Gail, I haven't looked at what vitamins are in each can of Boost lately, but I do know that consuming the amount of Jevity I do every day (the liquid stuff that's made for tube feeding), I get about what I'd get in a good multivitamin of C, E, etc. As opposed to getting, say, 1500-2000 mgs of vitamin C which is the level many people take (or higher) when taking it for antioxidant protection. The admonitions I got were against taking that kind of high level of antioxidants, not the lower minimum RDA level you'd find in a multivitamin.

Well, Barry was only taking 500 mg C (which is what is in most multivitamins) and they told him to stop, also 200 mg gamma-E (not a-tocopherol which is what is in Boost). Most other liquid diets are also rather heavily vitamin-enriched, something to keep in mind if you are also taking a multi-vitamin (which Barry was not, as not recommended by his prostate oncologist).

If he ends up using 6 cans of Boost Plus/day, he will be back to ingesting about 500 mg C or 6X the RDA. (And we know the Boost C is not naturally occuring as it would be in, say, orange juice.) Also a lot more beta-carotene (150% of daily value), than would seem prudent, at least for patients that were smokers.

This is not to dump on Boost but I do detect a certain inconsistency here...

This whole issue is controversial, have recently seen a number of papers and a couple review articles that dismissed the "conventional wisdom," finding more evidence for beneficial than negative effects from reasonable intake of certain antioxidants during radiation (not mega-doses).

I think the jury is still out on this...

Gail

Hi Michael. Good luck this week. I hope all goes well for you. I "felt" something in my throat also around 2 weeks after surgery. Just try and be calm and to not add any more stress to yourself right now.

Do some deep breathing meditation and get yourself some great books you always wanted to read but never did. I use Biafine three times a day but nothing once I get up in the morning and shower before I leave for treatment. On weekends I use a triple antibiotic recommended by the Shriners Burns Institute for Children. Oil is a no no and the antibiotic cream is only used on weekends and washed off on Sunday night.

My skin has remained soft and moist and though they felt it might be in a bad peel tomorrow it has gone back to looking pretty good with the TA cream. The rest of the time I religiously use the Vigilon pads and they have given me such relief I can't even discribe it. They are quite happy with the results so far. No hard, dry skin, no cracks and splits.

Best thing....just take your physicians advice. That is why you chose him and your team right?

hugs and blessings,
Barb~
2 more and done!

Barb:

Great advice, good news and info thanks!

I took notes and will review with the RO tomorrow.

:-)

- Michael

Gail, That doesn't make any sense, that they would care about such small amounts of vitamins in a multivitamin when he'll get that as soon as he goes on any kind of liquid diet. I have a hard time believing those more close o the RDA amounts of antioxidants really make much of a difference one way or the other, quite honestly.

You really need a microscope to read the mgs listed for each vit on the Jevity can (my super duper magnifying reading glasses made the print barely legible--obviously it's not toom important to them that it can be read) but I'm pretty sure that if I take 6 cans/day, I've been getting 450 mgs of C just from that. But, as I said, my oncologist made clear it was the larger doses of stuff that I needed to stop doing during treatment.

Although I was told to lay of C and E altogether before surgery. If Barry is getting a PEG tube, maybe that's why they are saying none at all? Otherwise, I agree it seems a little inconsistent.

Michael, I have been thinking about you and want to share my dad's experience (since you are embarking on what he did 3 weeks ago).
He went from eating pizza with us one day to radiation sores in his mouth the next. Since he wasn't expecting the pain to creep up on him like that, he spent the whole week trying to catch up with the severe discomfort. Please, get your pain meds now and the minute you get a hint, start taking them. He is now in the hospital with fever spikes-his labs are NORMAL. From what I've learned, this is usual.

Shawna:

Thank you very much for the great suggesstions.

I am sorry your Dad is hospitalized I will be thinking of him and wishing a swift return home.

What do they do while hospitalized? Do they still give radiation?

I had my PEG Tube installed yesterday!

UUUGH!!!!!

The surgery went fine, and the incision looks good and doesn't hurt much at all....What killed me was the GAS they pump inside the tummy (dilate)..!

After wards they said I could eat normally...(Guess they couldn't tell by looking at me that "normally" means a lot!

So, a couple of hours after the proceedure, we were at a sandwich shop and I had a turkey sandwich...

Well...30 minutes later........YIKES!!!!!

MAJOR, MAJOR, MAJOR DISCOMFORT!

I felt like I was going to explode (almost wished I did)!

The 'pain' spiked with spasms hitting a 9 a couple of times..

I couldn't find any comfortable position, and was getting dehydrated.

I called the GI surgery team and got a Dr (fellow) on the line...

He said to just tough it out, and deal with it..

Well, by now most of you know that doesn't work for my personality, so I hung and called back 45 minutes later.

Still in MAJOR pain, I paged the surgeon.

He immediately called me back.

He suggested taking some "Gas-X", and Tylenol.

So, (one thing about NY is there is a drug store every 100 feet!), Seth got me both, and I had him get some Baking Soda and Club Soda too.

I took them all, and it helped a lot, but not 100% resolution.

So, it was a LONG night...Didn't sleep too much, and got a fever around 10:00 PM.

Fever has been up and down, helped with the Tylenol, and I have an appt this morning with the Oncologist so we'll discuss this, but I think it's a normal reaction to the trauma of the incision.

Anyway the pressure is much better this morning, but now it feels like I just did 2,000 sit-ups!

Moving slowly, and getting in the grove for my appt.

That's it for now...

Radiation setup is Friday, with actual rads starting Monday.

Thanks everyone for being there for me!

- Michael

Michael,
Thoughts and prayers for a healing experience in New York. My husband is having similar experiences to yours except here in Cleveland. He had a tonsillectomy 7/6/05 and began radiation/chemo 8/2. He got his Peg tube 8/5. You seem to be going into this quite well-informed. Hope you meet many wonderful people along the road that carry you through as we seem to be meeting - not the least of which are these website friends! How is Seth holding up?
Janet

Michael,
Don't be shy about calling those docs. Other than one or two sharp pains before I left the hospital, my PEG never caused me any problems. I don't think that it should be painful. Heck, I used to work out and play golf wearing the thing. Best of luck on your treatment. My friend from L.A. was also treated at MSK and they dosed him pretty good with chemo and he is still having some numbness in his feet...ask them about that.

Take care in the big city,

Danny G.

Ahhhhhhhhhh you hang in there Michael. Believe it or not before you know it the treatments will be over and you will be thinking "wow that time went fast" Wait and see.
I will be thinking of you ans wishing you well.
GB,
Barb~