Hi,
My husband has gone through 7 weeks of radiation and chemo at the same time. He has a feeding tube and has been through with the radiation for 3 weeks. He is still not eating!!! Is this normal? I called his Doctor today but have not heard back yet. He still has so much secretion. I want to make him feel better but I don't know what to do!

I forgot to say that my husband has squamous cell carcinoma between stage 2 and 3. Primary base of tongue and had spread to lymph nodes in right side of neck. The doctors are hopeful that the treatment has taken care of the cancer and he won't have to go through surgery.

Hello DEG04,

Welcome to the club no one wants to join. Depending on what type of radiation he's going through not being able to eat after three weeks is normal. If you can call anything normal about the treatment. We all react differant to the same treatment. Is he being treated at a local hospital or a multi-disiplined cancer center? Was his treatment decided by one or two doctors or a cancer rewiew board with different opinions on how best to treat his case?

The more knowledge you have about this diaease the better decisions you will make on treatment.

I wish him the best and again, Welcome.

Dan

Hi DEG04,

Welcome to the OCF forum -- I'm sorry to hear what you and your husband are going through.

Recovery from radiation is generally a long, slow process. As Dan mentioned, different people have different responses to the treatment, but it's not unusual for it to take many weeks, if not months, to get back to a reasonable level of eating ability. A rule of thumb that you will see quoted elsewhere on this site is that you should probably figure on a month of recovery time for each week of radiation.

It's critical for your husband to keep getting the nutrition he needs during this period, and if the tube is working better than eating by mouth, he should keep it up as long as necessary.

Please keep us posted on how he is doing and feel free to come back with more questions.

Cathy

Yes, it is normal that he has trouble eating at 3 weeks post Tx. This is the point where the effects of the radiation are peaking and it should very gradually improve from here. Measure progress in 3 week increments. The secretions should just start to be improving about now also. The secretions can sometimes be managed by decongestants but they make the dry mouth worse. A humidifier will help a lot - I still use mine 15 months post Tx.

Many believe, going into this, that radiation is the easier course but it is more difficult than surgery. It will take at least a month of recovery for every week of radiation. It is a very slow process, you must be patient.

Make sure that he maintains his fluid uptake (2-3 liters of water a day). Stay on top of pain management, infection, thrush and constipation issues. Liquids are probably all he can tolerate orally - try milkshakes and things like that. Stay away from anything acidic such as fruit juices (at least orally anyway).

Hello DEG04!

Welcome to the community. I know how difficult it is to see someone you love suffering and feeling like your hands are tied behind your back. Unfortunately, there is no real normal course for recovery, it depends on the person and many other factors. We all experience(d) pretty much the same things but not necessarily in the same order and for the same duration of time.

I had the thick secretions for about 8 weeks after radiation and for a couple of weeks even during the 9th month. As a general rule, take your husband's weight divided by two. This is the MINIMUM ounces of water he should be drinking per day. Even Gatorade in the tube would be better or Pediolite. Driving across town in the car with the temperature in the 90's and humid would require about 20 ounces of water for the ride to just break even. Water or hydration is one of the most important things to minimize the side effects.

The eating will come. Be sure and use Boost or Ensure often. Boost even comes in a version with extra protein and extra fat. Keep the calories up until the energy comes back.

You are truly a special person to be in the role you are and your husband is so fortunte to have you. Hang in there, it will get better.

Ed

One thing that will help with the secretion is Robitussin. It has Guafenesin which is used to thin out mucous. Be sure and put it in the tube, though, because it will really burn the throat!

Ed

Try rinsing & spitting w/club soda. It worked very well for me cutting the mucous & at least give temporary relief. I would leave a bottle by the kitchen sink & rinse, gargle & spit all day long. The bubbles can be a little painful but not damaging. Once I could swallow it, it cut the mucous way back in throat. Try it, it worked for me & others. I also forced myself to chug water. If I chugged it then I'd only have to cough at the end, instead of after every drink. Keep yer chins up!