One thing I would suggest. Looking back on what I went through and what I would have done different BEFORE treatment that would have definitely helped... here goes.

In my case, it was like I hadn't caught any sort of break since October. Of course, I didn't realize I was sick or had cancer prior to diagnosis, but it seemed like I was paddling as fast as I could with no sort of break. You see, there were the holidays and commitments to having to travel, the shopping.. blah blah blah.

It seems as soon as the plane touched down I had the diagnosis of cancer and then blammo treatment. By all means, bulk up as fast and as much as you can.

Looking back, I wish that I would have had more time to have been better organized. I tend to stock up on alot of stuff that the family needs anyway, but it sure would have given me piece of mind to have everything organized, sorted and ready for my couple of months of "inactive" down time. We had been thinking about perhaps hiring a maid service if things got too out of control, but we sort of struggled through and while my house wasn't exactly up to my standards, we got by.

Thanks to these message boards, I sort of knew that I was not going to be up to much. I took suggestions from friends on DVD's to stock up on and watch. Started a list of all the movies that I would probably enjoy watching, books to read etc... (this all pretty much depended on my energy level. There were weeks that went by that I had a hard time reading much of anything, nor did I really care)

I tried to anticipate and prepare for the couple of months that I would really not be up for the demands of my world and also I made sure to organize as much as I could. I made a list of phone numbers and posted it by the phone so my spouse could reach people easier without having to dig for numbers. I put together a day planner that was strictly for keeping track of appointments. Every business card I came across whether it was a doctor, dentist, pharmacist or medical supply place, I would file the numbers. I could also keep track of all the medications and the date of prescription on one page. This comes in handy when someone asks you what medications you are taking, because not all departments of the medical team keep track of it as well as you can.

I also stocked up on comfort foods and convenience foods for the family. On one hand, I wanted to eat as long as possible, so I had plenty of soups, ice cream and yogurts.

This sounds kind of goofy posting this now. I felt better trying to prepare myself. It did give me a bit of a feeling of control just anticipating what I was going to need, so when I felt too bad, I could have it on hand. Much of it was "comfort" type things like picking myself out a decent bathrobe, slippers and pajamas that would work with a PEG tube. While I was feeling still with it, I bought comfortable pull on pants, camisole tops and sweaters that would not need to be removed for radiation treatment.

Jen