#41407 06-19-2007 10:06 PM | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 12 Member | OP  Member
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 12 | My partner is verging on alcoholism after diagnosis. I thought I heard somewhere that patients can't drink alcohol during radiation. Is this true?
Partner diagnosed with low grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of sublingual gland, 2nd opinion graded intermediate grade, surgery to remove,lymph nodes removed one side, nodes all clear. Treatment - radiation.
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#41408 06-20-2007 01:33 AM | Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 176 Senior Member (100+ posts) | | Senior Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 176 | Alcohol during treatment is a suicidal idea. At one year post, my docs said that two beer or wine drinks/week is now ok. Alcohol is a large contributor to this disease. Something about the alcohol drying out, and then the changing of those cells.
6-05, Left Tonsil-T1N2bM0 stageIVA, chemo(Cisplatin), radiation(6660cGy), neck disection, no PEG. HPV negative. (Doc suspects posit)
3-9-09 last of 30 HBO treatments.
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#41409 06-20-2007 01:46 AM | Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 446 "OCF Canuck" Platinum Member (300+ posts) | | "OCF Canuck" Platinum Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Jul 2006 Posts: 446 | Kristie, He's stressed out of his mind, and using alcohol to cope. Rob's right about it being a causitive factor and her certainly will not be able to even look at alcohol much less drink it once the mouth sores begin from radiation.
Encourage him to talk frankly to his Doctors about the drinking, and about some help with the stress. He needs help with both, right now
Wayne
SCC left mandible TIVN0M0 40% of jaw removed, rebuilt using fibula, titanium and tissue from forearm.June 06. 30 IMRT Aug.-Oct. 06
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#41410 06-20-2007 03:32 AM | Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 168 Gold Member (100+ posts) | | Gold Member (100+ posts)
Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 168 | Kristie, I 2nd Wayne's suggestion. I quit smoking because I couldn't imagine going through all of this only to keep myself at high risk. To many people put in time and prayers for my life, I felt like it would be really rude to be puffing on a smoke while they were trying to help me live.
I would imagine that if he weakens his body with alot of drinking his treatments will be very difficult. Here's the fact of the matter. If he has been drinking heavily for an extended period and he is planning on starting treatment, his dr.s better know what is going on. Withdrawals from alcohol can be very difficult. Combined with treatment side effects I would imagine they would be terrible. I speak about the alcoholism from experience, I am not a dr.
I'll just say it flat out. If he's drinking like a fish why is he bothering with treatment for cancer? First it is a huge risk factor and secondly alcoholism is a deadly disease as well. It sounds like someone needs to ask him that sobering question of "are you ready to die?". We all handle coming to terms with cancer a little different but what we have in common here is the will to fight with all we have in us. If we are down we help pick one another up. Your partner is down and he needs some help.
I tell people like it is when it comes to alcoholism and addiction. They are deadly diseases just like cancer. There are places that can help him, If he needs it. The hardest thing is that he has to be the one who decides he needs it.
With all that said, there is a serious medical situation with alcohol withdrawals for someone who has been drinking for along time. Added with stress, depression, and cancer makes it even more dangerous. I hope he will talk with his doc's about all of this. Good Luck to you.
Lee, age 33, stage 4a, T2N2bM0, Tumor left tonsil (removed), 2 left side nodes removed (poorly differientiatied)total of 3 nodes involved. Treatment IMRT x33/ 2x Cysplatin completed. Good Health and Good Help to you.
Lee
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#41411 06-20-2007 06:01 AM | Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,940 "OCF across the pond" Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | "OCF across the pond" Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Feb 2007 Posts: 1,940 | You asked if he COULD drink during treatment not if he should,and the simple answer to that is yes he can,and if he is anything ike my husband he will!!!There was only a very short period of time when Rob physically couldnt swallow a beer and i hoped the damage to his taste buds would make him hate the stuff but as fate would have it he never had a problem with his taste buds so was back on it as soon as he could swallow again.The moral and ethical issue is a different matter,and the answer to that is also quite simple .NO he definately shouldnt,but i hope you have more luck persuading him not to than i did!!!
Liz in the UK
Husband Robin aged 44 years Dx 8th Dec 2006 poorly differentiated SCC tongue with met to neck T1N2cM0 Surgery and Radiation.Finished TX April 2007
Recurrence June/07 died July 29th/07.
Never take your eye off the ball, it may just smack you in the mouth.
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#41412 06-20-2007 10:35 AM | Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 12 Member | | OP Member
Joined: Jun 2007 Posts: 12 | thank you so much everyone for your feedback.
I'm trying my best to get him to cut right back and then stop. He knows its not helping and doing damage to his liver.
Partner diagnosed with low grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of sublingual gland, 2nd opinion graded intermediate grade, surgery to remove,lymph nodes removed one side, nodes all clear. Treatment - radiation.
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#41413 06-20-2007 10:53 AM | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,140 Likes: 1 Patient Advocate (1000+ posts) | | Patient Advocate (1000+ posts)
Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,140 Likes: 1 | Kristie, when I was having rad, the techs told me about one patient who smoked out in the garage until his treatment time, and always came in inebriated. They told me that the treatments were just useless and they wished they didn't have to treat him, as what he was doing completely canceled out any good they were providing. I hope that you can impress upon your partner the seriousness of his chosen course of action. Good luck! | | |
#41414 06-24-2007 04:28 AM | Joined: May 2007 Posts: 17 Member | | Member
Joined: May 2007 Posts: 17 | One thing for your partner to consider: cancer is HUNGRY for sugar. Alcoholic beverages are, in large part, sugars -- which why you want to avoid alcohol if you are struggling with weight gain.
Everytime you take a drink of sugar, of any sort, you are feeding the cancer what it wants.
That is, in my opinion, a pretty sobering thought.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, epithelioma-like carcinoma. (T2ANOMO IIa). Completed 35 rad treatments June 19, 2007.
"When god closes one door he opens another; but sometimes it's hell in the hallway."
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#41415 06-24-2007 05:30 PM | Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 52 OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | OCF Founder Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Mar 2002 Posts: 4,912 Likes: 52 | I wish someone would find the long thread on cancers and sugar consumption... the negative impact of which was debunked at great length here several years ago. If it were so bad, then we couldn't eat just about anything since our body converts them into sugars.
Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.
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#41416 06-24-2007 06:22 PM | Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 316 Platinum Member (300+ posts) | | Platinum Member (300+ posts)
Joined: Jan 2004 Posts: 316 |
End of Radiation - the "Ides of March" 2004 :-)
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