certain precautions like double flushing toliets and washing soiled linens apart from other things.

You should have no real reasons to worry. Happy and  healthy pregnancy to you!

jillian6

pregnant nurses take care of patients on oncology floors. if they have implanted radiation you can't go around them. i'm a nurse and i take care of people who are in the middle of treatments. i don't administer because i'm not on that type of floor, but i do have patients that are being seen on an outpatient basis.

Corrine10

skinnursemandee:

madameprimm:

People who receive chemo are radioactive. For example, my mother has to take chemo pills occasionally because of her thyroid cancer. When she takes them, nobody can use anything after her (toilet, cups, etc). We can't touch her, and we have to keep the pets away from her.

 

This is incorrect.  She was taking Radioactive Iodine pills. Which will cause her to be radioactive.   I had cancer and was on chemo and had radiation.  The chemo is okay to be around anyone as long as you do not touch our body fluids.  Radiation is different, they request no pregnant women be in contact, no sharing of utensils, double flush toilets etc.

Due to damage done to my body from chemo etc, I had to have my thyroid radiated with RAI Pills which is also used for thyroid cancer.

THIS. People going through regular chemo are perfectly fine to be around. If someone is going through radioactive iodine treatment it is for their thyroid and they should  not come around you and you would be told if they were in the hospital to not go around them. They have strict instructions as to what they need to do until the radioactivity is out of their system. (This is part of my job as a Nuclear Med. Tech.). You are perfectly fine to go around someone going through chemo. I do it for my job almost every day. They are not radioactive.

 

jknallen

That is what I thought and what made me confused.  I didn't think that a person being around someone just getting chemo was dangerous.  Radiation is a different story.  And obviously I wouldn't be touching anyone's bodily fluids regardless if they were on chemo or not.  Thanks guys!

britishbride05

Remember, it's up to the hospital, as well.  If you're visiting someone in the hospital, they many not allow pregnant women or children because other patients may be receiving radiation therapy.  The hospital my uncle is at (a hospital that specializes in oncology) does no allow pg women at all, regardless of the type of chemo the patient is undergoing. 

luckyangel

My father just finished chemo...its not that theyre considered radioactive...its that chemo is designed to make the body spawn off the bad cells and rid itself of them.  Those cells are cancerous, and CAN be picked up by another person's body and they don't know at this point if that can cause cancer in another person or not. I wasn't allowed around him for the 1st 24-48 hours after a chemo treatment but after that it was fine.

He also had a radioactive isotope test done and at that time I was not allowed around him for 3 days because of radiation, but that was a different issue completely.

My dad was even told he had to flush the toilet 3 times after he went to the bathroom and wipe everything he touched including the toilet seat and flusher handle down with antibactieral wipes because his body would be ridding itself of cells through urine and anyone who went to the bathroom after him could pick those cells up.

mjwink1

??I am extremely concerned about all the misinformation people are posting in reply. ?I have been an oncology nurse for 5 years and I work in a chemotherapy clinic, and I am pregnant and administering chemo all day and touching/being around people undergoing treatment all the time. ?My OB is aware and completely agrees that the protective measures I take are adequate to protect me and baby. ?When I administer chemo, I use personal protective equipment like chemo-proof gloves and gowns, but that is only so I do not spill any of the chemo on myself, not because of contact with the patient. ?Yes,?it is true that people with radioactive implanted seeds for diseases like prostate cancer should not be around pregnant people, as they are emitting radiation, but people receiving typical IV or oral chemo cannot hurt you, as long as you do not come into contact with their blood, vomit, urine, or semen. ?Also, patients undergoing external beam radiation are not dangerous after their treatments and are absolutely NOT radioactive. You can touch them and kiss them (their saliva is NOT dangerous). ?Those receiving chemo just need to double flush the toilet before you use it after them. ?Sharing cups, etc, is not really dangerous to you, but potentially unsafe for them as they are much more susceptible to germs and developing an infection from other people that may be sick or carrying something. ?You can certainly be around your FIL and mother during their treatments, just be sure for their protection to wash your hands often and do not bring the baby around them if baby is sick at all. ?Hope this clarifies things and helps! ?Take care and best wishes for your FIL and Mom!