Stef, Im going to be brutally honest with you about your questions. I have more faith that you can get thru this than you do. Ive watched hundreds of patients struggle thru and you are one of the luckier ones who has done very well with their intake so you've had it easier than most.
Ask for a prescription for beta-val cream. Pat it on a thin coat and allow it to soak in. Never apply this or any ointment before going into rads treatment.
Mouth sores can hurt like heck!!! Get some manuka honey (number 12 or higher) from any health food store or higher end grocery store in the natural section. Ive even seen this by the peanut butter and jelly section in the grocery store. Rinse 4+ times a day with a mixture of one cup warm water, 1 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt. The salt will probably burn your mouth (you can cut it back to 1/4 tsp or omit it) but it helps with healing so try your very best to keep some salt in the mixture. Swish it around for one minute and spit it out. If the mouth sores hurt, ask for a prescription for magic mouthwash (MM). Thats to numb your mouth to help enable you to eat better or for when your mouth is really hurting. Swish the MM in your mouth for at least a minute then spit it out. Some directions may say to swallow it but DONT!!! You do not want your throat to go numb which could cause you huge problems with aspiration pneumonia.
Ready for the brutal honesty, well here it comes...... Quitting??? NO WAY!!!!! This is NOT an option so put that right out of your mind. I thought I'd quit too but nope, my son and nurse wouldnt allow it. If you are planning on quitting, the cancer will probably come back. Why have you gone thru everything you already have to only pack it in and quit now? You can NOT quit or this could turn into a disease that cant be cured. Why? All because you are concerned about the future and what happens after you finish. First, you cant predict the future and worrying about it never has changed it at all. Focus on what is within your control... your intake!!!! Thats the single biggest thing you can do to make it as easy as possible. You are only getting 30 rads, that in itself should make this easier on you than if you had to get 35 or even worse 40 treatments.
Everybody needs a reason to get up in the morning, some sort of purpose in life. Begin to make plans for down the road when you are better. If you like Halloween, make plans for something fun around the end of Oct. Thats the first fun holiday after you finish rads and you will be far enough into your recovery where you should feel pretty good. Then by Thanksgiving you should be so much past where food has no taste. You should be able to enjoy a nice home-cooked Thanksgiving meal. Then Christmas and New Years where you can say goodbye to 2017 and cancer treatments. By then you will be doing GREAT
So start making your plans for a happy, healthy future
If you find you are still dwelling on negatives, try a hobby to keep busy and talk to yoru doc about anxiety meds to temporarily help get you thru some rough days.
You CAN do this!!!! I know you can
