Hey everybody!! I start rad & chemo monday 4/5. Reading evreyone's posts about radiation damage makes me nervous, but I'm going to get through this & beat it with the very best of you!! I'm back to eating evrything I can get my hands on. Can actually drink coffee or milk without clearing my throat the last couple of days, yay!! Some things still get hung up & make me cough, but being able to eat again has done so much for my attitude. I've actually put on a few pounds! It's amazing how the body adapts to so much change, ie:2/3rds of tongue gone! I am ready, so bring it on!! I hope I can stay this positive for a while & everyone else too. My heart goes out to all who have been touched by this disease. It certainly has changed me. I hope I can find a path through this that will lead me to a full life!
Erik,
Sounds like you are ready to go to war!!! Good for you. As you know it won't be easy, but it can be done. There are a bunch of people here that will try and help you as you progress through your treatments.
Just ask and we'll try to answer.
Take care,
Dinah
Go For It Full On.. I await new round of biopies and surgery I NEED YOUR ATTITUDE to get through... Good Luck
Helen
Hey Erik,
My prayers are with you. My husband is three weeks post 8 weeks of chemo/rad treatments. He made it and so can you! If your tongue is getting radiated, I would highly recommend a PEG tube. Dan has not been able to get anything through his mouth for 2 months now. He is regaining strength and feeling better just recently. Take care and have a great support system in place...it helped us tremendously!
Debbie
Hello Erik
You have such a positive attitude and from my experience I believe that it makes for a positive outcome. Try to laugh when you can, that also helps others around you as well as yourself.
I am wishing you well for your treatment.
from Helen, with love
Hi Debbie! I had peg installed before surgery & is already well used, believe me. Right now we're experimenting with other types of peg food that will agree with my system better. Isosource 1.5 just sits there & won't digest. I've got to have 7-8 cans a day so something has to work better. Might have been the oxycodone, but regular food seems to work just fine. I'll keep trying. Been off the narcotics for a while, so we'll see. Anybody read Lance Armstrong's "It's Not About The Bike"? I'm not much of a cyclist, but a couple of friends insisted I read it & I'm glad I did!!! Very inspirational!! Another inspiration was a dermitologist friend that chewed my butt when i was pissin' in my soup about my problems & he reminded me of all I still had to be grateful for, such as, I can walk, hell I can run, see, think, speak at least well enough I don't have to write on a note pad, full control of my bladder, colon, wonderful family, great life overall!!! Man, I could go on & on & on & on. Glass half full? Glass half empty? Which one is it? This disease simplifies things.
Keep up the positive attitude Erik. You will do well. There may be some bumps in the road but you can ask about anything on this forum. Someone seems to always have an answer.
Best of luck on your treatent!!!
Dan
Very good Erik!
In the book "cancer: the 50 essential things to do" the author mentions that if you can get out of bed then you are way better off than many. I say 7/8's full (at least)
Carry on!
Hey Erik,
Dan was supposed to use 8 cans of BoostPlus in his tube, and that was way too much to take in. I got some info from a friend and asked about any other nutrition and we were changed to Nutren 2.0 which has 500 calories a can, so between 4 to 5 sustains him. Also, the Boost was covered by our insurance, but the Nutren is...go figure. Just wanted to let you know there are many options out there, but we were not told about them until we specifically asked. Keep up the great attitude, and my husband read Lance's book while going thru chemo/rad and thought it was also inspirational. I need to get reading it!
Take care,
Debbie
Hi Erik...
Glad you are doing well. If you have aby questions about Virginia Mason just email me. MY CT from last week was clean so that's 10 mos. cancer free! Keep your good strong attitude, it really does help.
Khaja