Well, after much deliberation, dad finally agreed to the PEG tube. He had one week to decide whether or not to go through with it. After reading several posts, I am so glad he did. He was hesitant because the more he has to do things like this, the more he feels

Amy,

First, I want to tell you that the "old life" you, your dad and your entire family lost is just like any other major loss in life and requires a grieving process the same as the death of a loved one. Your dad going through his anger and denial were important steps in his accepting of his disease. From your post, I am so happy to hear how good dad is doing. His humor alone is one excellent sign! I hate to be the one to tell you this but the "normal" as you knew it may never return. The good news is that your family will settle into a new normal that will be just as meaningful and in some ways better than the old. Be patient because it will be a tough journey before you get to that point.

For the mouth sores, there is a mouthwash the pharmacists mix up that will help plus there is a clinical trial right now for a standardized product. I will email you the press release. There is also a product called GlutaSolve that helps epitheleal cells regenerate in the mouth and the gastrointestinal tract. The sores your dad has are either mucositis or since he is so early in the radiaiton, most probably stomatitis from the chemo. It will start at the mouth and literally go all the way through his system to the very end, if I am making myself clear without being gross. I have several boxes left over if you would like to have him try some. Just let me know and I can drop some off to you or him or at the hospital on his next chemo round. I believe he is at the new Baylor center just off of LBJ/McArthur?

Good luck on the next few weeks. Things will get rougher before they get better. I had the same problem with being cold all the time as soon as the chemo started. My temp has run about 97.3 since then, too. I struggled all summer with the air conditioner and I am sure my family is glad the hottest weather is over. I'll be thinking about you!

Ed

Amy, thanks for the update on your Dad. Sounds like things are progressing as normally as one can hope for with this disease. Sorry he had to stay overnight. I timed mine with my second chemo treatment which I had to stay at the hospital for anyway, so it was no big deal.

A word of warning, rad treatments at the beginning are generally not to bad, however, after a few weeks, they start to get worse and are pretty bad by the 7th week. We are all different in how we react to the treatments, but that was the pattern many have had on this board so he may have the same reaction. I understand the cold also. Living in S. Florida has turned me into a heat only person. One of the few things my wife and I heatedly discuss is the A/C. I want it lower, she wants it higher. Well, compromise is a wonderful thing.

Constipation is a problem most of us have had. I used Carnation instant breakfast in my Ensure which occasionally gave me diareha(sp) and took care of the constipation. I also used prune juice down the old tube to help with that as well along with mango, peach, pear nectars and other fruit juices to help break things up. I still have some problems with it as I can't eat fruit anymore. The fructose just tastes horrible after the rad. Enjoy anticipating your new "normal" when treatments are over, it will come before you know it. God bless you and your Dad and family.

Kirk,

I am wondering if wanting the A/C lower means to turn it down and increase the temperature or lower the temperature. Just curious. I moved from Kansas City to Dallas in February 1996 and it was ear zero when we left KC and 80 degrees during the first day in Texas. I was thinking oh boy, I could really get to like this. We often went biking around Christmas in shorts. My oldest (16 year old) wears shorts most of the year to school. I had to spend a couple of winters in Kansas since and was chilled to the bone the entire winter (October-March). I talked to someone today and they had frost in September already. Glad I moved here and don't know how I ever tolerated the cold.

Ed

Ed, to turn the A/C on, and make the temperature go lower, you have to lower the thermostat and the A/C blows until the thermometer drops to that temperature and then the A/C stops blowing cold air. I'm always trying to turn it up and my wife wants it down. Well, at least we don't have to visit her mother in Philadelphia in January.