Timm,

First things first, let's get a Tx plan then we can discuss what may or may not happen to him more specifically. For me and for many treated just like me, my first week I noticed my taste being impacted and by my 3rd week or so all taste was pretty much gone. Very hard to accept. I had the 3 Big Bag method of Cisplatin but now many are getting the same amount of Cis but spread over 6 smaller weekly doses and while there is no study to back this up, it appears that the desirous affect is the same but the bad side effects from the BB method are lessened so if there's a choice I would go with the weekly dose. For me my 1st bag of Cis was a non event but after bag 2 the nausea, despite heavy anti nausea meds, was horrible and stayed with me throughout the rest of my ordeal. My worst weeks started after that 2nd bag (week 4) and continued thru week 3 POST Tx with the weeks POST Tx BY FAR the worse which is typical of this Tx. I did not work during weeks 5 thru week 3 post Tx.

As Christine cautions, calories and hydration are SOOOOO important in this Tx and with the damage done to the throat by the radiation and the nausea causing chemo, the deck is stacked against him quickly. By week 4 or so I was on a liquid diet and found Carnation Instant Breakfast VHC (very high calories). This same 8 oz can contained a whopping 560 calories which meant fewer swallows which meant to me less pain and less chance for nausea. This has now been replaced by Boost VHC. You must get it from the pharmacy dept of say Walgreens or WalMart or over the internet but you don't need a prescript. With this he needs only 5 to 6 cans a day PLUS 48 ozs of water. THAT'S EVERY DAY.

Get him to his dentist to get checked out re fillings and other dental work and get him fitted for Fluoride Trays. It's best to go to a dentist with oral cancer experience IMO. I started using mine 1 month pre Tx and continued for 5 years post Tx.

Have his TSH tested the next time they do a blood draw and record that number just in case his Thyroid craps out like mine and many did post Tx due to radiation damage.

Fatten him up now. If he's already plump, fatten him up more. Tell him to eat all his favorite foods whenever he wants as he most likely will loose his taste (which mostly will come back) but it will take up to 2 years for his recovery.

Cancer docs are trained to treat the physical part of cancer but not so much when it comes to the mental side which I believe is 50% of everyone's battle especially the caregivers. Everyone needs to stay calm and focused. This will only be a rough time for appx 7 weeks (week 4 thru week 3 post) so it really is a small bump in our life's journey but it can get intense so being mentally prepared is important. That's why this site is so important because we can prepare you and we can also show you both the light at the end of this tunnel.

You most likely will have to become the Nurse from HELL because he will most likely resist getting the proper calories and hydration. Do not be afraid to pounce on him. If it were not for my wife I'm pretty sure my outcome would have been deadly. I never feared the cancer but I did fear this Tx for a few weeks.

If you or he wants to talk just PM me and I'll give you my contact numbers.