That's one of the rarer side effects with Erbitux, usually seen in the initial or 2nd infusion, severe allergic reaction, and cardiac arrest. It's good someone took notice, and made the switch. I had a different reaction on the 7th day, after my 5th day of infusions, but already went home, but had to be admitted to a local hospital. Carboplatin, is related to Cisplatin, but with less adverse effects, in some aspects.

If your father is not able to drink enough water, at the hospital they can give him fluids. It will need a doctors prescription. Becoming dehydrated will make him feel awful, Im sure even your father would say something if that happened. Its not a big deal to get a couple bags of fluids in the chemo lab. It will make him feel much better. So keep that in the back of your mind for the upcoming weeks in case his drinking capabilities diminish.



PS... Shannette....Scroll to the top and look next to the "My Stuff" tab. You should see a blinking envelope, click on that to read the message I sent you. Its about navigating the forum easier and making a signature.

Hi Shannette,

I'm just starting treatment so I'm a newbie in comparison to most on the boards. I spoke with my team about a PEG but they all feel that I'll be fine.

My RO put me on Gabapentin (Neurontin) a few weeks before I started treatment and so far so good with my throat. It helps to reduce or eliminate pain associated with sores in the mouth and throat. I'm 7 rads (of 30) and 1 chemo (of 6) into treatment and I have no throat issues (yet). Upon examination last Friday, I had redness in my throat but I couldn't feel anything. I'm also rinsing with the baking soda/salt/glutamine 4-8 times a day.

It's my goal to do this without a PEG but we'll see. So far, I've maintained my weight over the last few weeks. I'm eating pretty well despite swallowing issues from surgery. Protein shakes have been a huge plus in that (Whey protein, whole milk, fruit, glutamine). I have at least 2 a day in addition to any solids I can get down.

I was a smoker and my cancer is HPV related too (a double whammy!) but should respond well to treatment. Shingles is a form or herpes (herpes zoster) caused by the chicken pox and yes, both HPV and HSV can lie dormant and one would never know they had it. A weakened immune system can trigger an outbreak and treatment can do that so keep an eye for that.

Positive thoughts and prayers for your Dad!

"T"

More power to your dad, hopefully he'll get through it without needing the tube... Hugs!

Thanks so much, all! His doc looked at his mouth last week and said the inside was red, but didn't really see any sores. I think my Dad's biggest issue is taste and just not really feeling like eating, rather than the physical problems with his mouth/throat due to mouth sores and what not.

Hi Shannette

Lack of taste and loss of appetite can be just as debilitating as physical pain.

Alex's doctor and I made the nearly fatal mistake of thinking that with the right attitude, Alex could "just do it". Well he couldn't and he ended up in hospital. Please understand that whilst some of it can be overcome with attitude and perserverance, sometimes it can not and this is the time that your Dad needs support rather than nagging.

Alex's taste disturbance and complete lack of hunger was so bad that he would throw up if he forced himself to consume more than 3-4 mouthfuls of soft food or 50 mLs of formula. The mucousitis (ulcers and rawness) is caused by both chemo and radiation and in the case of chemo, goes right the way through the digestive tract. This means there may be issues lower down that the doctor can't see that is still impacting on his ability to eat.

By all means encourage him to eat, and nag him just a little bit, but be aware it might be much much harder than just mind over matter and he needs as much support when he can't do it as when he can.

Update: My Dad has decided to get a feeding tube. He can barely get water down, which by reading your posts I had told him this might happen. He is just one of those who doesn't want to just "take your word. ". He had to try without a tube, just to see if he can make it.

Anyways, he knows now he needs a tube to get adequate nutrition and hydration. Did any of you have one put in this far into treatments? He is a little over halfway through. Treatment is scheduled to be done April 25, unless this feeding tube procedure makes that date later.

There have been many members who have gotten feeding tubes half way thru or even at the very end of their treatments. Its a good tool to help keep him hydrated and with enough calories. He still needs to continue to take sips of water several times per day even if it hurts. Believe it or not, a person can easily lose their ability to swallow after just a couple days of not doing it. This can be a huge problem down the road so please tell him he MUST swallow water every single day.

Best wishes with the surgery. He may be sore for a couple days after getting the tube. Ask if he can have a visiting nurse to help him learn to use the tube and ask for a pump so he can do feedings while watching tv or even while sleeping.

Good luck!!!

So......since my recent post about my Dad wanting a feeding tube, he blended 2 scoops of ice cream and a can of peaches and drank it. Ha. He said if he knew for a fact his throat wouldn't get any worse, he wouldn't get a tube, but since he doesn't know, he wants to have one just in case. He certainly knows the importance of continuing to use his throat and swallowing muscles. He says he will not become dependant on the tube. Just use it to up his calories and when absolutely necessary.