My father just started radiation this week and only had three treatments. He is not getting any chemo and already we are very discouraged by how he is feeling. He threw up twice on Friday and once on Saturday. We switched the tube feedings to a milder one and are giving him gatorade through his tube. His throat is so horribly sore already he can barely speak. The doctors say he cannot be reacting this quickly to the radiation, but we see it happening. Has anyone else had such a bad reaction to radiation so early on? Also, are there any pain meds that do not effect the stomach? He has been given magic mouthwash and nystatin (he also has a fungal infection in his throat). He already wants to quit because he said he can't go through six weeks like this.
Rett (I don't know how to create the signature, so I'll add some stats for my dad)._
Dad: 80y old, SCC on BOT. Laser surgery to remove tumor. Margins clear. Neck dissection on right side. Tongue reconsturction. Peg tube. Just started swallowing ice chips this week. Began XT on 10-8-08.

Don't stop advocating for him. It so irritates me when a doctor will say something cannot be happening WHEN IT IS.

If your immune system is weak or you have a weak system from illness prior, it is easy for treatments to effect you greatly and quickly.

Get lots of calories and lots of liquids in him and be firm and get them to help with meds for pain. Let them know he is wantring to give up as there are things they can try to help with and they should be instead of arguing if it could be radiation or not.

My best to you and your dad - so not fair to have to go thru this at 80.

Thats just BS Rett!!!

My husband was determined to work all day and have his rads late afternoon,and switched all his schedule to accomodate his treatment.He lasted 4 days.he was burnt both inside and outside of his mouth and neck,he couldnt eat or drink,swallow or speak.
he had a peg tube fitted at 14 days after losing massive amounts of weight in the first two weeks,he had thrush in the first week.

NO ONE CAN SAY DEFINITAVELY HOW THE TREATMENT WILL AFFECT HIM.

Rob was ginger haired with fair skin and we thought that may be why he took it so badly,but at the end of the day i dont know why,and neither does anyone else.some people are lucky enough to sail through with little in the way of side effects,and some are most definately not.I have sent you a post of mine that i submitted which will let you see how bad it was for him.

liz

Thanks Rita and Liz,
I'm sorry about the loss of your husband Liz. He was so young.

I'm sure my dad's age has a lot to do with it. Liz, did your husband use the nystatin to get rid of the thrush? That's what they gave my dad.

I'm on my way to see him right now. I'll let you know how it goes.

Rett

Liz, how do it get to the email post?
Rett

Rett:

How about asking the doctor for pain patches, fentanyl. I used them and they worked great, only change them every 72 hours so you dont need to be constantly trying to remember to give your father pain meds which wear off.

Your poor dad is having a rough time of it already, Im so sorry to hear that. I have a couple tricks with the liquid feedings.

If he doesnt have a pump, ask for one. The doctors can arrange that for him. A pump to start should be set very low like around 40ml per hour, after he tolerates that for a couple times then bump it up to 50 then 60 etc. It could take a few weeks to get it at a faster pace but it will ease the nasuea. This can be done while sleeping, which is how I used my pump. Just make sure he is propped up by at least 2 pillows to sleep. By doing this, it will be much slower and easier to tolerate for his stomach.

Also add about 1/2- 3/4 can of water to the formula when you feed him. With using the pump he will get feeding bags. I used 3 cans formlua and then about 2 more cans of water for overnight. If doing it that way, he will still need another 2 cans daily. Those two things will make the world of difference in how he feels and if he is sick. Slower feedings and water down the formula, it will work. Once he is able to keep this down, he will feel better.

Does your father have thrush? If so then the doctors need to give him meds for that too. It sure isnt easy going thru treatments and I feel very bad for your father right now. This can be done, please tell him about all the encouragement you get from here. It will help him to see he isnt alone, many have been down this road before and will help guide you both.

Hi, Rett,

My husband had thrush early in his treatment and that seems to make the mouth sores much worse. He has gotten thrush a few times post-treatment and the first sign (before it's really visible) is that he begins to have mouth pain when eating or swallowing. He did not have thrust post-treatment until he got a temporary bridge and it seems that any mouth appliances make it much more common. Also, I recall a number of people on this board mentioning that they had mouth sores pretty quickly.

Rett,
I noticed the radiation immediately. From day one, an hour or so after treatment my face felt like mild sun over-exposure and I had a stuffy head. After a couple hours it passed.

Fortunately those effects were mild and never really got much worse.

I also had mild nausea spells off and on beginning very early in my TX, then in my last week the nausea turned severe (over a holiday week-end). I was give Zofan (Ondansetron Hydrochloride Oral Solution) and that took care of the nausea.

I also had thrush around week three and/or four and Nystatin cleared it right up. I was told thrush is common when you have recently been on antibiotics.

I never had mouth sores, but from time to time my mouth was quite sore and I only had very light mucosis.

I would agree that your dad's age is likely a factor. My MO told me older patient seem to have a harder time, but there are many exceptions. Likewise he said some young patients have a real hard time of it.

Overall I did extremely well and I was never very ill. I drove myself to treatments except for the last three when I was still dehydrated from the nausea. Never-the-less, to some degree I experience most of the common side effects.

Rett
i sent the link to your personal e-mail address in your profile.Just click on it and it should open the thread.If it doesnt then click on my name at the left hand side of this post,and then click on "view posts" in the drop down menu.The thread is on page 110 and titled "Can it only be day three"

love liz

Thank you for all your responses. My sister had heard about the patch and has already asked the doctor about that for tomorrow. There is a nurse coming tomorrow who specializes in the feeding tube, so I hope she recommends the pump like Christine suggested. He did have the pump in the hospital. I think the slower feedings do help because yesterday I helped him with his feeding and I made sure it went in very slowly. He did not throw that feeding up. He cannot feed himself because he has tremors (non parkinson essential tremors). He cannot pour the can into the feeding tube. I just hope that he can get through these next six weeks and enjoy some quality of life for the remainder of his life. Thanks for all the support from everyone here. One last question, his lips are really sore, any tips on a good lip balm? I'm not sure which one he is using now, but my sister said it's not working. I think it's aquafore (sp?).
Rett