Hi all,
Well It is sunday almost 8pm and we are getting ready for another week. Bob did good from his chemo treatment till tuesday. He was so sick,said he was not going to do it again. I let him vent and by saturday he was himself again. Of course we talked it over and he is going to do more treatments. Aside from a little sore throat and sun burned neck the radiation hasn't been bad yet. I have read enough on this board to know it is just a matter of time. So I can be prepared,about when does the side effects really kick in?
Deb

Hi Deb:
Does Bob have a PEG (feeding tube)? I finished my 7 weeks of radiation with one day/week chemo in 2/2008, and I really can't remember when the side effects began, except my neck looked and peeled off like burned bacon probably mid way through treatments. Now, you cannot even tell I was burned so bad - back then, oodles and oodles of silver sulfadiazine cream on my neck with a towel wrapped around it. There was an aloe cream, but I cannot remember the name. I know, probably midway through the treatments, I had trouble swallowing and used the liquid nourishment, which was paid for by my insurance company. Everyone is different, and I still have side effects from the radiation (difficulty swallowing and mucus galore), but you'll read that others improved as time went by. After two years, I was promoted to PET/CT scans just every 6 months; just had one and it was negative for any signs of cancer, yippeeeeee!) Like others on the forum, I still sweat waiting for my results and probably you guys will also. I wish you the best of luck and pray for all good scans in the future. When you read the posts on the Forum, you will see what others went through and survived and I pray the same for Bob.
julieann

The better the nutrition and hydration the easier it will be for him. Everybody reacts in their own way with their own timeline. When I was in my 2nd week I started to feel the side effects. Some people sail thru while others struggle, cant predict what will affect him and when.

Once the nausea gets away from him, it will be difficult to control. So watch closely for an upset stomach and make sure he take the anti-nausea meds as directed. If he is having weekly chemo doses they usually give less severe reactions than the 3 big doses do.

Good luck with week #2.

Thanks ladies,

Bob is not having chemo every week,only the three major times. He does have a peg and the V.A. does supply the drinks. We just have to drive an hour one way everyday, don't get me wrong it is well worth it. He did let the nausea get away from him the firsr time. He stopped taking the med and found out the hard way that it was not a wise move.

Deb

Deb,

I assume he is having Cisplatin. If so make sure that if he hears any "ringing", "buzzing" or ANY strange things coming from his ears he must tell his MO immediately as Cis can cause permanent hearing loss ( I know from experience). WE try and tell people getting the 3 big bag method to get a pre Tx hearing test so if he does have problems post Tx it can be possibly blamed on the Cis. It may not be to late to have that done. Also we advise a pre Tx TSH level so see if his pre TX blood work has already included that. If not I would request it.

Re the side effects kicking in, as you will hear a lot, he can have anything from zero to everything ranging from 1 - 10 but most of us seem to manage OK until around the 2nd Cisplatin where the nausea seems to intensify and about the beginning of the 4th week of rad. Again most of us seem to have our worst time the 2 to 3 weeks POST Tx so don't let anyone let him think that he is out of the woods after the last rad.

David
I was going to ask about the hearing. Bob had a hearing test done a month before he was diagnosed. He has a 10 percent hearing loss both ears. We have a hearing test set for 2 weeks after his second cisplatin. We did tell his oncologist about his prior hearing loss, he still wanted Bob to have the cisplatin. We will be using the first one to compare to the second one.
I am sorry about any hearing loss you have, but if you don't mind and can remember when did you start to notice anything going on with your hearing?
Thanks for all of the advice I am sure I will be using alot of it in the near future.

Deb

Unfortunately by the time you notice that "ringing" it's already been damaged. I am a tad surprised that with his history of hearing loss he still went with the Cis. Most MO's that I have talked to believe that Carboplatin is just as effect as Cis and it doesn't cause hearing loss. Problem is Cis is still the standard so most are reluctant to go with Carbo unless there are pre TX hearing issues so that's why I'm a tad surprised. I realize he was DX'ed as a Stage IV so I'm sure that had something to do with the Cis decision.

When did I notice it? I believe after my 2nd bag but I wouldn't describe what I "heard" as ringing but more like a faint humm and it was not constant and I had way more things to deal with so I really didn't say anything until post Tx when I noticed my hearing difficulties. My hearing loss is in the High Frequency range in both ears so for instance it's hard for me to hear my cell phone ring, I have problems telling where sounds are coming from, hard to hear a conversation if background noises are present and female voices are difficult to hear (now that one is not sooo bad, lol). I also have a hard time in the car with the windows up hearing a siren and that has caused a few scary moments over the years. None of these problems have led me to investigate hearing aids.

[quote=davidcpa] None of these problems have led me to investigate hearing aids. [/quote]

David,

Wondering why???...they are life altering! The new hearing aids can be very unobtrusive and with the advent of computer chips..address several sitations like crowded rooms or phone conversations. If you are having trouble hearing your phone or sirens...it is probably time to investigate them.

I am surprised your wife has not suggested it. I can tell immediately when Bill is not wearing his...it brings out the beast in me...LOL!

David

Thanks alot, I was also surprised they didn't want to go with a different type of chemo. I guess the doctors know what they are doing. I will let you know how Bob fares. Thanks again

Deb

Deb,

OK just like the reaction I had when my RO first mentioned the feeding tube...I said NO WAY feeding tubes are for sick people and I'm (stage IV) not sick! I say NO WAY to hearing aids as they are for OLD people and I'm (63) not old. OK so my brain doesn't always work the way it should. Maybe I'll look into them post tax season. Man what's next for me, a walker!