How to handle nursing after a nuclear medicine test

[MizLiz]

(Cross posting this in Health and Healing)

Hi Mamas,

I need to have a radioactive dye test next week for some liver issues I have and I'm wondering how this might affect nursing my toddler.  She'll be 4 in April and she really hardly nurses at all.  I'm not sure that there's even milk anymore - sometimes she'll skip a day of nursing all together, but usually she nurses 1 or 2 times a day for a few minutes when she goes to sleep.

The radioactive dye will be in my system for about 12 hours after the test, and if my daughter was smaller and nursed a significant amount then I'd pump off and discard any milk at the end of this time.  I can't imagine that I'd be able to pump any milk at all, though, as my supply is really low (if there's any there at all anymore), but I'm wondering if it will be safe to let her nurse at all if I can't get any milk out myself... I don't want to wean her because of this test, but I don't want to expose her to anything nasy, either.

Any words of wisdom to pass my way?

Thanks!

~Liz

[fruitfulmomma]

There is some good info here...

http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/radioisotopes.html

I had an MRI with contrast in mid Jan. and my daughter was 25mo and she is still nursing a lot. I was told 48 hours by the man who did it and he said that is what the manufacturer of the dye said, but according to above info. I felt comfortable pumping and dumping for 12 hours and then let her nurse.

I've been reading more though and if I am understanding correctly I could have used the milk later instead of dumping, so

I think you would be fine skipping a day of nursing and then proceeding as normal after that.

[MizLiz]

Thanks for the link - there's lots of useful info on that site (I have heard about it but never actually checked out kellymom.com before).  I feel better about going for my test knowing that it isn't going push us towards weaning before my dd is ready.