Vin,

I reached the point that when the doctor just mentioned nausea as a side effect, I vomitted! :rolleyes: I increased my caloric intake to about 4000 for many months before the weight started coming back. I tried to walk and excercise daily and found that even a short walk daily gave me a little more energy. I am still tired more than I was before cancer and it has been 2 years (79 days, 1 hour and 3o minutes...but who's counting? eek ) since they delcared me "cancer-free".

I also found the key was taking extra doses of guafennisen (available over the counter), lots of water (weight / 2 for minimum ounces per day) and using the humidifier (even now).

Make sure they check for thrush, too. It doesn't always present the same in everybody and sometimes one doctor mentioned mucositis while another found thrush for me. That caused a lot of pain in my throat and tongue until I got rid of it.

Best wishes for the journey to take a better route soon! Your family member is so fortunate to have you walking with them!!

Ed


SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023