diff --git a/alternator/streams.cc b/alternator/streams.cc
index f7109d579d..6a1273eb14 100644
--- a/alternator/streams.cc
+++ b/alternator/streams.cc
@@ -563,6 +563,19 @@ shard_iterator::shard_iterator(const sstring& s, size_t i)
 }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Increment a timeuuid. The lowest larger timeuud we 
+ * can get (tm)
+ */
+static utils::UUID increment(const utils::UUID& uuid) {
+    auto msb = uuid.get_most_significant_bits();
+    auto lsb = uuid.get_least_significant_bits() + 1;
+    if (lsb == 0) {
+        ++msb;
+    }
+    return utils::UUID(msb, lsb);
+}
+
 template<typename ValueType>
 struct rapidjson::internal::TypeHelper<ValueType, alternator::shard_iterator>
     : public from_string_helper<ValueType, alternator::shard_iterator>
@@ -611,7 +624,7 @@ future<executor::request_return_type> executor::get_shard_iterator(client_state&
             threshold = *seq_num;
             break;
         case shard_iterator_type::AFTER_SEQUENCE_NUMBER:
-            threshold = utils::UUID_gen::max_time_UUID(utils::UUID_gen::unix_timestamp(*seq_num));
+            threshold = increment(*seq_num);
             break;
         case shard_iterator_type::TRIM_HORIZON:
             threshold = utils::UUID{};
@@ -826,7 +839,9 @@ future<executor::request_return_type> executor::get_records(client_state& client
             {
                 auto item = rjson::empty_object();
                 describe_single_item(*selection, row, attr_names, item, true);
-                rjson::set(dynamodb, op == cdc::operation::pre_image ? "OldImage" : "NewImage", std::move(item));
+                if (!item.ObjectEmpty()) {
+                    rjson::set(dynamodb, op == cdc::operation::pre_image ? "OldImage" : "NewImage", std::move(item));
+                }
                 break;
             }
             case cdc::operation::update:
@@ -844,18 +859,20 @@ future<executor::request_return_type> executor::get_records(client_state& client
             maybe_add_record();
         }
 
-        if (records.Size() != 0) {
-            auto ret = rjson::empty_object();
-            rjson::set(ret, "Records", std::move(records));
-            shard_iterator next_iter(iter.shard, *timestamp);
+        auto ret = rjson::empty_object();
+        auto nrecords = records.Size();
+        rjson::set(ret, "Records", std::move(records));
+
+        if (nrecords != 0) {
+            // #9642. Set next iterators threshold to > last
+            shard_iterator next_iter(iter.shard, increment(*timestamp));
             rjson::set(ret, "NextShardIterator", next_iter);
             _stats.api_operations.get_records_latency.add(std::chrono::steady_clock::now() - start_time);
              return make_ready_future<executor::request_return_type>(make_jsonable(std::move(ret)));
         }
 
         // ugh. figure out if we are and end-of-shard
-        return cdc::get_local_streams_timestamp().then([this, iter, high_ts, start_time](db_clock::time_point ts) {
-            auto ret = rjson::empty_object();
+        return cdc::get_local_streams_timestamp().then([this, iter, high_ts, start_time, ret = std::move(ret)](db_clock::time_point ts) mutable {
             auto& shard = iter.shard;            
 
             if (shard.time < ts && ts < high_ts) {