What's To Come

Hello,

My father was just told at the end of July he has stage Iv cancer. After all the test he started radiation and chemo 5 days a week. He has sarted getting most of the side effects. Piples , dry skin ,nasua, not eating as well as mood swings. My woorries and fears are what keep me so scared I have not yet heard a possitivr out come yet to look forward to...

If you have any advice things I should expect or words of wisdom I could even benefit from as well as hearing a great survivour story if there are any!!!

My dad has already loss 39 lbs in this is only the begining of week four of radiation/chemo treatment   

                                            Worried,

                                                   Bea

I have read on the message board that some patients take a pill for their appetite. I am only sorry my husband's oncologist did not prescibe it for him. I dont know know the name of it  but it is suppose to help increase their appetite.  If anyone knows the name of this medicine please post it, maybe it will help her father.  Loosing weight while going thru treatment is understandable, but if it is so fast and he is weak maybe this pill would help. Also the nutrients drinks like Boost can help him.

I think the mood swings are understandable. Its so hard for these patients to deal with this, maybe a anti-depressant would help. I know they tried it with my husband but he was to sick and past away  to see if it was going to help him.

Wishing you the best.

Bernadette

On 9/6/2007 jobelinda wrote:

Hello,

My father was just told at the end of July he has stage Iv cancer. After all the test he started radiation and chemo 5 days a week. He has sarted getting most of the side effects. Piples , dry skin ,nasua, not eating as well as mood swings. My woorries and fears are what keep me so scared I have not yet heard a possitivr out come yet to look forward to...

If you have any advice things I should expect or words of wisdom I could even benefit from as well as hearing a great survivour story if there are any!!!

My dad has already loss 39 lbs in this is only the begining of week four of radiation/chemo treatment   

                                            Worried,

                                                   Bea

                                                

                                                          

My husband just finished chemo (9 treatments with Cisplatin) and 90 radiation treatments (two a day for 9 1/2 weeks).  He is stage 4 tonsillar cancer, 48 years old and fighting like mad!  We are in the :wait and see: stage, will have PT scans in the next month to see how treatments worked.

Everyone reacts differently with treatment.  My husband went from 150 pounds to 100 BUT he went to work every day, drove himself to treatments and kept his spirits up. 

There are several medications they can give your dad to counter the side effects.  We talked a LOT to our Dr's and seriously found that the nurses had the best advise.  Tell your Doc about his side effects and ask what they can do for him. 

What worked for us was Ensure drinks as much as possible.  He never had an empty hand.  Water tended to choke him but the thickness of the Ensure (and Frostys and shakes) seemed to be easier to swallow.  If he does not have a PEG tube discuss that with

Stay in touch.. these forums help more than you realize.

L.

On 9/6/2007 Wilmabc wrote:

I have read on the message board that some patients take a pill for their appetite. I am only sorry my husband's oncologist did not prescibe it for him. I dont know know the name of it  but it is suppose to help increase their appetite.  If anyone knows the name of this medicine please post it, maybe it will help her father.  Loosing weight while going thru treatment is understandable, but if it is so fast and he is weak maybe this pill would help. Also the nutrients drinks like Boost can help him.

I think the mood swings are understandable. Its so hard for these patients to deal with this, maybe a anti-depressant would help. I know they tried it with my husband but he was to sick and past away  to see if it was going to help him.

Wishing you the best.

Bernadette

A pill used to increase appitite in cancer patients is called Marinol. I gave it to my brother who had lung cancer. Don't know if it is used for all different types of cancer but I am sure your doctor can answer that question.

Paul