Eric completed his first week of radiation. I have to admit that I am worried for him as he didn't tolerate this week that well and all indications are that the worst is yet to come. He is still eating solid foods but his nausea is bad.

Although IMRT is available he wasn't a candidate for IMRT as they want to cover a broad area on both sides of Eric's neck. To attempt to mimimize the loss of salivery function he is taking amifostine, salagen and zofran to manage the nausea. Unfortunately the nausea is still causing daily vomiting which makes eating and nutrition difficult.

I knew this was coming, I know this would be hard, but seeing the onset of the initial symptoms makes the reality of how intense radiation is really set in. I am off to Target to buy a humidifer today.

I hope you all have a good weekend... he is as it is nice not to have a radiation appointment today!

Jack

Jack,
Sorry to hear Eric is having such a rough go of it. One thing my husband found to help with the nausea (from the amifostine as well as the chemo he was getting at the same time as radiation) was to use wrist accupressure points. Our accupucturist friend instructed him in the location of the points and he would apply pressure when he felt the nausea coming on. She also gave him "sea bands" that do kind of the same thing. He also found that sucking on (or sometimes just smelling) strong peppermint mints would help. I know these are just little things, but Eric might want to give them a try.

Trust that things will get better, even though it is hard to believe, at times. My husband is about 3 and a half months post radiation and chemo and he is actually starting to take short runs in the mornings now.

Anita

After my first week, the oncologist said I looked like I was already in my sixth week of treatment. He said non-smokers/non-drinkers get "burned" worse. That was because smoking and drinking "harden" the inside of your mouth and throat from years of irritation. He also had to pull me off of Ethyol because the anti-nausea meds couldn't control the vomiting.
I would keep some baking soda and water in the bathroom so when I did throw up, I could neutralize the acid real quick.
Also, if I allowed my stomach to get empty, I would get sick (probably bile irritating things).
It took about 2 weeks after radiation stopped to start feeling myself, and about 2 months after that to get rid of the PEG tube.
O-O

Hi Jack,
Some people can't tolerate the amofostine -even with Zofran (which is only effective for 72 hours). Have the doctor prescribe some alternative antiemetics.

I really looked forward to my weekends off!

I didn't drink or smoke either so that explains a lot. Thanks Powerlifter.

Jack, I had forgotten all about it, but I had a little container of peppermint oil (from my candy making supplies) that I used to sniff, and even dab a bit under my nose when I felt nauseous. This was a tip I found on this forum more than a year ago, and have not seen repeated. This seemed to help me, and might do the same for your friend. Worth a try!
Joanna

Thanks everyone. Great suggestions. I will get some of the "seasick" wrist bands and peppermint oil.

Eric really wants to try to keep going with the amifostine despite the nausea as he desparately wants to keep as much salivary function as possible. But it is difficult to consistently do something that he knows will make him feel very nausous and ill, particularly since these is no guarantee that the amifostine will accomplish its goal.

He is using the Biotene mouth rinse that Mark suggested (great suggestion Mark!!) and that already is helping. I ordered a case online. I also found a smoothie maker at Costco for $50 that claims to make smooth drinks much better than a traditional blender. When Eric is on blender drinks I will field test it and give a report

As always, THANK YOU for all the suggestions.... all of them are worth trying... I am grateful he is in treatment and moving closer to finishing the radiation course one day at a time.

Jack

I don't know what a "seasick wristband" is, but they also have Compazine suppositories if you can't get any pills down (or keep them down). I found myself using them a lot after my second chemo treatment.

I am currently using peppermint aromatherapy and it helps a good deal......susanlaura1,in 4th week,chemo and RT

As a lifetime "blue water" sailor who, like anyone else who spends long periods on the open ocean, I occasionally get seasick. When the green water starts breaking over the bow and the trough you are in is so deep that you cant see over the top of the next wave that's ahead....it gets urpy out there. Fear and movement together are a sure cause. There is a company that sells a wristband with a little lump in it that is supposed to put pressure on an accupressure point that will alleviate nausea. Save your money. These don't work except through placebo effect. Sometimes the distraction is enough...I've heard that strong smells, (like peppermint) can have some elffect. But compared to getting compazine or another powerful antiemetic drug these are token effects. Most people, even with the full blown drugs, are not nausea free during treatment.

Well things are a little better. Taking the Zofran 3 x a day, as well as trying to not have an empty stomach seems to reduce the nausea. As a back up, Eric got a compazine prescription in case it works better for him than the Zofran.

Three more treatments and another week down. He is starting to get tired and subdued... fortunately all the medical staff seem very proactive about minimizing effects. In fact his radiation nurse only works with head and neck cancer patients. She has lots of suggestions... and went through radiation therapy herself. All your suggestions, along with her suggestions really help.

I'll keep posting and thanks again for all the tips. Basically anything that isn't harmful seem worth trying!

Jack