He is doing cisplatin weekly + radiation daily for 33 days here in Sydney.

His taste buds are messed up all ready and the dry mouth has started (which is all manageable at the moment) but what has really knocked him flat is the nausea. He felt fine until the second day and then it hit him like a truck and he spent the next 24 hours vomiting and feeling awful. He was so bad at the hospital they put him on a drip before they gave him radiation yesterday. He was such a health nut before this and never got sick or vomited, so I think his body has gone into shock from everything that is happening.

They gave him some anti nausea meds yesterday and it seems to be making him a good bit better, but it is also the weekend, so it could be the break from the treatment that is helping too.

Re the radiation, he only had that pain I posted about after the second day and he is okay now. His jaw bone and his throat were quite sore that day though. Not sure if its the nausea hiding the pain now or it has temporarily disappeared for some reason.

Thanks for the tip re nutrition and hydration. He already has the PEG and he's making sure to get fluids into him through both. He's aiming for 2L per day, but it was impossible to keep anything down for the last few days. Hopefully the anti-nausea meds work and he can keep the food and water down this week.

Thanks again for all your responses. Its great to know there are people to talk to who have been through this and come out the other end. I have been browsing the site since his diagnosis, but hadn't posted before. My Mum is the one in the trenches with him as I have my own young family to look after. Its nice to have these tips as a way to help other than just helping with the grocery shopping. The tips have been very useful...from the big ones like looking after your teeth, to the little ones like using warm water in the PEG instead of cold! I just wish there was more I could do.