Todd finished his chemo on 3/27, rad on 4/27. Been in and out of hospital with dehydration, weakness and recently he blacked out hitting his head on the baseboard corner requiring 8 interior stiches and 8 staples. He will only take 2 cans of Jevity a day (474 cal) and 1000 cc through the G tube. He is 6'2" and started at 232lbs - lost 53 lbs to date. He is in bed 24/7, very neausous, weak and pale. The OC can't explain why he is not getting beter. The primary care Dr ran tests in the hospital and everything was normal. I am very scared and don't know where to turn. I think if he gets more nutrition he will start to heal but he is afraid to eat, even thru the G tube, because of being sick to his stomach. The good news is that the cancer seems to have disapated and will be confirmed at the CT scan on June 5th. Could this lead to anorexia? PLEASE HELP!!

Primary Tonsil Cancer - Into Lymphnodes. Stage IV

Linda, I think you are right on about Todd needing to get going fast with food and liquids!
Has he tried an anti nausea med to take 30 mins. before he eats? Have youall tried anything besides Jevity? A different mix might sit better with him. As to the sleeping- my husband did the same for at least a month after rad ended, and many folks here will tell you that the rad. knocked them cold for several months after it was over. Are you keeping track of his blood pressure?
Did he black out while trying to stand up or what? He is obviously very weak righ now. If the effort of standing makes him dizzy, have him sit up, rest a minute, put his legs on the floor and stay in that position for a count of 10 t0 15, then stand slowly. His blood pressure could be dropping when he stands. Also, I would have a cane or a walker handy in case he gets dizzy. Remember ,He's not very far out of treatment and this recovery is slow going.It sounds like the Docs are encouraged about his prognosis. That's good news. Just keep saying "One day at a time" Amy in the Oz.

Thanks Amy for your reply - it helps knowing somethings are to be expected. He was originally on Nutren supplement but it was too rich. He does drink an occasional Boost or Ensure. I went to the health food store and bought a high calorie/vitamin powder to mix with milk. I hope this will be OK to give him. He had stopped RAD for approx 2 1/2 wks due to him being in the hospital. The Dr added 4 treatments because of the lapse in time which he completed in 8days. He now says his tongue seems to be swollen and painful. But we are wondering why becasue he did not have RAD for awhile and then only 8 sessions in succession. Any ideas?

Linda,

If he only just finished his rad on 4/27 you should realize that the 2 to 3 weeks post Tx are the worse for just about everyone. I ended up in the hospital for 3 days in my 2nd weeks post Tx for serious fluids and foods. I thought I wouldn't make it because of the pain and nausea. Nothing stopped my nausea, nothing. I stopped taking all meds and fought thru the pain and the nausea went away. I also found Carnation IB VHC and by the end of my 3rd week I felt like I was going to make it, like I finally walked out of the tunnel.

Linda, someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but my guess is that anyone who has more than a couple of rad. tx's is going to feel the consequences for a period of time afterward. The swollen tongue is possibly one of those consequences, [ does he appear to have thrush?] At this stage, you still have to be very vigilant about everything that is going on with him- not from the standpoint of looking for more cancer- but from the standpoint of recovering from the treatment he has just gone through. This part can be nerve wracking because you both want it over, but it will still be a while yet. Hang in there. Amy in the Oz

robin has lost a further 10 lbs since his Radiation finished and this is purely down to the fact that he will not take enough nourishmnet.He gets dizzy and is a litle disorientated at times,and when he starts to feel really ill he goes back on the full routine and within a few days he seems to pick up again.Week three he spent mostly in bed couldnt talk wouldnt drink water and seemed to be fading away.Week 4 he started to attempt solids and he is drinking like a fish.Dont lose hope it will come good in the end.

Ask the DR about medication for the puking.
The more liquid you can get in him the better.
Our DR said to eat everything he could because the healing really uses the calories.
It isn't easy being the caregiver I know.
You can do it, just be sure to ask for help, or to vent when you need to.
It will help you a heck of a lot and that in turn helps him.
Maggie

I was nauseaous on the first formula ( I think it was the Jevic) which I used with the peg tube. I would have a feeding and then many times just throw it all up.

They switched the formula and this made a huge difference. No more nausea and I am able to take the proper amount of calories for me along with extra fluids with no problem.

My only current problem is trying to get back to "real" eating!

Linda,

I could not keep anything down even using the PEG tube. After losing about 60 lbs I aksed for TPN feedings through the mediport. I spent months feeding that way and still didn't gain wait for almost a year with about 4,000 calories a day. It takes time but I really had to work on the dehydration, too. I had 2-3 bags of fluid in my mediport for 4 months as well. I blacked out more than once right after radiation.

As a general rule I was told 1 month recovery for every week of radiation but I felt that was a joke until I found it to be a bit conservative even. I know everyone is different but Todd's circumstances really parallel mine.

Ed