Administrator, Director of Patient Support Services Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 10,507 Likes: 7 | Hi Tom
Welcome to OCF. Glad you have found this forum for support and to answer your questions. I can help you with info about your feedings.
What speed are you running the pump on?
As far as sleeping on an incline, its ok to sleep like that on your side. Check withyour doc about sleeping meds. I was given trazadone for help with sleeping. Thats something that bothers alot of cancer patients. Then on top of that the noise from the pump can be annoying. Believe it or not, you do adjust to that. Or you could run a small fan to give you soem white noise, or better yet a humidifier. Its ok to use several pillows for sleeping on the incline. I used 3 and then slept on my side while the pump ran.
For your mouth try rinsing in a mixture of 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking soda and a quart of water several times per day. If the salt bothers you then cut it back or omit it. Also magic mouthwash works wonders, ask your doc.
Its necessary to swallow daily just like stretching your mouth open wide daily. Both need to be done several times per day.
Sorry to hear you have lost your voice. That happens to alot of us too. My best friend became the dry erase board.
Hang in there, ask questions. We are here to help you thru this. ChristineSCC 6/15/07 L chk & by L molar both Stag I, age44 2x cispltn-35 IMRT end 9/27/07 -65 lbs in 2 mo, no caregvr Clear PET 1/08 4/4/08 recur L chk Stag I surg 4/16/08 clr marg 215 HBO dives 3/09 teeth out, trismus 7/2/09 recur, Stg IV 8/24/09 trach, ND, mandiblctmy 3wks medicly inducd coma 2 mo xtended hospital stay, ICU & burn unit PICC line IV antibx 8 mo 10/4/10, 2/14/11 reconst surg OC 3x in 3 years very happy to be alive |