My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 BOT cancer that has spread to lymph nodes in his neck.
He will be starting chemo and radiation in the next week or so.
Can you all please give me some ideas on some things I may need to buy or have on hand to make his treatments more bearable?

Any advice is appreciated.

Lissy

Hi Lissy,
We need to know his exact treatment protocol to help you in any more than a general way.

General items:

Dentist: (dental) Dental trays, Flouride foam, Walmart stuff: room humidifier, Osterizer, Puffs tissues.

MO stuff: Meds: Anti-anxiety, pain, thrush, constipation, just for starters. There are others, like Reglan, antiemetics like Zofran, etc.

I researched, and had, the meds before I needed them so if there was an issue after hours or on a weekend, I didn't need to go to the ER.

I am sure that others will have more suggestions.

Take good notes at the doctor visits.

Hi Lissy,

My husband is Stage V BOT also.
He's just starting his 4th week of treatment and is doing really well. I was expecting a lot worse by now, but I guess not everyone responds the same to the chemo & rad therapy.
I read from someone that they bought a small spray bottle to use when the mouth gets dry. So I went to WalMart and picked up a couple small hand sized spray bottles that were in the aisle where they sell the travel sized shampoos and stuff. It's especially convenient at night when he can just reach over and spray his mouth.
I keep one on the nightstand and he has another to either carry around or put on the coffee table.
I also stocked up on creamed soups and instant mashed potatoes which he can fix himself when I'm not home. He is still doing well eating soft foods now even though he lost his sense of taste.
We also got a small notebook so he could keep track of what time he takes his medication and liquid nutrition. He was forgetting when he took different meds.
I'm sure you will read all over about constipation and taking stool softeners. My husband was having problems with that earlier, but doing better now.
Just keep reading stuff here and to save time, if you are looking for something specific, use the "search"option.
Sorry you had to come here, but this is a wonderful web site and the people here are SO helpful and supportive in every way.
Vicki

Hi Lissi,
Welcome to the caregiver forum. Sorry you had to find us, but this is a great place for information.

I found a pill crusher to be useful. As the treatment goes on, you'll be getting a assortment of meds. Whether swallowing, or using a feeding tube, some of those pills need to be crushed or cut in half. You'll have to ask the pharmacist if it is ok for each pill.

Speaking of the feeding tube, I hope he gets one.
Hydration and nutrition are essential and will have a lot to do with how well he gets through his treatment. There are posters here that toughed it out without a tube and they had some real rough times.

Please keep us posted and what is happening, and even if you just want to talk.

Ginny

I can't emphasize strongly enough what Mike said about making SURE that meds can be crushed. Some meds are time release and can cause an overdose if crushed.

Hi, Lissy- the shopping list gets longer-- insist at the 1st rad treatment that they give him the best skin cream available for skin care. Also ask what soap they recommend for showering at home. Also ask ahead about what concoction of "Magic mouthwash" they use and be ready to get a script filled at the first sign of mouath sores. As to Gary's Puffs tissues-- we bought Puffs ULTRA [non scented] rather than Puffs Plus [scented with lotion], and John must have used 1000 boxes for the mucous. Know where to get your hands on a bedside suction machine in the event he may want one for awhile. Get things in your freezer and pantry that you can eat without alot of prep time.If he doesn't have too many problems--great--but if he does get sick from the rad., you won't want to cook for yourself. There will be other stuff down the road, but all of the above will get you started. Best luck, Amy in the Ozarks

Thanks so much for all your advice. I really appreciate it!

Gary - his treatment is: radiation 5 x's a week for 7 weeks and Cisplatin 3 times (100 mg) 3 weeks between chemo treatments.
We also got him in a clinical trial for HMPL-002 (a Chinese herb).
The doctors say they will do a neck disection once the lymph nodes have shrunk from the radiation, he has two lymph nodes affected on the right and one on the left (that we know of right now) the one on the left is very large, it was measured originally at 5 x 6 cm, but has grown significantly since the time they measured it on the CAT scan.

Thanks again! I am so glad I found this site...I am going through reading everything I can!

Lissy

Hi Lissy,
that's basically the same treatment protocol I had except the ND (and the Chinses herb).
Is he at a CCC?

Yes, Gary. He is being treated at Hollings Cancer Center at The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC).
I told him about this forum and he plans on registering today. I told him about the many people on here that have had the same or similar cancer to his and are in remission and that made him so happy!

Thanks again,
Lissy