My husband is starting radiation on Nov 21. The first chemo session is on Nov 22. We will be staying with my daughter in town so that we can avoid the two-hour drive downtown everyday. I would like to know what is really important to have on hand, e.g. baking soda, blender, etc., since we won't be at home, I would like to have what I will need on hand instead of running out to the shops all the time.

I also think I should ask to see the dietitian at the hospital. I am just so worried about getting John to eat enough calories and fluids.

Hi, Gloria
how nice that you can stay with your daughter! Running out to shops all the time isn't necessarilly a bad thing as it will give you something to do besides worry, there are some things that would be useful.

Everyone is going to have a slightly different set of issues with nutrition, and different timing. With my husband, the tastebud issues started a couple of weeks into therapy, with sweet dropping out first, leaving bitter overemphasized. I would compensate for that, and then salt left the party. Sour went away at about the same time swallowing became an issue. I was always behind the curve! So, what we decided on was that we would try for good nutrition that didn't taste actively bad and could be swallowed easily. If you look up EricS's posts, he has a great deal of detail on exactly what nutrition is good. The tools I would suggest you gather are as follows:

1. A book on meditation and/or a nearby church/temple/synagogue/mosque if you are so inclined. This is for you so you can better keep it together and keep John in good shape for his therapy.

2. As you mentioned, a blender.

3. A food processor would be nice.

4. A double boiler. Cook 1-minute oatmeal with milk of some sort for a LONG time so it as not lumpy or scratchy. Then, add it with whey powder, more milk or fruit juice, Carnation Breakfast Essentials, bananas or other fruit in the blender. We changed up milk, soy milk and almond milk for nutritional variety.

5. A sense of humor. Remember, the taste of whatever you make will be increasingly different to you and John as therapy progresses. There will likely be some epic fails on the nutrition front; my worst was some kind of green vegan meal replacement powder that turned into quickset concrete in the blender. My husband never even saw that one: it was nasty and scratchy. But, the point is, you need a good feedback loop what he likes or can tolerate that that particular moment in time.

Best wishes,
Maria

Tip #1: It's been a while since my son was in treatment, but I remember that his tastes changed almost daily, so when we found something he liked, I would buy a lot of it which was a mistake. At end of treatment, we ended up giving away a large quantity of different soups, drinks, etc. to someone else going through cancer treatment. When I bought a large quantity size (and expensive) protein powder that the health food guy said had no taste and would go fine in anything, it got a very negative reaction from my son the first time he tasted it in his milkshake. So I would say, just buy small quantities of anything your husband is likely to eat or drink since he may experience day to day taste changes.

Tip #2: Things to have in the car if you are going even a short distance to Rad Tx:
Bottled water, plenty of towels, tissues, wipey things, and most important, one of those square plastic dish pans (throw-up bucket). For some reason all through Tx, I hadn't thought of having something like that until the very last Rad Tx when Paul received one from the nurses as a "graduation present". It had some paper towels in the bottom which was a very good idea (provides easy clean-up). There are so many things that didn't occur to me while he was in treatment, probably because I was not always thinking clearly. Once when we were on our way back from treatment (a 15 minute drive), on a narrow country road, he yelled to stop the car!! I stopped and noticed we were in front of someone's nice looking house with a nice looking driveway. Paul started to open the door but kept motioning to move forward so I did and parked next to some bushes where he let loose with everything that was in his stomach! There were several episodes like that where we had to find some suitable place for him to lean out the car and throw up. I did not always understand his directions and it was so frustrating for him, to say the least. Sometimes it took a while for him to decide where he wanted to throw up. Bottom line: Do have a nice square plastic dish pan with some paper towels in the bottom that you can keep in the car. If you think just looking at the dish pan will make him gag, then hide it under some bath towels until or if it becomes obvious he needs it. You can paint a nice smiley face on the outside of it with a permanent marker. Hopefully your husband won't ever need it but if he does, it will make life easier.

Re: the "throw up bucket"- our friend Bruce told us that when his kids were sick they took a plastic gallon milk jug and cut out the top side of it halfway down leaving the handle intact. We did that for several jugs. I kept one in the car, one in the bedroom, one in the living room and one in the den. That way I always had one available. It was easy to grab by the handle, and didn't spill as much as a dish pan. We got so we called it the "Bruce Bucket".

I kept a plastic bag in my pocket for the occasional unexpected throwing up when out. Also lots of tissues to hand where ever I was. I still always take a small bottle of bicarb solution with me to rinse my mouth, and something to spit it out into. Sally

Ok, as someone who is waiting to start treatment, gotta say this thread has freaked me out more than anything I have read on here!

I intellectually know all the side effects, but this was a smack upside the head.

Going to breathe into a paper bag for few minutes...carry on.

I can just picture you doing this Tina. Made me chuckle!!
We carried water and tissues as well as several of the new bags they have in hospitals now for puke. Also had a bucket handy in several rooms.
I agree completely with the don't buy too much of one thing idea as taste will change daily. DON'T try ginger ale for the upset stomach. It burns terribly! Be sure they give you lots of anti-nausea meds.
Kevin liked scrambled eggs every morning for several months (we had induction chemo too). Even when they started tasting funny, they slid down easily and were protein. Pasta with butter was the same way (minus the protein).
His dx was the same as your husband Gloria, except nodes were only on the right side.
Kathy

A "Bruce Bucket"!! You must patent that name! It's inspired.

Sorry Tina! I guess the two main tips are: 1) for stuff you want to go down, experiment and go for small amounts and 2) for stuff that comes up keep hankies, bowl and mouth wash and water handy. The vomiting for me was a result of gagging when I had thick mucus to spit out, not related to my stomach rejecting food. Getting rid of the thick mucus is at the worst phase which is usually the couple of weeks after radiation finishes. Another thing to think about is sleeping arrangements. Sitting up is more comfortable because of the mucus. For a while I slept propped up on our sofa. Sorry if this is too much info! Remeber it varies for everyone and some people breeze through with out too much problem. Here's hoping Tina and John you are both in the later cases. Sally

Tip re scrambled eggs: They worked quite well for my son during his Tx. But they had to be very softly scrambled (not bunchy) with cheese melted on top.