My dad is done with his chemo for 7 weeks and only has 5 more radiation treatments. He has made it through all this without a PEG! We are really glad the radiation is almost over. He says that is the hardest part and that the chemo is the easy part. In 7 weeks, he will do 3 months of weekly chemo, having it 3 weeks in a row then one off.

He is already telling is what all he want to eat when he can again. How soon did you all start eating any type of solid food again?

Thank you all for your support on this forum!

Thats excellent news!!! Im so glad your father is doing so well.

Hang in there, there are still a few bad weeks coming before it gets easier. Unfortunately radiation gets progressively harder as time goes on, even after its over it continues to work which makes it rough for the patient.

I was struggling to eat thru out my treatments. I began eating again about 3 weeks after finishing. Canned peaches and chicken and stars soup were easy foods for me. Here is a list that will help your father with his eating.

Easy to Eat Foods List

Good for your dad! It is. Tough treatment, so glad he has done well.

So happy to hear that your Dad is so close to end of treatment. At that point in my treatment, I found the last few treatments and first weeks post treatment to be about the same (in terms of pain, discomfort). I am 3 weeks post treatment and just beginning to think about solid foods (though I have a PEG). I had a few canned peaches without issue. I am going to start on Ensure and step up from there.

Congratulations on being so close to the end!

Nancy

Has anybody else had the chemo after radiation that he is going to have? I just find this curious. Most induction chemo is first, then some chemo with radiation. I don't think I have ever seen anyone have chemo for so long after rads have ended. Input?

I am thinking I had read about have extra treatments in a trial study to see if it would help prevent recurrence. Could this be the reason?

Where was your Dad treated? That was a lot for HPV+ SCC! Re the eating....as soon as he wants to.... each of us can be different but I was so anxious I started eating solid foods 3 weeks post radiation. Started with mac n cheese, fruit cocktail, mashed potatoes w/ gravy in fact ANYTHING with gravy. I was never much of a sweets eater pre cancer but post cancer I found it was one of my strongest tastes so I have been making up for lost time ever since.

Hey, David. He is being treated at a cancer center in Plano, TX. Not too far from Dallas. I know his cancer was quite aggressive and from the beginning, the doctors said they were gonna hit him hard to make sure they kill it all and it doesn't come back.

As far as him having the extra chemo, the nurses said it's just an extra precautionary to make sure any little macrobiotic cancer cells are killed off so there will be a smaller chance of reoccurance.

Tomorrow is his last day!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sure everyone will breath a sigh of relief! Let's pray that's it!

It's called neoadjunct therapy, which is not new, or may even be considered as chemoprevention, I'm hearing more having this done after thier initial treatments. Lots of things factor in with eating solids again. One time it took me 5 months, just from chemo, another was 7 weeks after radiation and then 3 weeks for my last. You just have to relearn what you can eat and taste, which may take time. Good luck.

Awesome... hopefully he's begin to climb out of his hole soon...