So glad she's doing okay - things will get worse but hopefully be manageable - hugs and blessings to you.

Thanks Gabe & Cheryl.

Definitely buckling up for the ride ahead but praying also it will be as smooth as possible..

As the old saying goes 'when it rains it pours' and unfortunately, my grandmother passed away two days ago and I was unable to attend her funeral which was today as it coincided with my wife's treatment and she lives quite a distance away..

I spent the better part of my childhood in her arms and I am certain she had her arms around myself and Jenny today through treatment and that is why we breezed through

The Lord does move in mysterious ways and despite the adversities, I have a feeling that everyone involved in this experience will come out for the better..

Hi all,

Jen has now finished 2/7 chemo therapy sessions & 7/33 Radiation sessions so far.

So far so good although she has been saying that food tastes a bit saltier than usual and has around a minute per day where her hearing goes a bit funny.

All in all we are still in high spirits and not only is she maintain her weight from pre-tx but also we are continuing to eat solid foods such as rice & noodles.

We had our son's 2 month immunization shots today, and cannot believe it has been that long since we started the journey to recovery..

Praying very hard that Jen continues on with her treatment well until the very end (+2 weeks!) and wish everyone else who are currently undergoing or is looking to go into similar treatment as us all the best.

Kind Regards
Jay & Jen

If she is experiencing hearing issues AND she is being given Cisplatin TELL HER MO IMMEDIATELY as those issues are the result of permanent damage being done to her hearing. Her MO will switch her to Carboplatin for the remaining treatments.

Hi David

We have our meeting with both our MO & RO tomorrow so will definitely bring this to their attention.

Hubby is on Cisplatin also. Because of the hearing loss issue with that chemical, his ENT did a baseline hearing test and will continue to monitor it throughout treatment. I was relieved to know it was being monitored.

Had our meeting with our MO & RO today.

The 'ear' problem was more close to the type of effect you have when you are on a airplane when it becomes 'blocked' rather than a ringing sound that you get after being at a rock concert.

Furthermore, it wasn't an ongoing issue but short 10-15 second bursts once ever 2-3 days.

Hence, both the MO & RO agreed that this was not due to the Cisplatin but in fact the Radiotherapy as it can impact the drainage system from the ear to the neck.

They were very pleased with how Jen was going with the treatment, and told us they will keep a close eye on it over the next few weeks (we have weekly meetings with both of them).

So far so good but the Dietician and the head RO both warned us that we should be prepared for the Radiotherapy side effects that usually start from week 2-3 so we are holding on tight and trying to get as much nutrition in as possible.

Also bought 24 x Fortesip / 24 x Sustagen / 24 x Ensure just in case we need some back-up with the diet as well.

Will keep you all updated on how we go over the next few weeks. I n the meantime, we have our baby back with us for the long weekend as it is a public holiday here with the Melbourne Cup (Horse Racing) on next Tuesday.

God bless and our prayers are with all those who continue to battle this disease.

Diane,

If he hears what they call "ringing in the ears" which can sound different to different people, make sure he let's his MO know ASAP as that ringing is actual irreversable damage. Monotoring is only beneficial IF action is taken to stop the damage once known.

Hi all,

Jen has now completed 3/7 Chemo & 10/33 Radiotherapy sessions.

She continues to eat ok (we are still above our pre-tx weight) although she is starting to feel the side effects associated with the Radiotherapy - salty taste with specific foods / dry mouth & slight irritation with throat.

She has also started to lose a bit of hair and had to get a PICC line inserted today as her veins were 'bursting' when the nurses were poking her with the needles..

So far so good and we are working very hard to keep nutrition & fluids up.

I did however have a question for those who have gone through this process in the past - Her WBC has been steadily dropping since chemo has started, and is currently sitting just slightly above the reference range (4.0-11.0 10^9/L). PLT counts have also halved from 624 - 304 and her HB count is decreasing as well. Is there anything we can do to increase these naturally during her treatment?

Thanks.

Jay & Jen

The main worry is the White cell count and this is usually hit hard by the chemo. There is nothing you can do to counter this. I would recommend that you stay close to home and don't put Jen at any risk of catching an infection from others. This is a not unexpected response to the chemo. And is quite common. Kris's WCC got as low as 0.4. His 2nd cisplatin was delayed a week and he did not get the third dose. We were told that studies showed no difference in outcome for those who did not complete the whole chemo course.
You just have to wait for the bone marrow to recover from the chemos toxic hit. This applies to the Hb and platelets too. Wishing you both well,
Tammy.