Susan (and all):

My experience with this topic is personal, not referenced and
professional, so take it with what grains of salt you require.  My
sister-in-law has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer and the doctors say
she will require radiation therapy 6 weeks after surgery to remove the
thyroid.  Her baby is 10 months old now (will be 1 yr. at time of
radiation) and will have to be weaned.  The therapy in her case will
involve *three* days of isolation and radiation at the hospital, and then
after she gets home, a 2-3 week period in which she will not be
able to hold her baby (or other small children) due to accumulation of
radioactive agents in her excretory organs.  (As an aside, I've wondered
if she couldn't just do the surgery and forgo the radiation--it would be
a risk, but at age 28, radiation might be a future cancer risk in and of
itself).

I also have a friend whose husband has Hodgkin's, and as long as it's not
getting worse (he gets it checked regularly), he prefers to treat it with
non-traditional therapies, e.g., nutritional therapy, immune boosters,
etc.  If it begins to get worse, he may seek conventional treatment.

I would encourage this woman to discover what options are open to her
based on the state of her health.  Obviously, she will not want to
jeopardize her health or life, but she may be able to consider less
severe treatment than radiation.

Penny Piercy, LLLL, MOM (Patrick 4/6/93)
     from Bloomington, IN  ***  <[log in to unmask]>