Nothing like lying on the table and mid rads everything stops. I got about 1/3 of my treatment done today and the machine died. I broke the machine. I feel great today, more energy than I have had since this all began. I think it is the fact that I did not get a full dose of rads, but I did get chemo today.
I also so my MO and got lecture that I had lost too much weight. He did say in fun that this plan seems to be working for me though, but not to lose to much more.

nice little break huh!! same thing happened to my hubby, except they broke down before his treatment. for some reason he WASNT upset-go figure!
keep a close eye on that weight. the last thing u want now is to be hospitalized, which can happen if u loose too much weight.
so far my hubby is holding his weight. he started his IMRT/cisplatin the same day u did but missed a couple of days due to the PEG surgery on 12/07.

I do not think i have to worry about losing to much weight, cause I had it to lose anyway. One good thing, I am not longer on blood pressure medicine cause my weight has gone down so much and my blood pressure is right were it needs to be. I am afraid now that I love the weight loss I have been experiencing I do not want to stop losing. I have been trying got years and nothing has worked. It is working now, and that is the only good thing to come of this. I did tell him I would try to eat more, but I really really really do not want to use the PEG. Something about a feeding tube just freaks me out.

I was "lucky" as my machine never broke down with me.

Re the weight loss, you must continue to pour in the calories and the water (you will still most likely lose weight) but you have to be careful in not giving your body enough fuel to fight not only the cancer but the effects of the Tx.

I lost 70lbs of mostly lean muscle, I wasn't in peak shape when diagnosed so I weighed a good 10-15lbs more then I should have. What we would call "water weight" or "sucking weight" before competing.

I was religious at making sure I got all of my shakes in and water, but the pounds just shed off me especially after surgery when I lost 40lbs very quickly. It's the most expensive diet plan ever if you are using it as such. Make sure you are getting all the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to keep yourself in the fight.

As a young mother you probably get plenty of exercise. But if you aren't, be certain to keep moving. A nice walk in the park or something similar on a regular basis. You don't want to lose muscle along with the weight.

Take care,
Eileen

Yes Angelia the weight loss is a silver lining. I too had pounds to loose and I did. However, you need to eat now and use that PEG - it isn't so bad really. For me the weight loss has continued and I am 7 months post TX. You just seem to use alot of calories with healing and recovery. You need to eat to keep your strength up for this ordeal.

Angelia....I hear what you are saying about the weight loss and I get it. I would love to lose some weight myself. However...you're body needs nutrition to fight for you. We can't expect our bodies to work for us if we don't nourish them. Please don't let the weight loss effect (however good it is) effect you using the PEG. I know I have not had one and I don't understand that part but I encourage you to use it.

When you felt like you had more energy...did you eat that day?

After one of my surgeries I wasn't eating. It hurt too much and I was mad and just didn't eat. I was in so much pain and when I went to see the doc he told me you either drink at least 6 cans of Ensure a day or your staying in the hospital. I just wasn't giving my body what it needed. Hang in there....this will be over soon and like the others said...you will probably lose weight anyway.

Hi Angelia,

I lost too much weight, more than 20%. My doctors were totally pissed off and said I would have to be hospitalized if I did not stop. I was 100% on the PEG by week 4. Shoving those cans of Jevity down was dificult. In the end I had to wake up at 2 am each day to take pain meds and have a can of Jevity.
The other and I think more interesting problem was dehydration. That was causing more problems. So I had to be dilligent to force lots of fluid down the ol' PEG all the time. Mostly Gatoraid but water too.

My main problem with the weight loss was the loss of muscle mass. I have little bird legs now and no ass. All my old pants just fall off and I get cold very easy. This is funny too. several weeks ago, about two weeks before my PET I was feeling my chest and felt a lump at the end of my breast bone. I was thinking, OMG it metastisized to bone cancer!. I had the PET, all clear, when I spoke to the MO he said that everyone has the lump there, I just noticed it due to the muscle loss in my chest

so eat eat eat drink drink drink, your body needs it

Steve

I am drinking all the time, but my throat is starting to hurt so bad. I want to be able to keep swallowing, but at the same time I keep thinking as long as I do not swallow it will not hurt, you know? I am sure you do. I did get some liquid lortab that I can put in the tube, and will be using that diligently. I dirnk water all the time, and was given some Juven, whatever that is to help build muscle mass and help keep the muscle mass I do have.