I am just introducing myself. My husband has had 9 of 33 RTs. The MO and RO told him to expect a sunburn on the outside of his neck and the fatigue would probably be too unbearable to work after 4 weeks approx. He is very fatigued already and can't hardly eat anything. We were never told about the possibility of feeding tubes being required.

I've been reading the boards and learning some food ideas.

Thanks. This board is very helpful.

Welcome to OCF, Stacey! Glad you have found this site to help you both get thru everything. Im sorry your husband is beginning to feel the effects of his treatments.

Nutrition and hydration will play a huge role in how easily he gets thru this. Every single day he needs at least 2500 calories and 48 oz of water. If he does not have a feeding tube this can be tough to get down especially when his throat is sore. On the main forum pages there is a green box for Amazon. If you click that and go thru this for shopping, OCF will get a 6% kick back which can greatly help us to help you. The reason Im telling you about the link is that when I was doing radiation I would use Carnation very High Calorie, this is now made by Boost. Its still the same price about $44 a case. Each can is 560 calories so that may be something you would want to order for him to drink. If he is still able to eat he may be able to eat away with only about 3 of these per day for now. If things get more difficult for your husband, then he would need to drink 5 a day to get enough nutrition.

Along with the feeding tube (which can still be given if necessary) there is the nasal tube. That one requires no surgery and its more of a temporary measure. Keep that in the back of your mind if you see him begin to really struggle with his intake. Pay very close attention to what he takes in so he doesnt over estimate his intake. When feeling bad, a patient can easily think they have taken in enough. It happened to me and I should have known better.

Best wishes with everything!

Christine,

Thank you for the wishes and thoughts. I will use the Amazon link for all of my purchases in the future. I've been trying to watch his intake but he is not so happy about that.

I know that nutrition is very important. He has been drinking apple juice and sweet tea but not very much.

Is there a reason that 48 ounces of water is required during this time? I might have better luck with him if I can explain the reason.

Thanks again!

Hi there welcome. You do not want your husband to become dehydrated and malnourished - that's why nutrition and hydration is so important. It's the building blocks of healing. Tell him to try smoothies, a little fruit, dairy or almond milk, and some protein powder. It will help him. Feel a little more energetic. Otherwise he will end up in the hospital. Hugs and best of luck. Most of us have been there so we know what he's going through. Take care.

Most if not all of our cancer docs have always told us 48ozs of water a day not counting those consumed with food. Trust us he will make it much easier on himself if he (and that means you as the enforcer) consumes at least 2500 cals and 48 ozs of water each and every day from now until at least the end of his first year POST Tx. Always keep in mind that each person can react differently to this Tx but my guess would be that 80% of us really really suffered from week 4 thru week 3 post Tx. Most all of us lost a significant amount of body weight whether or not we had a feeding tube so please make sure he understands the importance of this.

Also does he have Fluoride trays?

Make sure his TSH levels are tested and recorded for possible future use.

No mention of chemo but I'm sure he will have it. What kind?

Were his cancer cells tested for HPV?

All of this is good advice, Stacey. I found that after perhaps 2 weeks of rads I was only able to eat a liquid diet. For me it was the Ensure clones, of which there are many and they will all keep you going.

David CPA is one of the real experts here and I never disagree with him (honest, David!), although in this case I find one teensy little point of departure. That is: I had surgery and radiation but my team did not feel that I needed chemo, and they have been proven right (so far, nearly 4 years out). In my case it was decided because the cancer had not spread outside the 2 malignant nodes, i.e. extra-capsular spread.

From reading many of these posts I've found that this is not entirely uncommon. But as always I'm looking to learn from those who know more.

At any event, I wish you and your husband all good things during this difficult treatment. With your help I know he'll make it through. And please do ask us any questions no matter how trivial they might sound to you. Someone will usually have an answer or at least be able to point you in the right direction.

My husband balked at having to drink so much until he realized that on days he did not get enough fluids, he felt nauseous and really crappy. The feeling is not pleasant at all. Even half a day of not getting enough fluids can throw him off. Now I keep a running record on the ipad of how much fluids and calories he has taken in and show it to him at about 3 p.m., and if it is not enough, he will still have time to make it up.

I would put out 4 bottled waters every night. Next day it was up to me to finish those water bottles in that day before putting out 4 more for the next day.

Cheryld,

Thank you for the advise. Greatly appreciated.

Hi Stacey,
I'm sorry you and your hubby are going through this battle, but very glad you have found us. You will not be alone the rest of your journey!!
One of the things DavidCPA pointed out was that this pain and whatnot will last for most likely up to 3-4 weeks AFTER the end of tx. If your hubby is having so much pain already, I'm thinking a feeding tube might be in order. Talk to your docs and see what they say, then go for it. It grossed my husband out, but he did use it a few times when things were really bad. He put some of his liquid meds in it too!!
Something we did with the fluid thing...our nurse said one of the signs of dehydration that was easy to find was a low bp, so we got a home bp kit and when he got crabby or groggy I would take his bp and almost every time it was very low so he would have no choice but to go to the docs for fluids. If he can't drink enough and the tube doesn't work either, you can check with your ro and see if they can set him up for fluids a few times a week. We did this throughout our induction chemo and also through rads. Not all docs do it though.
Christine is right, he will need to keep up with the nutrition as well as the hydration in order to stay out of the hospital, but you, as his caregiver, can only do so much. Our guys can be stubborn and sometimes just have to learn the hard way.
One of the foods Kevin could eat for most of his tx was scrambled eggs that were a bit runny. Not gross runny, but just enough that they could slide down! He also ate pasta with lots of butter, also slid down nicely!
I know this is a scary, exhausting and frustrating situation for you and it really sucks, but you can do it. There are many caregivers here who will be here for you. We've all been there and know EXACTLY what you are going through.
I hope this helps a little. Everyone will tell you to try to take time for you. You do need to do that, but sometimes just an extra long hot shower and a good cry would be all I would need to go forward!
Blessings Lady. Hang in there.
Kathy
PS...the 4 bottle idea is a great idea. I think it helps when you know the goal and can see yourself accomplishing it. If you can get past your stubborn self!! ;o)