Hi...

I also had a PIC line. I got my amifostine daily through the line and I had 4 one week long chemo sessions. I also had cisplatin and I had a pump I wore all week with 5FU. I think in this case the PIC line was necessary.

Khaja

Stephanie,

My mom loves him too. He does have a great personality and comes highly recommended by a lot of people (the dentist that my mom is seeing handles a large amount of patients from many different ENT's and has said nothing but really good things about him and how he is one of the best in the area). She has her first follow up appointment with him today. I will let you know how it goes. In the meantime I am going to see about getting her records over to the City of Hope just so somebody else can take a second look. It can't do any harm.

How did your moms surgery go? When does she start radiation and chemo?

Danielle

Danielle,

I do also think going to the City of Hope is a GREAT IDEA! I always think second, third, fourth, etc opinions are good. Especially in our cases here. My mom's surgery went well but we learned after the surgery it was once again in her jaw bone. She starts chemo and radiation next week and finishes her second prestimulation Thursday. Danielle, is there something I can do to help my mom going through the treatment? Any words of advice for me?

Khaja,

Thanks for your response. They want to do one a week for 5 weeks also of chem on my mom. Thanks Khaja for the advice, I hope you are doing ok

Stephany

Danielle,

Please call or email me privately. We found a new oncologist for my mom..NOT the one recommended by the ENT! Did your mom do IMRT radiation? I am so scared Danielle. ARe the side effects awful? Will the pain to her throat be terrible? Did your mom need a feeding tube? I hope she is ok.

Everyone.

My mom is going to do 7 weeks of daily IMRT radiation. The first oncologist wasnt going to do that kind of radiation and so we switched oncologists. He told her that the pain to the throat would be bad and that she would need a feeding tube. Is that true? What should I expect?

Thanks again
Stephany

Hi Stephany,

This subject is one we have talked about alot here. You will learn a great deal if you take the time to either search words (click the word "search" a the top of the page) or by simply looking back at the lists of previous posts.

You will find that you are not alone in this experience, and that your mother can do this! it is not always plesant, and each person has slightly different reactions.

Take care

Stephanie,

I posted a perfect response yesterday and somehow it got lost. Darn.... Yes my mom did get IMRT and she has a female oncologist who was excellent. Anyways it was really hard to watch my mom go through the radiation and chemo because she always recovered quickly from her surgeries and the recovery from radiation is really slow. The first five weeks were not that bad. It was the 6th week and the first week after treatment was over that was tough. Her neck and face got burnt and and kind of blistery (which has already cleared up). Her saliva got really thick which caused her to cough and often throw up (this has also subsided a lot just 4 weeks post radiation). Just follow the advice of all the people who have been through it and make sure she uses her pain meds. My mom was up to 4 pain patches at one time. Her mouth got full of sores within the first two weeks. I think she started the pain meds 3 weeks into it. My mom did not get a feeding tube or a PEG tube she lost a total of 30 pounds and now she is 5'8 135 pounds which is about perfect for her height. She is able to eat most soft foods and she is trying to drink and keep hydrated. Her appetite is really not that big anymore often she has to tell herself to eat and her taste is slowly coming back.

Take it one day at a time and cross off the days on a calendar and when she gets to the halfway point its a countdown from there and at least no that the treatments will end and then she will be on the road to recovery. I am so glad that my moms radiation is over because it is definately difficult to watch somebody you love go through this. She just had her 3 week check up on Tuesday and so far everything looks good. Let me know if there are any questions that I can answer or anything that I can help you with?

Danielle

Thank you Mark.

I did spend some time in here reading posts and have learned a lot. I am just scared about the pain and discomfort she will be in.

I have learned that so many of you have been so strong in coping with the treatments and it has encouraged me.

Thanks again Mark and God Bless you!

Stephany

Thank you Stephany,

Some of the things I post are "generic" like the search comment, so that other newcomers that are just finding us get a chance to "catch up".

Try not to worry about your mom, she will get by. I would do it all again if I had to (and could). Even though radiation stinks because of what it does to us, It also is a blessing that we have such technology. Worry just gets in the way of living, and your mother is automatically in better shape because of you being there.

Take care

Thank you Mark for your helpful words of wisdom and thank you Danielle for the insight on what to expect with my mom. I am so happy that your mom is doing better and on the road to recovery!! I do pray for her and your family.

Mark, I will pray for you also that you get through this. It sounds like you are doing great and have a great spirit!! I will pray that you remain cancer free. I too am thankful that we do have radiation and treatment available to us now but I definitely am scared for my mom

God Bless you all and I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers. She starts radiation this week and is doing IMRT for seven weeks (5 days a week). I am hoping she has minimal side effects.

Thanks again

Stephany

Stephany,
Dan has had a PEG tube since the 2nd day of beginning chemo/rad treatments. He couldn't take anything by mouth after three weeks of treatment. He is now one month post 8 weeks of treatments, and still cannot take anything by mouth. Everyone is different, but the PEG was vital to him because they radiated his tongue, throat and both sides of neck. He is feeling a bit better, but cannot swallow anything yet, not even water. He does make sure he swallows saliva or whatever is in there many times a day, so he doesn't lose the mechanism.
Take care, prayers are with you and your family!
Debbie