| | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) |  Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 | Bet you are glad to be home. Hope you are feeling better everyday. Sorry to hear of your little guys passing. Love the names 
ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive | | | | | Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 489 Platinum Member (300+ posts) | | Platinum Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 489 | Pete sorry that you lost one of your little friends. What made you want to have rats for pets?? Are you using a machine for your feeding tube feedings or doing them with the gravity method?? I think that the machine would be useful because I could try yo go all day without stopping to eat. By the way you are silly about the bath tub  - I really did not know not to cover the tube up until I read it here on one of the blogs. I guess swimming is out too. One of the biggest problems that I had with my tube when I first got it was that it would come open and I would get soaked with whatever while I was out trying to get something done or on my way to the doctor or something. Now most of my spills are at home when the big syringe comes out or something. Patty
Last edited by Good1; 01-10-2009 09:46 PM. Reason: had a thought
48
SCC Floor of Mouth 7/06
9/06 Surgery, bilateral neck dissection, 58 nodes clear PT2pN0pMx
35 rad 2006
Recurred 6/08, 1 Carboplatin, 1 Cisplatin
Surgery 9/08 - Total glossectomy, free flap from pectoral muscle, left mandible replaced using fibula
35 IMRT & Erbitux 11/08
4/15/09 recurrence
6/1/09 passed away, rest in peace
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,128 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,128 | My tube (the one I went out of my way to get) has a very positive hose clamp on it to keep from spilling.
The big drawback to having the PEG is that I can't go up to the public pool and swim a little or soak in the hot tub because it is essentially an open sore.
Back in the '90s, I was going to get a guinea pig and was reading around on the internet when I stumbled onto some rat groups -- They are inexpensive and very intelligent, although you just seem to be getting to know them when that Use By date expires (typically, they only live two to three years.
They are very social, so it's better to have more than one, but of course a group won't bond as well as an "only" rat -- The females are always going and doing something, whereas the males are laid back and make good "lap rats". So far, I think my best rat was Ratatouille, who traveled from Florida to Newfoundland to West Coast and is interred in a state park in Alaska!
My daughter sends EMail to me as Daddy Rat!
Age 67 1/2
Ventral Tongue SCC T2N0M0G1 10/05
Anterior Tongue SCC T2N0M0G2 6/08
Base of Tongue SCC T2N0M0G2 12/08
Three partial glossectomy (10/05,11/05,6/08), PEG, 37 XRT 66.6 Gy 1/06
Neck dissection, trach, PEG & forearm free flap (6/08)
Total glossectomy, trach, PEG & thigh free flap (12/08)
On August 21, 2010 at 9:20 am, Pete went off to play with the ratties in the sky.
| | | | | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 | With the PEG tube, its not a good idea to swim. You will get reverse leakage. I had a wonderful HBO nurse who got me a tiny plastic clamp for my PEG tube. It looks just like one of those metal ones with the adjustable screw on it to move it open and closed. Ask your doctor or nurse, they arent very common so might need to ask around a little to get one. I always use it when I am going places so I dont have any embarrassing leaks. Nothing worse than having the darn thing leak when you are out in public.
Pete you know you will now have a new nickname, Daddy Rat. Didnt you post some pet photos on here a while back?
ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive | | | | | Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,128 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,128 | I did indeed post some photos -- Sometimes it's hard to get them to stand still long enough to get a good one, esp the females.
It was quite comforting to hear rat noises in my room again -- Not enough noise to disturb me, just the normal noises of rats doing rat stuf in the cage in the dark.
Age 67 1/2
Ventral Tongue SCC T2N0M0G1 10/05
Anterior Tongue SCC T2N0M0G2 6/08
Base of Tongue SCC T2N0M0G2 12/08
Three partial glossectomy (10/05,11/05,6/08), PEG, 37 XRT 66.6 Gy 1/06
Neck dissection, trach, PEG & forearm free flap (6/08)
Total glossectomy, trach, PEG & thigh free flap (12/08)
On August 21, 2010 at 9:20 am, Pete went off to play with the ratties in the sky.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 489 Platinum Member (300+ posts) | | Platinum Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 489 |
I had not thought of the open sore fact with the PEG tube. I just really wanted to soak up to my neck in a hot bath tub after radiation and was doing so about once a week, complete with bubbles, until I read on one of the blogs here not to. I don't know why they did not give me some type of instruction booklet with this thing. I have had quite a few mishaps and questions. Hopefully I can put on some weight now and figure a way to maintain a weight without it. Then I can have it removed. So far I am having Carnation every morning but it is only my first week post radiation.
I do not think that I would consider rat noises in my room to be comforting. But then I was once married to a rat. (sorry)
I have read that they are very intelligent but I did not know that their life expectancy was so short. Is that only in captivity or in general??
Patty
48
SCC Floor of Mouth 7/06
9/06 Surgery, bilateral neck dissection, 58 nodes clear PT2pN0pMx
35 rad 2006
Recurred 6/08, 1 Carboplatin, 1 Cisplatin
Surgery 9/08 - Total glossectomy, free flap from pectoral muscle, left mandible replaced using fibula
35 IMRT & Erbitux 11/08
4/15/09 recurrence
6/1/09 passed away, rest in peace
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,384 Likes: 1 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,384 Likes: 1 | Did you mean the one you were married to????
Mark, 21 Year survivor, SCC right tonsil, 3 nodes positive, one with extra-capsular spread. I never asked what stage (would have scared me anyway) Right side tonsillectomy, radical neck dissection right side, maximum radiation to both sides, no chemo, no PEG, age 40 when diagnosed.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 489 Platinum Member (300+ posts) | | Platinum Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 489 | [quote=Mark]Did you mean the one you were married to???? [/quote] he will probably live a long and healthy life with my luck.
48
SCC Floor of Mouth 7/06
9/06 Surgery, bilateral neck dissection, 58 nodes clear PT2pN0pMx
35 rad 2006
Recurred 6/08, 1 Carboplatin, 1 Cisplatin
Surgery 9/08 - Total glossectomy, free flap from pectoral muscle, left mandible replaced using fibula
35 IMRT & Erbitux 11/08
4/15/09 recurrence
6/1/09 passed away, rest in peace
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,128 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,128 | Trust me! The noises made by the ones with tails are comforting and the noises made by the other kind are not! Life's too short to waste any of it worrying about whether human rats are getting their just desserts here or in the after-life.
Age 67 1/2
Ventral Tongue SCC T2N0M0G1 10/05
Anterior Tongue SCC T2N0M0G2 6/08
Base of Tongue SCC T2N0M0G2 12/08
Three partial glossectomy (10/05,11/05,6/08), PEG, 37 XRT 66.6 Gy 1/06
Neck dissection, trach, PEG & forearm free flap (6/08)
Total glossectomy, trach, PEG & thigh free flap (12/08)
On August 21, 2010 at 9:20 am, Pete went off to play with the ratties in the sky.
| | | | | Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,384 Likes: 1 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 1,384 Likes: 1 | Actually I was worried more about the captivity thing.......
Mark, 21 Year survivor, SCC right tonsil, 3 nodes positive, one with extra-capsular spread. I never asked what stage (would have scared me anyway) Right side tonsillectomy, radical neck dissection right side, maximum radiation to both sides, no chemo, no PEG, age 40 when diagnosed.
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