Jaymi, welcome to OCF! Im very glad you found this site! You will need the help to get your mom thru the next few months.

All dental work needs to be done now. If any teeth are questionable then they should be pulled before beginning any treatments. Flouride trays should be made and started to be used.

Her nutrition needs to be watched closely. She should be eating all her favorites now as her sense of taste will be changing. Swallowing could become difficult so have it now so she doesnt have regrets. Gaining a few pounds is a good thing right now as she will probably lose that and more during treatments. Her diet for the next year needs to be at least 2500 calories daily and 48 oz of water, every singe day. This is especially important during her treatments. Without this amount, she faces dehydration and malnutrition. It will lead to discomfort and hospitalizations. I went thru it and would up hospitalized a few times and it was no fun!

She should have a full blood count done including thyroid. Getting her hearing checked is also a good idea if she will be having chemo. Cisplatin is known to cause some hearing loss . The loss is permanent so she must pay close attention to this and tell her doc right away.

As far as smoking goes....QUIT NOW!!!!! Why do more damage to her body? She needs to wake up and understand that tobacco probably was a contributor to her current medical condition. Why make it worse by continuing? I know how difficult it is to quit but it can be done once she makes up her mind to do it. There is all kinds of help out there. 1 800 QUIT-NOW is a hotline that can help. There are free help quit products available and support that goes right along with it.

Here is what got me to finally quit. When I was first diagnosed I was in shock and it was just too much for me to even consider quitting. I first had to get my head around what my future held. I was a single mother who had nobody but myself to depend on. My children only had me and being sick did not fit into the gameplan. When I was on my way to the feeding tube consult, it hit me. It was like the light switch got turned on right at that moment as I was reaching for a cigarette. My son was going with me to the gastro doctor apt. It was at that moment as I drove down the turnpike that I realized I did this to myself. I thought what kind of lousy mother puts her own life in jeopardy? What would become of my children if I didnt make it thru this? Since I always put my children first I was beside myself in horror thinking of how my children would go on if they didnt have me. Their father was not part of their lives for many years so that was not an option. Instead of taking one cig out to smoke, I picked up the whole pack. I said to my son...."watch this"! I crumpled up the pack and threw it right out the window. I never litter so that was way out of character for me too. I said "Thats it! I will NEVER, EVER smoke another cigarette in my life. I QUIT!!!!". My son looked at me in shock and said "I really hope you mean that and wont smoke anymore, mom". Thats the exact moment I became a non smoker. Its now 6 years later and I have not ever taken even a puff. I chose to give myself the best fighting chance I could so I quit smoking.

I could go on and on all day with anti tobacco facts and figures. But the bottom line is she needs to want to quit in order to be successful. Most smokers try at least 7 times before they can quit for good. This might help your mother to want to quit. I worked with TRUTH.com (American Legacy) and also the CDC doing anti-tobacco education. I have a video that was made and shows what tobacco did to me, I am now disfigured due to my habit.

Unsweetened Truth Campaign/Christine

As a caregiver, make sure to take time for yourself too. Some caregivers end up taking anxiety meds due to all the stress.

Good luck!!!