Welcome to OCF! Glad you have found this site to help get you thru the rough days.

Nutrition and dehydration are huge factors in how well a patient does. if they are not taking in enough calories and water it can lead to serious problems. Talk to the doctor immediately about this. Ask for a prescription for hydration beginning tomorrow. This is not something to fool around with. I cant stress the importance enough! I was hospitalized for malnutrition and dehydration a couple times and it was no fun, I felt so bad I actually thought I was dying.

Since they are at the end of treatment, ask for a nasal feeding tube. This can be done tomorrow and get your husband back on the right path. Even with the tube, he still needs to continue to keep swallowing sips of water several times per day to keep those swallowing muscles in good shape.

There are some difficult days ahead. I know this isnt easy! But he is almost finished. Radiation continues to work even after the patient finishes their treatments. Unfortunately this means he will still feel pretty lousy for a few more weeks. After about 3 weeks he will slowly begin to have some better days. It all goes back to how well he can do with nutrition and hydration. Every single day his intake needs to be a minimum of 2500 calories and 48 oz of water. That is the least he should be getting, more is even better.

I know being a caregiver isnt easy so please be sure to take some time to be kind to yourself too.

Best wishes with everything.