First post...... Side effect question
Well short story into treatment, immediatly got lungs and rest of body checked out. All clear. Went thru 12 weeks of chemo and then daily radiation and chemo for 5.5 weeks. Tumor has shrunk allot and surgery planned for Beginning of August. Glad those daily trips to the hospital are over..... But thankful for the great teams that are working on me......
I know by everything I have read Ill most likely be on a bag the rest of my life and although not happy about it... Living is living... right.....
So far docs have said Im kicking this things ****.....
Just a few questions......
Well one mainly.... only side effect I can come up with that is really bothering me other than the radiation burns...... is my ears.
Right ear seems to constantly plug up for no reason, no I am not driving in the mountains or an area where you would get that feeling. If I hang my head down or lay down it goes away.... but soon it will come back. I have read on the net about certain chemo and drugs causing this....
Any input on that? Bugging the heck out of me....... Even more than the 3rd degree burns on my butt.... lol.. well maybe not 3rd degree but ya get my point....
I am still able to work full time although by the end of the week I am really tired... expected......
Lost some weight... expected... also quit drinking... so tons of beer cut from diet helped with weight loss....... man I love beer.. lol... wife is really happy i stopped tho......
Been reading here for a few weeks..... Just figured Id say hey and say thanks for the info Ive gotten so far.........
Not sure what else to put... Just wanted to get my foot in the door.... thanks for being here at the forum for newbies who are scared to death can ask some questions.......
Thanks again.....
Should add... I contacted my doc via email and she said its normal in mountain ranges to have stuffed ears... lol... thanks doc...... gonna see her in 3 days in person Ill explain more clearly to her I am not on a frikkin mountain.......
Comments
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ThanksHollyID said:Hey there...
Sorry you have to be here, but glad you found us!
I have no experience with radiation, but wanted to welcome you to the board.
I think your best bet might be to discuss this with your doc.
Love and Hugs,
Holly
Yea... Am going to discuss it with her when I see her in a few days,......
Just curious if anyone else had experience with their ears plugging.....
If so then I may not be so panicky.....0 -
You using Aquaphor or Silver Sulfadiazine for radiation burn,HollyID said:Hey there...
Sorry you have to be here, but glad you found us!
I have no experience with radiation, but wanted to welcome you to the board.
I think your best bet might be to discuss this with your doc.
Love and Hugs,
Holly
which will be at its worst for about three weeks AFTER last treatment session? Both ointments helped me....If I hold my head up while reading,etc in bed and then remove hand from left ear, ear feels stuffed but then goes away. Haven't asked onc about it tho and only happens with left ear.
As for living with a bag, I didn;t have much choice in the matter so here I am. It is vital to have doctors you feel comfortable with and trust-its your life they're working on.....Hopde all goes well by you......steve0 -
AuquaphorcoloCan said:You using Aquaphor or Silver Sulfadiazine for radiation burn,
which will be at its worst for about three weeks AFTER last treatment session? Both ointments helped me....If I hold my head up while reading,etc in bed and then remove hand from left ear, ear feels stuffed but then goes away. Haven't asked onc about it tho and only happens with left ear.
As for living with a bag, I didn;t have much choice in the matter so here I am. It is vital to have doctors you feel comfortable with and trust-its your life they're working on.....Hopde all goes well by you......steve
They gave me that and some creme but I am at work now and for the life of me I cant think of the name of it......
Yea.. radiation burns suck........0 -
Foot's in the Door
And welcome Ramphog.I am certain that you will be glad that you found this forum..I know I'm glad I did.
I never had a plugged ear but I did become hard of hearing as well as my eyesight got very blurry.Chemo related. Oncologist says "Give it time". I am post chemo by one month. The eyes are already a little better.
Good luck & best wishes Ramphog.
-Pat0 -
Yes my ears.....AnneCan said:Welcome, Ramphog,
I am glad
Welcome, Ramphog,
I am glad you found this forum, it is very helpful. I haven't had any issues with my ears, so I am no help there. The radiation burns do get better; for me they are a distant memory. Take good care.
When they told me like you got in the recovery room that I had cancer I never heard anything else.......seriously though, I haven't had any ear issues other than normal but everyone has different side effects...
One word of advice....while you are on radiation treatments and for 3-5 weeks after...DO NOT EAT ANY TYPE OF NUTS IN ANY QUANTITY.....they will cut you like razor blades when they leave the system....been there done that and got sore tail to prove it........
About the colostomy bag....I have one, its also permanent...Life is still great for me...I also use it to carry my change in...it really shines up the pennys......LOL....Carry on bud...Buzzard0 -
welcomeBuzzard said:Yes my ears.....
When they told me like you got in the recovery room that I had cancer I never heard anything else.......seriously though, I haven't had any ear issues other than normal but everyone has different side effects...
One word of advice....while you are on radiation treatments and for 3-5 weeks after...DO NOT EAT ANY TYPE OF NUTS IN ANY QUANTITY.....they will cut you like razor blades when they leave the system....been there done that and got sore tail to prove it........
About the colostomy bag....I have one, its also permanent...Life is still great for me...I also use it to carry my change in...it really shines up the pennys......LOL....Carry on bud...Buzzard
welcome Ramphog....glad you dropped by but we are always a bit sad that this is the way we make friends....hahah just kidding...lots of good people and help and support here...
welcome
mags0 -
Welcome to the board
and sorry you had to find us but here we all are and ain't that grand, though cancer s***s. Yes bedside manners of docs can be challenging, especially when a cancer dx is reported as if you had the flu.
I assume you have rectal cancer if you've had the radiation/chemo first. Just went to a seminar yesterday at the Huntsman in SLC with the Cancer Care Alliance (CCA) and the Huntsman, and one presentation confirmed that radiation/chemo before surgery is the way to go in reducing chance of recurrence at the primary tumor site in the rectum.
I never had the ear problem, but 5FU/Xeloda always gave me runny nose and stuffed up feeling so that could be what's going on. Like folks say, check it with your docs (though sometimes they are not as up on the fine points of side effects). That's what's helpful about being able to talk to folks who have been through what you're going through.
Keep on posting and reading!
all the best, Leslie0 -
Ramphog
Welcome to the Board! No advise on radiation stuff, George didn't get that, his tumor was in the transverse colon.
On the ear thing, George gets stuffed up ears all the time. I bought Murine ear wax removal drops, and gave it a try and it worked like a charm. Just put in several drops and within a short time the ears were clear. Didn't use the syringe, just put the drops in. Never mentioned it to our doc, didn't think of it really but you might want to mention it so they can check just to make sure there is no ear infection. George also had the stuffy nose all the time so that may have something to do with it. Now that the weather is warmer, stuffy nose is pretty much gone.
Best of Luck in your journey.
Take care - Tina0 -
Hey Ramphog
First off Welcome to the board, secondly thanks for your service! and what branch? (Navy here).
Never had the ear thing, so I'll just leave this as a welcome note, I am sorry you had to find us but, present company excluded , there are some great folks here with alot of knowledge and caring hearts. Hope this place provides you with as much as it has me.
greybeard
chris0 -
Thanks allgreybeard said:Hey Ramphog
First off Welcome to the board, secondly thanks for your service! and what branch? (Navy here).
Never had the ear thing, so I'll just leave this as a welcome note, I am sorry you had to find us but, present company excluded , there are some great folks here with alot of knowledge and caring hearts. Hope this place provides you with as much as it has me.
greybeard
chris
Thanks for the welcome..... Yea not the greatest way to meet friends but better than a swift kick in the head I guess...
I will give the ear drops a shot today while I am at work.... hopefully it does something... driving me nuts.......
Greybeard... I was USAF.. Security Forces for 20 years 4 months and 13 days... lol... quit after my last trip to the desert and got back and was treated like crap by some 2nd LT. Figured I had enough...... Civilian life is grand but I do miss the friends and the guns...... lol.....
Yea... everyday is alearning day for me....
Allot of the stuff I read on the net is posted by people that only have the bad to report... at least I am finding here that there is some good, some laughs.......
Thanks all0 -
Have your doctor clean your ears.Ramphog said:Thanks all
Thanks for the welcome..... Yea not the greatest way to meet friends but better than a swift kick in the head I guess...
I will give the ear drops a shot today while I am at work.... hopefully it does something... driving me nuts.......
Greybeard... I was USAF.. Security Forces for 20 years 4 months and 13 days... lol... quit after my last trip to the desert and got back and was treated like crap by some 2nd LT. Figured I had enough...... Civilian life is grand but I do miss the friends and the guns...... lol.....
Yea... everyday is alearning day for me....
Allot of the stuff I read on the net is posted by people that only have the bad to report... at least I am finding here that there is some good, some laughs.......
Thanks all
Ear drops might not be sufficient if you haven't had your ears cleaned by a pro in a decade, say, or ever. About 8 years ago I noticed sounds fading away, and my doctor put hydrogen peroxide in each ear and let it bubble away for 10-15 minutes, then used a probe to extract remarkably large plugs of stuff. It worked great.
--Greg0 -
This comment has been removed by the ModeratorPGLGreg said:Have your doctor clean your ears.
Ear drops might not be sufficient if you haven't had your ears cleaned by a pro in a decade, say, or ever. About 8 years ago I noticed sounds fading away, and my doctor put hydrogen peroxide in each ear and let it bubble away for 10-15 minutes, then used a probe to extract remarkably large plugs of stuff. It worked great.
--Greg0 -
Welcome Ramphog. I have onlyRamphog said:Well.....
Ear drops didnt work....
Very tired today... didnt sleep good... so not to worried but man could I use a nap... but im at work......
Welcome Ramphog. I have only had 2 treatments and no ear issues. Every other issue has popped up but nothing with the ears.0 -
curiousRamphog said:Well.....
Ear drops didnt work....
Very tired today... didnt sleep good... so not to worried but man could I use a nap... but im at work......
@Ramphog: you didn't have any troubles with your kidneys, right? Maybe, your doctor should check on them...I don't want to scare you or anything, but sudden ear plugging feeling sometimes associate with kidneys...that's all I know, and don't freak out...I can be TOTALLY wrong...indeed! Good luck!0
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