I dont know, maybe I'm a wimp, but it's been almost three week since my treatment is finished, and while there are times when I feel like I'm getting well, other times I feel like I'm still in treatment. It's like a rollercoaster ride. One minute I feel like there is hope I can get back to work soon (If I loose my job and benifits I'm going to be in real trouble) and the next minute I feel like I'm not getting better and this is going to be a long haul out of this pit. Is this normal? My last dose of Cisplatin it think was 11/12. When is this going to be over?

Mike, yes its normal what you are experiencing. There will be many ups and downs thru out your recovery period. Since you are right about 3 weeks post rads, very soon you will begin to feel a little better. Slowly the good days will outnumber the bad ones.

Hang in there, the worst really is over.

Hi, Mike
I see that you have no caregiver - OCF can't be there physically, but we can be your cheerleaders online.

This is a hard time of year to be coming out of therapy as it is wintery and dark out. Are you able to be a little bit active yet? I believe that my husband was able to recover as well as he did because of our daily walk with the dog. He was very frustrated by the two steps forward and one step back of recovery.

With the idea of returning to work, you might think about setting a 'work' schedule for yourself: maybe start with half an hour of reading related to your field, sitting up. Add a bit every other day. It will give you a schedule, and begin to build up your stamina without overdoing.

On a positive note, you have completed treatment that is at the limit of human endurance, and you are recovering. Spring will come, and you will be ready for it.
Maria

It's very normal. I finished my recent treatment around the same time on 11/19. Radiation keeps working just as long as treatment did..6 weeks. Some relief comes around 3 weeks, as mentioned, and keeps improving, and will feel best by the 3rd month, but dry mouth will probably continue, taste change, as well as other issues, take longer. Good luck.

Hang in there. It's all normal and can be very frustrating, but it WILL get better in a few more weeks! It's different for everyone, but if you are already trying to get back to work you sound determined and that's a good thing. Kevin finished 10/26 and went back to work on January 5th in the Artic of Alaska! It can be done, but he was very tired and weak when he went back. They let him rest each day in the afternoons. Course, they work 12.5 hour days for 21 days straight. He only worked 14 his first time back. Like you, we couldn't lose the benefits so he pushed through.
Stay strong and give yourself a break when you need it. You are not weak if you need to rest. Your body is healing from a major battle. Just know the light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter, even when it doesn't seem like it!!
Kathy

Thanks for the encouraging words! I just don�t understand how these symptoms can disappear and then come back like they were never gone. The biggest issue it seems is with the saliva. It went from the thick yellowish stringy type to plain white and foamy (with dry mouth). I started to feel better when that was the case, even cleaning my house and wanting to get out a bit just to get out. But then that terrible saliva came back and I was sick all over again. It seems like there is a connection between the bad saliva and feeling nauseous and sick to my stomach. I don�t know if the saliva causes the nausea, or the nausea causes the saliva. It seems like the bad saliva is what causes the loss of taste. I�m trying to start to eat solid food, which I think I can physically, its just that it tastes SO BAD that it actually gets me sick to eat. Then I just go back to pumping ensure to get my calories, which is not helping my recovery. If I can build some energy, get rid of this silva, and start eating some food without the tube, I would think I should be good to go back to work.

Mike,
I just asked Kevin about the thick saliva on and off and he said he still actually gets that sometimes. He said he just hacks it up and spits it out when it's really bad. He said to tell you that food will be nasty in the beginning, but it seemed for him the more he stimulated his taste buds the better it got. He drank a ton of water and tea in the beginning of recovery. I remember that. I can remember him eating dinner with us and saying "is this good?" The kids all told him it was delicious and he would just shake his head and eat it. Now he can taste things, but sweet is pretty much gone. He would also take the antinausea stuff before dinner sometimes.
So sorry. Hang in there. Plug your nose and eat!!! Just kidding!
Kathy

I became a world class spitter for a while there. Yea it can nauseate you and make you feel horrible. Recovery is a roller coaster ride but you will begin to feel better slowly - hugs!

Thank you all for your replies. This feedback and experiences are invaluable. I don�t know how anyone can go through this on their own. Thank you!

The first month post-radiation was just terrible for me and I was very mad that the Docs did not warn me that it would be. After a month things got very gradually better but I could at least tell that things were improving. Milk products created thick phlegm so I avoided them.

I'm now 19 weeks post radiation and the only annoying side effects that I still have are dry mouth, for which my ENT prescribed Pilocarpine, which has just kicked in after taking it a month, and numb soles of my feet from the chemo.