Last nite my husband finally asked for a cup of tea with honey. I was thrilled! This is the first he has asked for anything in 10 days. He drank 1/2 cup but was still in pain. I am trying to talk him into going to see the Dr. on Monday just to check out his throat. Can't wait for the day he will smile and be himself. I miss him and his personality. I know he will change but it sems such a long journey. But we will make it. Just feeling sorry for myself I guess.

I can relate to how he feels Ms LJ. I finished up on 5/31 and still feel like I have been hit by a truck. I have been in the hospital twice, once for airway narrowing and this past week for dehydration. I am having a hard time getting strength back up and it seems like I want to sleep constantly. I have never been one to lay in the bed so I have a question here also, is that normal???

I know that he will bounce out of this soon Ms LJ as will I. Please tell him that he is in my thoughts and prayers.

LJ and Billy,

Both are 100% normal, whatever that is. Your bodies have been taken to the brink of death to save you from the cancer so please rest assure both will be fine but it takes time for your bodies to recover. Getting plenty of rest and getting plenty of water and food will definitely help the body heal.

Dear LJ and Billy, if you need more imput into the "sleeping and tired" issue- there are many posts here to the after effects of radiation and chemo. They don't just go away overnight. Give it time. Amy in Oz

Hi everyone. I have a couple of questions that arose from some of your comments about other people being shocked by your loved ones appearences. My dad will begin treatment this week (6 weeks of induction chemo followed by 6-10 weeks of chemo/radiation). So he should be ending everything by early October at the latest. I'm getting married on December 29th and my mom and I were debating moving the wedding back in order to give my dad a chance to gain some weight and return to a more "normal" looking state. We know he won't actually BE normal, but we just don't know if his weight loss will cause negative reactions or a bad vibe on what should be a happy occasion.
My mom and I are going to do our best to help him put on 10-15 pounds during the chemo, prior to radiation.
Any thought would be appreciated!

I don't know what to tell you Stephanie, I am sorry for what your family has to go through. Some people have an easier time than others. My husband started treatments March 5th and finished on 6/11 he still is very weak and isn't working yet nor eating by mouth much. Sometimes you have to wait a week in between tratments depending on your blood count or just your general health. It happened to us twice and he was in the hospital for 5 days once also. So plann for the unexpected. I am sure as you read through this forum you'll see that everyone responds differetly. I think David said for every week of treament it takes about 1 month to recover and that is sort of a good rule of thumb. They told my husband he shoud be 80% by September. When we started this journey in January. I am sure hoping. Good luck to you all and you will be in our prayers.

I am almost afraid to say we had 2 good days! Yesterday my hubby asked for some soup and ate 1/2 bowl of chicken soup. This is good since he hasn't eaten in 10 days by mouth, he did have a few bites of watermelon. He said he is afraid to think he mite feel a bit better. I told him positive thoughts!!!! Still extrelmy tired. At least I get a smile now and then. Hanging in there!

LJ,

Sounds like he might be right on "schedule" but don't either of you panic if he wakes up feeling just as rotten as before. It is completely normal to experience bad days mixed in with his good days until the bad days slowly disappear.

David you are right. This afternoon he started to feel crummy again. He said "I just don't understand how I could feel good for 2 days and then feel crummy now" I told him it happens. So hopefuly we will see what tomorrow brings. It is so good to read this forum and know you are not alone!

What a long week! I came back from church this morning and my husband shaved his head. Said it was coming out in clumps. I told him he looked kinda sexy! "You got to be kidding me was his response." This last chemo was worse that the last 3. Every side affect that was listed on the paper thay gve you- he got. It is so hard to figure out. Tomorrow will be 3 wks from his lastchemo. We go to the Dr. tomorrow. He sems to have a infection around the site of his peg tube. The Dr.gave us an anitbotic and told us to put neosporin on the surrounding site. Its like one thing ends and another starts. I guess this week I was feeling more sorry for myself. I miss my husband! I miss his laughter his arms around me and his ability to make everything ok. I am chocking back the tears as I write this and can't believe how much emotion I have. I keep thinking to my self- this to shall pass.