I am hopeful I can get my husband to read some of your posts and realize HE IS NOT ALONE... He has 14 radiation treatments down, 18 to go, won't eat or drink anything, has IV fluids every other day, sleeps pretty constantly and is scheduled to see about having a G Tube placed next week. Claims he isn't in any pain currently, just depresed about the phlegm and overall ickyness of EVERYTHING. He says his fatigue is unimaginable. Gags/spits constantly and can't swallow anything including liquid meds.

I remember exactly where he is at. At 3 weeks left of radiation I crashed. Phlegm made sleeping longer that 15 minutes impossible and fatigue was consuming. Luckily I had a PEG and my husband "fed" me and pushed my meds through the PEG. I also did not have pain. Just get through it. It is almost over, about two weeks after it is over it turned around for me. I left on a trip 20 days after treatment ended and felt better each day. I am now 8 months after treatment and I feel great.

Welcome to the board, Shannon. I hope you get Jim to take a look. It really does help seeing how others have gotten on with life after those brutal treatments.

Shannon,

I'm three months out and feeling a great deal better. I remember those radiation days very well. Lots of sleep and laying in bed which is ok from here on out. Keep the nutrition and hydration up even when he hates it. It will give him the strength he will need to finish.

No pain is good....Have Jim read and post here if he wants. It's the only place I found where people understood what I was up against.

Kelly

I am just about 2 1/2 yrs since the 1st surgery and I am just now getting my energy back and feel great. As for the phlem, I just spent 2 hrs in a new type MRI and they did it 7 times. The phlem was so bad I had to swallow and not one pic came out. I understand about eating, but it's something that has to be to survive. Get you nan on here to read what others go thru and maybe he will realize he ain't alone.

Shannon,

It is imperative that you MAKE him, if necessary, consume 3000 cals and 48ozs of water each and every day EVEN if he is getting the IV's.

Speaking from painful experience here, if he thinks it's bad now he will make it far far worse by not keeping up with my recommendation above.

He will go thru a few stages including the thick stuff which will give way to a dry mouth condition but tell him this is all just part of the Tx.

Hi Shannon

Welcome to OCF. If your husband doesnt want to get online, you can always print these out for him. He is at the middle point where he is starting to see the effects of treatment.

You have been given some very good advice from David about drinking and nutrition. Thats what will make the difference in his capability to bounce back. He really must drink a few swallows daily or it will be so much worse down the road. Another very important thing most doctors dont tell people is to stretch their mouth open as wide as possible several times per day.

He must get nourishment daily somehow, this is one reason he feels so bad. If he isnt taking anything in, he will end up malnourished and dehydrated which will put him in the hospitil. He will feel much better once he increases his intake.

Musinex will help with the phlem. Meds can go down the PEG tube just make sure you rinse it before and after giving meds. Hope he gets the peg tube very soon.

Best of luck with everything.

Christine, I was taking mucinex and the Drs told me to stop it for some reason. I hope her husband can take it as you are right a rain in what you say. Listen to Christine and the others. We have all been where he is and survived with some types of nourishments.

Hey Shannon,

Good advice above and there is a light at the end of the tunnel for Jim. I was able to stay on my feet, doing lectures and odd tasks up until the half way point, then I climbed into this lazy boy chair and didn't move except to go in to the clinic and the dentist.

The pain I had was SWALLOWING and a horrible mouth. Onery as they come, I started to hit the pain meds hard just before umm "meals". Not even water would go in without morphine. Only once needed IV fluids that I recall. Using a vaporizer seemed to help keep the airways clear. Tell Jim "Just say YES to da drugs" if he will feel more comfortable.

By mid summer I was DRAGGING myself around the Cascades with a chainsaw helping an old friend clear downed trees. Complete with suspenders and bailing wire, cuz I didn't own pants that I could keep up, not even the ones from high school!

Almost 3 years since DX now and things still improve. Not back to normal, but getting close. People walk up to me on the street to say "Whoa, I heard you died! But here you are, and look pretty good too."

Eating better and gaining weight, finally thinking about scrounging up cash to hide in the mountians for a while this summer... However, the endurance and strength haven't quite returned, yet.

Now if it would help, I could put on a cheer leader outfit, dance around and cheer: Go Jim! Go Jim! Go Jim! ... But I think if YOU did that, it would be a much better visual for him. [{;-)

Hi Shannon and welcome to OCF. I hope your husband considers checking out the posts here. I know when I realized I wasn't alone it changed everything for me... I felt so much better. I have not had radiation but I know from reading here it is so important that gets calories and water.

I've had 4 partial glossectomies and after my 3rd I hardly ate or drank anything. It just hurt too much and I was mad. When I went to the doc for my follow up he said, you either drink at least 6 cans of Ensure a day and a lot of water or I will keep you in the hospital. As soon as I started to "eat" I felt much better and started to heal much fatser. I know my story is on a lesser scale but I think the fundamentals are the same. Our bodies need nutrition and water. Does your husband have a PEG?

If your husband isn't up to getting on the computer at least you are here. The caregivers need as much support as the patients.