Hi, I'm Belinda and I'm almost done with 35 treatments of radiation. 31 down, 4 to go. My biggest problems are not eating (lost over 20 pounds), dehydration, and terrible terrible mucus draining and choking. I'm ready to be done with this already!

Hi Belinda,

When you go for your treatment tomorrow, ask someone on your medical team if they can arrange for you to get a portable suction unit. It's got the suction similar to what you experience at the dentist office in a portable rechargeable-battery unit.

Also, ask for daily IV hydration. That will help quite a bit. If you don't have a PEG, ask your team and insurance company if you can have home IV infusions for the week or two after you finish treatment. How many calories are you able to get in a day?

I'm sorry you are going through this. This period and the 2-3 weeks following radiation can be tough.

Where is your cancer? Are you getting chemo as well?

Thanks, I will ask for the portable suction unit. I started IV fluids once last week and then on Tuesday this week. I'm going to ask to go again tomorrow since I can't drink execpt for very small sips of water.

As for calories, I was getting about 375 in a day..but now I can barely get a few sips of any kind of protein drink. I decided I could do without the feeding tube early in treatment now regret that...I talked to my doctor yesterday and he thought the fluids would get me through so I wouldn't have to do the feeding tube this late in treatment.

My cancer is in my tongue but it spread to both sides of my neck in my lymph nodes...

Was the cancer on your base of tongue or your mobile tongue? For my husband, it was at the base.

I know you probably realize you aren't getting nearly enough fluids or calories. Radiation keeps working after treatment, I recommend planning now to have daily IV treatments through the rest of your treatment and the week following as well. Dehydration can land you in the hospital and make you feel magnitudes worse than you are already feeling. Our insurance covered the cost of home IV infusions. Many do, you just have to ask your insurance company.

What are you taking for your calories? My husband was drinking watered down Boost at this stage of the game...yum! It's not about taste or flavor...it's all about how much you can choke down at this stage of the game.

Do you have any break thru pain medication or magic mouthwash to temporarily numb you mouth so you can try to down more calories and liquids in a day?

The question of oral or base of tongue is still confusing to me. It was on the bottom of the left side of my tongue but I've also heard them refer to it as base of tongue so I'm not completely sure.

Yes, totally aware about my malnutrition issues. I'm trying to dilute the carnation but I choke so bad I just give up. I will try harder tomorrow since I know I need to do this.

I have some numbing meds but they make me so nauseated since my stomach is empty. I do like the Mary's Magic Potion and the Oasis mouthwash. Even water feels like acid on my tongue and swallowing is like hot razor blades going down and it almost always gets stuck and I choke it back up.

I will talk about IV fluids more often. I have a newborn baby and it's hard to be in the outpatient unit for so long..ugh

BelindaJo

You must increase your intake. I know how difficult it is for you. I ended up being stuck in the hospital for dehydration and malnutrition, that was with a feeding tube. Let your doctors and nurses know immediately what your consumption is so they can help you.

Try yoo-hoo or chocolate milk. Its soothing to the mouth. Use magic mouthwash before trying to drink.

Sending prayers and hoping tomorrow is a little easier.

Belinda, you are going thru the mucous , the swallowing and other issue that many of us have been going thru for a couple of years or so. I lost 70 lbs and it is just a big job trying to put weight back on. Just keep doing your best with the food and keep right on living and smiling. There is one thing in your post that has to be eliminated, the " I just Give Up "part. those are three words we don't use in here.

I totally admire you. I've got 12 Rads down and don't know how anyone can do 35 of these. Swallowing is already difficult and everthing I eat taste like salt. Congrats again.

Belinda, please add a signature when you have time. It will help us to better respond to yoru posts by knowing your history. Its easy to do, just click on the My stuff tab and select profile, it will let you type some info about your diagnosis and treatment.

Hang in there, it get rough but you must finish to make sure you take care of this the first time. Nobody wants to do it again due to not finishing.

Belinda, in Australia we have 'Cocaine Mouthwash 0.5%' which is has a numbing agent which lasts for 1/2hour roughly [you don't swallow this], which the cancer center pharmacy makes up, do you have this where you are? We also have 'Lignocaine', a pink gel, can be swallowed, apparently tastes ok, only lasts about 10mins, but it could help. We didn't find out about alternative meds until we demanded them...over here if you don't ask you don't get...good luck...