You're welcome Thats what were here for

The radiologist knows how difficult it can be going thru oral cancer (OC) treatments and how most patients will lose weight which is frowned upon no matter what they start out weighing. Most members here know intake is a favorite subject of mine and I have a tendency to nag people about it. I had thought the same way where losing a couple pounds would be a positive thing but boy was I wrong!!! Losing weight can happen very quickly. Its evident when a patient is not keeping up enough with their daily minimums of at least 2500 calories and 48-64 oz of water. If the patient can push and do more it can only help make it easier on them. When I started rads and began losing weight, it just fell off me. Before I knew it I was losing 4, 6, 8 pounds every time I got weighed and the nurses started having daily chats with me. Even with my OCF friends nagging me to push my intake I just couldnt do it. Along with losing weight, patients are also quickly losing muscle which is why the rapid loss and high amount of pounds coming off in a short time. If your wife can get thru rads and the first month of recovery without weight loss then she has done excellent. Even losing 2 or 3 pounds is a sign that she needs to pay more attention to her intake every single day. I cant stress enough how important it is to make those daily minimums... every single day!!! Ive seen it happen to far too many patients who arent doing so well with their daily intake and just like me, they end up hospitalized for malnutrition and dehydration. So now you know why I nag. I hate seeing anyone start going down the same path as I did as I know the end result will be the patient feeling horrible, possibly the worst they have ever felt in their lives. Of course, this is not going to be what every single person experiences. Every patient is different, some lucky patients sail right thru with barely a sniffle while others stumble thru having issues with major side effects making them struggle almost right from the beginning of rads. Im sure you will hear "everybody's different" over and over throughout the next 4-6 months.

Is Sue seeing the dentist to have flouride trays made? Anyone going thru rads should be using the flouride trays every single day to help save their teeth from the effects of radiation. Make sure she also has a full blood panel done including thyroid (men will also need testosterone levels too). Its easy to have this done prior to treatments starting and those baseline numbers will be very important down the road. The baseline levels after rads/chemo have a very good chance of not being the same as before treatments. After rads, most patients will have thyroid issues. This can show up a couple months after finishing rads or it can take years before the patient notices anything out of the ordinary or connects how they feel to their thyroid. Doctors can easily monitor her thyroid levels but need to know what her regular level is before shes had things to impact it (rads/chemo). To have normal thyroid numbers patients take a pill every day which to me is not a big deal after the other things most of us have been thru.

Right now before any treatments begin, you r wife should be eating like crazy all her favorites, desserts too. Sue does NOT want to even peek at calories now, just make sure she has all her favorite foods. Almost all patients going thru treatments for OC will have their sense of taste temporarily change and swallowing could become a challenge making eating more of a chore than a pleasant experience. The last thing any patient needs is to go thru rads and get cravings in the middle of it. Many OC patients will start to notice eating changes after a week or 2 of rads when they notice things dont taste as good as what they imagine. This is why I stress to eat all the favorite foods and drinks now.

You are in the rush, rush, rush phase right now with a million appointments where you both are running all over. Once rads begin, its almost a relief when you settle into a routine. Being a caregiver is NOT easy! Ive always thought Id make the worst caregiver ever!!! I cant imagine how difficult it is to watch someone you love go thru first the shock of a cancer diagnosis, harsh treatments and the recovery phase which always seems to take foreverrrrr! Make sure you take some time for yourself too. Even taking a scenic drive or long walk in the evening helps you to better focus on whats most important and to clear your head. Everybody going thru this will need a hand once in a while. Its ok to let someone else help, even if you have a relative or close friend help drive Sue to treatments it will be a nice break for you. As I mentioned to another newer member, the American Cancer Society (ACS) has a volunteer driver program where they have people who are survivors and caregivers drive cancer patients to their appointments. I suggest calling ACS who is available 24/7 to get this started right away as it can take a couple weeks to set up. It is a huge help once treatments begin to have a day off. Plus it gives Sue a chance to talk with others who understand everythings shes going thru. Plus, being a stranger they make the best listeners with an unbiased opinion and they can give her some great tips too. Ive used the volunteer driver program and they were a huge help by driving me 45 minutes each way a few times. In fact, I was so impressed by their program I myself became a volunteer driver too.