Thanks a lot Tammy.

Although we are currently in Melbourne, I am originally from Dunedin and it's great to hear advice from a fellow Kiwi.

Understand that HB, WBC and Platelets are hit hard from the Chemo but was just curious if there was anything we could do to slow down this decline.

Will make sure to take your advice around being safe from others while we are undergoing treatment.

Thanks

Unfortunately there isnt much you can do to prevent the numbers from dropping. A balanced diet might give a small amount of help.

If the white count gets too low the docs will give a Neupogen shot to boost them back up. I had to get a couple of these while going thru treatments. My white counts were very low for a good 3 years.

Hi all,

Half way there with treatments and we are still progressing ok.

My wife did have some difficulties over the weekend with the sudden loss of taste meaning that we are back to soft foods for now. There are also a few blisters and a tight neck / throat but the pain is very minimal and hasn't warranted the use of medication for now.

MO & RO are both very impressed with how we are doing so far, but everyone keeps warning us the worst is yet to come and we should brace ourself for the next few weeks. Hence we are stocked heavily with all sorts of medications (Paracetemol / Oxycodone / Lignocaine / Cocaine Mouth Wash etc.)and are ready to roll when the time comes.

Another 3 weeks and we are done for (I do know the worse is 2-3 weeks post tx) and the day can't come sooner enough!

Thanks all for your words of support and advice - it sure does help reading other people's journey through treatment and it has really prepared us for this battle.

It will get harder... but prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Hugs!

Hi Jay, I am sending all my best wishes to you and your wife. It is encouraging that she has been doing well for the first 3 weeks, so keep positive about the next 3.

I am awaiting my start date and following your journey, and it gives me hope!

You guys are doing great. You are positive and ready, it can't get much better than that!!
Thanks for keeping us updated!!
Kathy

It it great that Jen is doing so well and that you are fully prepared.
You may have come across it already but if you put "magic" in the search bar you will see plenty of references to magic mouthwash.
Thanks for the update on your journey Jay.
Love to you both!
Gabriele

Thanks all for your words of encouragement!

We are keeping upbeat and still enjoy a laugh now and then which helps. True story - the RO and us all laughed so hard the other day over a video of our lil boy. When we walked out of the appointment office, we had 15 sets of eyes looking at us like we were all mad!

We have been using the 'magic mouthwash' that was given to us by the nurses here and we have the Biotene gel / mouthwash for the dry mouth also.


The extra KG's packed on post-tx (that includes me because I had to eat with Jen!) is DEFINITELY the wisest thing we did prior to starting treatment and it would be the one word of advice I would recommend to everyone who is about to embark on this journey.

Perhaps its time for me to go on a diet as well since I feel SOOO guilty eating food in front of Jen...

God bless you all and we will make sure to keep every one of you guys in our prayers.

Jay & Jen

Hi all,

We are now 20/33 rx treatments and will be having our 5/7 chemo session on Wednesday.

Although Jen is feeling a bit more tired with the treatments, her general condition has been very good overall and she is still off any pain medication.

Eating has been a struggle not because of the swallowing but the change of taste (salty & metallic) but I am making sure she is well fed with the supplementary drinks + soft foods.

Still waiting for the pin to drop but I am not complaining with how she has progressed so far.

Ironically, I am feeling more anxious as we near the end of treatment as I don't think I can stand the thought of my wife going through this all over again in the instance of a re-occurrence...

I know this is regular process that everyone goes through and I know that even after Cancer is beaten, it never really leaves the system but I wonder how others deal with this on a day to day basis..

In the meantime, I guess we just need to focus on getting through the final weeks of treatment and the few weeks after it ends but I hope that our story provides other some comfort and relief that the side-effects do vary between person to person.

Wishing everyone all the best on this forum and our daily prayers are with you.

Jay & Jen

So far so good and let's hope she continues down the easy path. Re dealing, she/you will adjust and adapt to whatever comes your way.