HI there... I was very blessed and as far as I know from reading other's posts I'm a rare bird. I didn't start to feel the effects until week three or four (this is normal), at which point someone suggested rinsing with Manuka honey 4 times a day, which I started to do (along with the salt water, baking soda rinses. For me this held off the worst of the mouth sores and pain until two days before the end of rads. Then it was HELL for two weeks though each day I climbed a little more out of my hole.

Chemo made me nauseated for two days post treatment (this is also standard), but it was manageable. I was very lucky that was my only symptom. I had a PEG... didn't use it more than twice, I was easily nauseated by the formula, and basically after vomiting twice from using it I gave up. I ate as much as possible until it became too difficult then I would power chug 5 boost or ensure a day (I can empty a bottle with 13 gulps, and one stop to breath!!! - I counted it to take my mind off my discomfort!) The extra calorie ones have extra protein (only about one gram less than the extra protein) I would also add a vegan protein powder to one of my bottles so I got my extra protein to promote healing. I managed to lose only 16-20 lbs (I've since lost another 12 because I eat very few white flour products - very little bread, and no added sugar). Medication for the most part was useless except for the anti emetics, they helped with my nausea post chemo. Normally they give you three different kinds, two bottles with a two different pills only to be taken for a few days after treatment, the other for breakthrough nausea - I used this maybe three or four times.

Pain meds - basically I had codeine - liquid. I used that two or three times, but when I had real pain... the two weeks post rads, I used OXY 5mg, 4 times a day for about 5 days and then weened myself off them by the end of week two. The remaining nine days of the two weeks post treatment I only needed it at bed time. Oxy doesn't affect me the way it does most people I suspect, since it didn't really get rid of the pain for me, it just put me to sleep so I slept through it instead. There was a lot of fatigue (and drooling and mucous!), but I managed to drive myself to and from all of my treatment days - except for my two chemo sessions - as they kept me in over night for them (the standard is 3 chemos but a lot of the time people only get two because they run out of time as cisplatin only works in conjunction with radiation). And I walked my dog at least once a day. Stats say increasing your O2 during treatment, by even going out for a simple walk helps increase survival rates, and of course not smoking if your hubby is a smoker - I'm not.

Your hubby will need a good cream for his skin. Rads can fry you if you're fair skinned - I am olive skinned so I didn't redden or blister, but I did have a funky half face tan - basically from my nose down!

take care and good luck. Everyone has a different experience with this treatment, it's not easy but it is doable.