I have looked into this area, probably more than most, having suffered from cachexia or wasting, losing 110 pounds in one month, 50 percent of my body weight, having weighed 100kg at the start of treament, which nearly killed me, and has taken me three years to gain 40 lbs back. It's not the same as normal starvation, and takes a long road to recover, and usually not just by increasing calories, medicatuions, which may increase body weight, but not lean body mass.

Cachexia, wasting, anorexia is very complex, and multi-factor. It is one of the worst effects of cancer, and accounts up to one third of cancer related deaths. There are many studies with this effect in cancer patients, and other illnesses. The complications associated with this, effects physiological and biochemical balance and influences the effects of cancer treatment, resulting in decreased survival time, QOL, and overlaps chronic infection, surgery, tumor, metabolsim, thyroid, hormones, glucose, energy, nasusea, acquired taste aversions, depression.

Early and appropriate nutrional interventions hold promise of improving the ability to undergo and tolerate treatments, including radiation, chemo, and surgery, and other forms. In contrast to normal starvation, cachexia is the advanced state of wasting marked by excess loss of skeletal muscle, muscle mass relative to body weight. Normal starvation is adaptive, and weight loss occurring gradually, beacuse of decreased caloric intake, with relative maintenance of lean body mass at the expense of body fat as an energy source. Bacause of metabolic and nutrional effects accompying advanced cancer, these adaptions are inhibited or impaired leading to advanced malnutrition, and life threatening cachexia. Certain forms of cancer are marked with weight loss at time of diagnosis, and Head and Neck cancer is one, mine was 25lb at diagnosis, so I really lost total 135lbs. Overall, malnutrition varies from 30 to 87% of patients, 5 percent of unintentional weight loss is considere late effects of cachexia. Anorxia, effecting 14-40% loss in patients, at time of daignosis, has a role in weight loss, but cannot explain all the loss.

Congrats to you and your husband, Stacey. I know it's been tough-and will continue to be for a while, but with each others' help and coming back here as often as you want will get you through it with panache' and aplomb. (how 'bout THAT for a recovery statement????) ;-)
I didn't think I was THAT skinny at the end of my RT, but a pic taken then-thank God that was about the ONLY one-showed something that looked only vaguely human...huge, sunken eyes, gaunt face and arms that're little bigger than your basic skin 'n bones. I'm fat 'n happy now(all of 157, but only 5'7") after much "comfort food" and lovin it~!~

Thanks to everyone for your support and advice. He finished Radiation last week and is having many of the issues described on the boards. The inside of his mouth has blisters, he coughs all day from throat or swallowing issues. I think it is (at least partially) the mucus issue but he won't discuss it in any detail. He hasn't lost his voice completely but his voice is very soft and hard to hear. He hardly moves his mouth/jaw to talk. Weight is a touchy issue for me to ask about but I think he is still losing weight.

You might have noticed that we have very little communication. I do try to work in advice that I have picked up from here but he does not want to hear or listen to anything or tell me anything. He wants me and everyone else to leave him alone and that's how it has been for the last few weeks.

Sorry for you Stacey, but been there done it. I felt like a wounded bear (I guess). I wanted to be left alone and if anyone tried helping me I would want to bite their head off for trying. I was forced to go into the hospital (my wife, my vida who saved my butt) my 2nd week post. The docs and my wife convinced me I was near death so I agreed to a nasal tube and within 2 weeks I had removed that sucker myself and was eating solids and on the road to recovery. Hopefully he won't have to reach my low before he listens.

Stacy - your husband's experience sounds so much like what my son went through just after completing the Rad Tx. He really suffered with the mouth blisters and swallowing issues plus difficulty talking which he did in barely a whisper. He would get so upset with me when I couldn't understand or hear him and I was trying so hard not to ask him to repeat stuff because I could see how much it hurt him to talk. We were both so frustrated that at one point I told him I had some hearing loss and (I really didn't) and that he would have to be patient with me. That helped a little. We also developed a sort of sign language like thumbs up or down for yes/no, shrug shoulders for Don't know. I would try to give me him choices like "you want chicken broth or beef broth", or #1, 2, 3 choices so he could respond more easily. He did not appreciate questions about his weight either, just saying it was "OK" but I could see how much he had lost when he walked towards his Rad treatment and his jeans seemed about to fall off his hips in the "pants-on-the-ground" fashion. He didn't like accepting advice from me and I thought it was because it was coming from his mother (me). What I did was print out encouraging posts from others on this forum (like Davidcpa) and just leave them by his bed while he was sleeping which really did work! I could tell by his improved attitude that it did. These couple of weeks are so difficult for both you and your husband. Even the most wonderful survivors can get a tad "stubborn" after being zapped so many times in the Rad Room. But they soon get back to their former sweet loving selves very soon. Yours will too!

I just wanted to update. My husband returned to work (not completely just yet). He still has the same throat, mouth, fatigue etc problems tho. I think the next step will be to meet with the MO to develop a 2 year plan for testing etc to make sure he remains cancer free.

Would someone please DM me to let me know what forum I should start posting to at this point?

Thank you so much for everything that you have done to help me thru this journay. I am forever grateful.

Post wherever you feel is relevant. Congrats on him going back to work tell him to take it easy. It will take a while to heal completely.

Congrats Stacey! I cant believe he has went back even part time so quickly. How far out of treatment is he, 3 week? I think your husband may have set a new record around here for going back the quickest. It took me about 6 weeks to return part time to my office job.

Since your husband finished his treatments, After Treatment might be where you will have questions. When deciding which tab to post under, take a look at the headings on the left and choose whichever one best fits your topic. If its that far out of place, I will move your post. Its not a big deal.

Christine, He went back to work 11 days after the last RT. Unfortunately, most people know nothing about OC and RT so he may have felt pressure to return or even pressured himself. He shouldn't be at work IMO. He has a hard time talking, can't eat, fatigued etc but what can you do. I know that I was asked by one of his family members if he was going back to work on Monday (3 days after the last RT). I figured out then that people did not understand any of this at all.

I can't imagine being back at work especially when the side affects to the treatment are at its worst 1-2 weeks POST tx..!!

I would strongly urge him to take at least another week out or until he 'turns the corner'.

You aren't doing yourself any good putting so much stress on the body and no amount of pressure from work should equate to putting your health on the line!