radiation treatments and pregnancy

southmiamiwifejen

So right before Christmas, my dad was diagnosed with salivary gland cancer. He has a very large tumor (about the size of a grapefruit) that starts in the parotid gland (near the throat) and goes all the way up almost to his ear canal. The good news is that it's a very treatable form of cancer that doesn't have a tendency to spread to other parts of the body. The doctors are pretty confident that with surgery (unfortunately a very complicated and invasive surgery) and radiation, he will eventually make a full recovery.

He is scheduled to have surgery on Feb. 6th and then about 4 to 6 weeks after surgery he will start to undergo radiation treatments. My parents had an appointment with his radiologist today and they didn't think to ask whether it would be safe for my dad to be around me when he is having radiation. To be honest, I didn't even think about it until this afternoon, well after the time of their doctor's appointment. Of course I started googling and I can't get a clear answer. Some sources are saying yes, that it's safe for a pregnant woman to be around someone who is undergoing radiation treatments, others say no, it's not. Some seem to indicate that it depends on the type or intensity of radiation the patient is receiving.

I still have plenty of time to get better answers before my dad starts his treatment. I have my next OB checkup the day after his surgery and of course this will be the first question I'll ask my doctor. My parents are also going to follow up with my dad's radiologist to see what he has to say about it. But in the meantime, I am absolutely FREAKING OUT at the thought of not being able to be around my dad for the last few months of my pregnancy. Even worse, one website I read said that a person undergoing radiation can not only not be around pregnant women, but also can't be around newborns. It will break my dad's heart if he cannot be around his first grandson right after he's born. Before I spend the whole weekend worrying myself sick about this situation, I figured I would post about it here to see if any of you guys had any personal experience or knowledge about this situation...maybe some of the doctors (Laura???) can give me an idea of what to expect?! Like I said, I'll know for sure by asking my doctor soon enough, but if you guys have any insight to get me through the next few days, I'd love to hear it. Thanks in advance!