I recently moved from currently in treatment to after treatment board. Let me say this to all those folks that say the 1st two weeks following radiation are ther roughest. You are so right. Here's what's happened with me in my first week out. I have such bad mucous in my throat that I can't get anything past it so most of my eating is done via the PEG. That is when I can eat, I have had the worst nausea, I believe brought on by the mucous/phlem. The MO departmant has been great they hook me up with 2 bags of fluid everyday and give me zofran/morphine via my port. That enables me to eat at least a couple of bags of PEG food a day. If we can't get this nausea thing under control they want me to go inpatient for a few days to figure it out.

The next two weeks have to get better, I pray they will. Has anyone got any advice/experience based on their first couple of weeks following radaition treatment.

Hi Keep up those fluids, my husband (stage 4 base of tongue) had fluid 3 times a day at cancer center so as not to get dehydrated, another thing that really helped him with his nutrition was to have a gravitational bag at night with 4 cans of nutrition that would slowly drip into the peg tube for 8hrs. Because he was getting to full to fast trying to get 6 cans in a day. So that was a big help to make sure he got what he needed. He had finished radiation August 11th it takes a while for the mucous to start to clear up but it will happen. He still has alot of swelling and some more pain than usual in the jaw bone. He went to the dr and dentist today and they will to an xray tommorrow to make sure that no bacteria got into the bone. He also gave him Prevident that he is to put on twice a day and he has been rinsing with Biotene which help with bacteria and dry mouth.
Take care and good luck

correction he had fluids 3 times a week not day. Another thing that may occur is ulcers in the mouth Lidocaine is helpful as it numbs the area and makes it easy to eat.

I'm 3 weeks out today, and I had a couple of days last weekend of nausea and dizziness. I've taken Zoefron since the last week of radiation as needed ( I wound up in hospital for two days the last week of treatment because of nausea and dehydration)

I didn't ever resort to a tube, and have lost a total of about 12 lbs. I can take my meds orally, and my nutrition (Resource 2.0) the same, so I guess I could be a LOT worse off. I talked to the RO today, and wasa told that I was expectng too much too soon ( I want to get the morphine out of my system as quickly as posibble) and that I should only now be starting to improve post rad. Maybe I am in too much of a hurry
Wayne

Stoj, Hang in there, week 3 was my turning point. I had the same problems and actually went into the hospital at the end of my first week for 3 days. Nausea and dehydration and not "eating" were my problems. I totally went off all meds in week 3; found Carnation HVC as you know, and I have improved ever since.

Thanks for the responses, maybe I'm in too much of a hurry too. I would love to be chugging down the VHC but I just can't right now.

Tim,
You've heard it a million times, but "hang in there." I read your post to Tom and he said "remember, I threw up a few times then too." We kept the Zofran handy--and, you can crush it, mix it with water and push it through your PEG. Tom found that it worked almost immediately.

The thick ooze in his throat was an enormous problem. JAM and others on this forum recommended a suction machine and we got one and it really helped. Tom could suck the stuff out when it accumulated because in his case, it hurt too much to swallow it plus it was making his mouth sore to even spit it out. Sucking it out could keep it from hitting your stomach, if that's contributing to your nausea.

It DOES get better. Make sure you stay hydrated and push as much as you can through the PEG.

Joyce

Stoj, that's the key here. Get plenty of fluids and "food" in your tube while you are still "in control". Don't fall behind or bad things start to happen and you will loose control. I know where you are, I've been there as has many others so get that water and food in your belly and be patient, it all starts to improve shortly and noticeable.

So David,

What does your daily diet consist of normally? And I'm drinking a VHC as I type this.

Ummmmm yum, isn't that VHC delightful? I just had my 5 pm feeding, only 1 more to go.

I will be 7 weeks out tx on Monday. I still swallow 5 cans of VHC or 2800 calories per day. I don't think I could put another can in my stomach in a day!! With the dry mouth I get plenty of water due to constant sipping.

I can eat and swallow anything I've tried including my cheeseburger, pastrami sandwich and recently a slice of pizza sans the crust. I still choose VHC over "eating" simply because I still don't enjoy eating and the VHC gives me the vits, minerals and calories quickly. I have gained almost 50% of my weight loss and my recent bloodwork was excellent per the MO, in fact he said my protein was very high which is helpful to cell recovery he said. All my docs tell me calories are what's important now. Believe me as soon as my taste gets better; I gain some more weight and perhaps I'm less dependent on water, I will wean myself off the VHC.

Even though I drink 5 cans and get 2800 calories my dear darling wife and her mother and her aunts are always bringing me things to eat. I can't seem to get them to understand how it feels to put 2800 calories in a stomach that never was used to that even before I was dx. They just see me as still under weight and they want me to get all my weight back overnight. All day long I walk around with the feeling of a full stomach and zero desire to put anything else in it.

I'm married to a Cuban and they seem to be able to eat as much as they want and for that matter anything they want and they never gain weight NOR do they exercise. I teach (pre dx) high impact aerobics and 15 years ago I dragged my wife to one of my classes. After the warm up I looked around for her and she had already left. Later she told me she wasn't about to get sweaty and that was the last time I tried to get her to exercise. I am a full blooded american and I can gain weight by looking at food so I always watched my calories in vs. calories out.