My husband will be starting 6 weeks of radiation along with weekly chemo treatments after the new year. We are lucky to have housing near the hospital but it is a one-room apartment with a tiny kitchen. I would appreciate any advice for helping us to get through this. He is extremely worried about nausea and vomiting, and doesn’t like to take narcotics. The hospital has already talked to us about how important nutrition and hydration are but I have no idea what to feed him or what he might be able to tolerate.

The thing about nausea and vomiting after chemo is the patient should take the anti-emetic early and not to wait till the nausea has started before taking the medication. I have always been told to get ahead of the curve. The anti-emetic is not a narcotic.

Your husband will probably be very tired after the first week of radiation. There won’t be much he will like to do. I set up a “station” for my husband in front of the TV with his water, cream for his skin and a box of Kleenex close by so he wouldn’t have to move around too much because he developed deep vein thrombosis in both legs.

It is likely the hospital will suggest using Ensure or a similar supplement while he is in treatment and, honestly, he probably would not want to have “real” food after a while because of mouth sours and taste changes. On that score you might not need to worry. When you are cooking for yourself, you may consider keeping a kitchen window open so that the taste of cooking won’t upset him too much as it’s a one-room apartment. Do you have access to a dietitian at the hospital/ that’s a good person to consult with regards to food and meals.

I kept a record of what my husband are at every meal and the calories so that I would have a handle on whether he’s taking in enough.

Come back often and ask whatever question you may have. This is a friendly community. The members are always ready to help.

Thank you so much! We are supposed to meet with the dietician once treatment has started.