I can't believe it, almost 6 weeks out of treatment and I caught my wife's cold. Sneezing and coughing don't do anything for a still slightly sore throat and if I take cough meds and/or antihistimines they both make an already tired body more tired. Any body been there? Any helpful suggestions?

David

David, if you are congested in your nose, try Breathe-Right strips. My husband has been having some nasal congestion. We thought it might be allergies but Benedryl didn't help. He is afraid of getting hooked on nasal spray (which I think is hilarious, considering that he's on fentanyl and oxycodone) so he tried the strips and they are helping. And so is good ol' Vicks Vapo-Rub.
Hope you feel better soon!
Joyce

O.K. David- don't laugh Chicken soup -preferably home made with lots of carrots, onions, celery and stock] a humidifier and as much sleep as you need to get over this. You are supposed to be tired so don't discount it. Gatoraid would also help you. Amy

JAM

Let me know when you want my shipping address for the homemade chicken soup. Both my mother-in-law and my wife's aunt are the family soup makers and we are moving my mother-in-law now and they are unable to make me anything. LOL

O.K. David, let's see how smart you are: in male terms--can you read directions?
Go to the gro. store and buy a HEN - she will be in the frozen poultry section-
Put her in the frig to thaw for 2 to 3 days, then 1st day prep after thawing, unwrap her, remove the giblets tucked inside the cavity, wash her well and put her in a big pot with water to completely cover her [ you can boil the giblets too if you want]. Add to this pot, 1 onion quartered, 2 celery sticks broken in 1\2 with leaves, salt, pepper and a clove of garlic and a bay leaf [if you like]. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to low simmer, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and go take a nap for about 3 hours. I skim the "scum" off the top as the water starts to boil, but you don't have to do that]When 3 hrs. is up, remove the hen from the broth to a big board or platter. Let her cool until you can seperate the meat from the bones [discard the skin]. While she is cooling, pour the broth through a strainer, colender or cheese cloth-whatever you have and put the strained liquid in the frig [this will make the fat rise to the top and you can later spoon it off.[ Pitch the veggies you cooked with the hen]Put the meat in the frig. Next day, chop peeled carrots, celery, onion into very small pieces [add peas if you like] take the stock from the frig and use a big spoon to remove the congealed fat from the top, but stock in a big pot and add water or canned chicken stock to make alot of broth. Put deboned chicken meat in and the chopped veggies and bring to a simmer for an hour or more. At this point you will need to decide if you want to cook your noodles seperately and then add them, or cook them in the broth [they will absorb alot of the liquid and make the soup thicker if you cook them in the broth] This is a 2 day process, starting from a thawed hen, or one long day, with rests in between stages, but oh so good. I love to do this over a weekend for Sunday night dinner and several days beyond. It's soul food. Amy

For a variation on Amy's recipe - follow her instructions but try this as well if you wish.

You can always get a fresh hen from your local market. It's more expensive but the results are worth it. I also add fresh cracked pepper, a dash of hot sauce for a little zing (I also add carrots and yellow onions to the stock) and some sea salt to taste - if your taste buds are wiped out then have someone else do the tasting - you don't want to oversalt it).

I chop and mix the discarded veggies and "junk meat", skin, etc., left over from the stock and mix it in with the dog food - they love it. The only waste to discard are the bones - do NOT give chicken bones to your dogs. Ziplock and freeze then until the next garbage cycle.

I only use the white meat (dark meat can make it a little greasy and gamey -especially if you do the turkey variation)) and I chop it up into small pieces and vacuum pack several packages - you can get about 10 quarts of soup stock out of this (I use a 12q stock pot). I have a chinois so that makes the filtering process easy for the big stuff. I use a couple of different strainers after that to reduce it to a clear golden broth.

If you use a fresh hen and start in the morning you'll be eating chicken soup that night.

When I get around to making the soup I add sliced zuchinni, carrots, celery, red ("new") potatoes (or noodles or rice) and thinly sliced boiling onions.
Turkey soup is the same process. I use the carcass and make the soup the same night that I cook the turkey. It's a lot of cooking for one day but well worth it.

I you get into making your own stock I would purchase the following items:

-12q stock pot - double clad bottom recommended
-you'll need a secod pot or vessel to pour the filtererd broth into - preferably one that the chinois will fit over. Someimes I use a Pyrex 1/2 gallon "measuring cup" for that
-chinois
-at least three different nesting strainers
-scum remover (looks like a hand held strainer
-vacuum "food savers" are nice to have as well
-food processor or small electric chopper/grater.

You can get this stuff at Macy's cellar or Williams & Sonoma.

Sleep in the next room when your wife has a cold - it's all yoo easy to get pnuemonia with a compromised immune system.

Jam and Gary

I got tired reading both of your posts. I think I'll go to Boston Market but thanks for the thoughts.

I got a special appt to see my ENT yesterday. His nurse said "come in at 8 am and I'll squeeze you in". I was worried that what I had caught from my wife may turn into something worse and I just wanted to be safe. Well I got there at 10 mins after 8 and I was the only person in his office....so much for squeezing me in? When I finally got to see his grace, we went over my symptoms and he said "sounds like a cold or perhaps the flu, I don't treat those, there for the front line doctors".. He scoped me, I guess to justify the appt and off I went. Don't you just love doctors sometimes!!

David,

My oncologist has been more accommodating (he became my PCP after my treatment ended, and has continued on over the years). He actually treated me for poison ivy a few years back -- I told him I was his comic relief for the day!

Cathy

Hi,

Bottom line, your human and your going to catch a cold, sore throat, flu, you name it. Probably stand a better chance now that your resistance is so low. Takes quite some time to build it back up.

I remember when I caught my first "after treatment cold", it freaked me right out. I remember posting to the site in fact. It's really hard not to think the worst when that happens so soon out of treatment.

Having five kids, I get sick a couple times a year anyway. Still, it freaks me a little especially when the throat hurts.

My Oncol is a super guy. He has pretty much taken over as my GP. We have quite a bit in common. We are the same age, each have a truckload of kids, etc. I guess I am lucky.

Look at it this way. It's a little reminder that your alive. Not well, but alive.

Take it easy.