Bill is starting his second week of RX and will have his third chemo this Thursday. I keep waiting for the "ax to fall." I kind of expected it sooner rather than later as he is receiving twice a day RX (hyperfractionated.)

So far, he is doing well...no nausea, no sores, really nothing except mild indigestion after eating.

So...in everyones experience, when does the "yucky" stuff start??

Deb

This is where that "everyone is different" really comes into play. I NEVER got any mouth sores from the radiation, although by the last quarter, my mouth was sensitive and my lips felt like they had a mild sunburn. However, chemo was awful to my body. Extreme nausea with every treatment and I had to be hospitalized the second time to get fluids back in me.

Again, everyone is different, so maybe he won't have many side effects.

Echoing the 'everyone is different theme' my side effects started from the very first treatment!
So it's good to see that not everyone has it too rough! It gives hope to those starting Tx.
Make the most of every day!
Michelle

Re Ax ...
it may not fall. I was expecting that too and it was rather weird to think why do I not feel nore miserable.
The important thing to remember is even if it does that it IS temporary(!!!) and eventually it will get better. Clearly everyone hopes that side effects are minimal. It is better to be mentally prepared for a rough time and then be positively surprised if it was not all that bad.
In my case things held up until about rad 26/33 at which point eating and talking was getting impossible (PEG tube). Ropey saliva (or whatever you want to call it) and mouth sores I did not get until after the radiation ended (July19). This lasted for about 10-12 days. I am now PEG less and have been back at work for almost 2 weeks (non physical work and the first week was part time only).

Best

Markus

Having read through what seems like thousands of posts on this same issue, it seems the 'average' is about the 2-3 week mark of radiation, where people start to notice the discomfort of mouth sores, etc. That's when it hit me. In fact I cruised through the first two weeks thinking...hmm....maybe it's not going to affect me like the others? And then it did...the mouth sores started to develop, and within about a week I found myself eating mostly through my PEG tube.

As others have said, everybody is different and it also really depends on the radiation mapping and what tissues are being affected by it.

Something I always tell folks as a heads-up, most people who do experience the painful oral side effects of radiation find that the worst of hit doesn't hit until a few weeks or more after treatment ends. The radiation seems to keep on working even though the treatments have ended. I was warned about it and was glad I knew, because that was certainly my experience as well.

I hope you can be among the group of folks for whom the side effects are not severe.

Best regards,
Steve J.

Deb, I didn't start feeling any side effects until around the beginning of week 3. I never did get sick but lost all my taste and all my energy, and a lot of hair. It seemed like it happened at once. I was able to continue working all through the tx but there were days I wondered. I am 3 months post tx and am still getting over the side effects. My advise is to take it one day at a time and if Bill gets through it with minimal side effectss then that is one more thing to be grateful about. Good luck, Bill

Thanks everyone for weighing in on your experience. I am trying to take one day at a time but, every so often, my mind creeps to the future and what lies ahead. I don't want to over analyze but I don't want it to blindside us either.

This weekend seemed like such a precious gift. No doctors appts, no recovery from PEG/port surgery, no treatments, Bill feeling well and able to do normal things...I stopped several times and gave thanks for all the mundane things we did... chores, laundry, golf on TV, naps....lovely! Just wish it could last!

Thanks again for your replys...anyone else got something to add?? Deb

DEb and Bill, my husband built a lovely picket fence[in rocky Ozark soil] during the 1st few weeks of his rad tx. and continued to eat well. Then he crashed. My advice to you is to be prepared for the next few months by arranging your days to be available for anything, to have good, easy food in the freezer for you in the event Bill can't handle normal stuff and you don't want to cook for yourself and to take anyone who offers up on their offer to run errands, cook for you, etc. Hopefully Bill will sail through this, but if he hits a snag, you need to be available and may be on call 24\7 for a while. {the Boy Scout motto applies to us girls too- Be Prepared} Amy in the Ozarks

Okay, sometimes I think I just shouldn't post at all because for some reason I coasted through my rad and chemo. I just want to say to take it day to day. Yes, be prepared, but hope for the best! I was able to eat solid food throughout treatment, and only used advil for any pain. I was prepared for what may come, and I had a feeding tube just in case. But I want you to know that some people can have an easier time, and one of those people could be Bill. Chemo did not make me sick, and rad side effects started in the third week. I did not get mouth sores. I don't want to disillusion you, but I do want to give a glimmer of hope. I feel guilty that this treatment passed so easily for me, when so many of you suffered with treatment. So if I am out of line, please say so.

Thanks, girlcat, but I am sorry to say that almost exactly 1 week later, the "yucky" stuff started and within three days, Bill was off all food and is now really having no luck with drinking anything. Thank God for the Peg tube. This is a man with a high threshhold and he is still very painful even with pain meds. I am grateful that his chemo has brought no nausea...that would be the final blow. 8 more treatment days( 2 rads a day and 1 more chemo) and we are done. Deb