Hello Fellow Lactnetters,
    I haven't posted in a while, but read regularly and learn a lot.
    In my private practice I have a client diagnosed with Grave's disease.
MD wants to take immediate action requiring a 2 week temporary weaning due to
radiopharmaceuticals.  My questions for those who may have experience with
this are:
     1. Is it possible to use the milk mom pumps after allowing it to
decontaminate for a period of time and be tested with a Geiger counter?
    2. How would the milk be stored for this to happen?
    3. Where can we get milk tested for radioactivity?
    4. Is there any possible contamination of the rental breast pump?
    5. In your collective experience, what is the likelihood of a 5 1/2 month
infant returning to breast after a two week weaning and physical separation
from mother?
    6. What options have other mothers taken to avoid this situation?
    7. As her LC who is 34 weeks pregnant what precautions do I need to take
in having physical contact with her during the treatment time?
  The MD insists this treatment is urgent or mom will suffer heart damage,
not even allowing time for a second opinion.  Mom is willing to have a
thyroidectomy as opposed to the radioactive treatment so baby's weaning will
not be involved, but MD says it isn't done anymore.  There are a number of
family members who have this same problem and have had various treatments.
Is there a hereditary predisopsiton to this disease?
    Thanks in advance for your wise words.
Judy Gutowski, IBCLC - Hannastown, PA (30 miles east of Pittsburgh where it
is warm, humid and raining off and on today)

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