Symptoms after Treatment. Can anyone help?
My Brother-in-law ( who has Throat Cancer) just went through 7 weeks of Radiation ( 5 days a week, 45 min a day) and Chemo ( 1 day a week for 8 hours). He was doing ok. Couldn't eat so they put a tube in the Stomach, but other than that ok. Swallowing was uncomfortable, but possible. He was seemingly "normal" in terms of physical activity and attitude. 4 days before he was scheduled to be done with Rads and 5 days after he was done with Chemo he got an infection in his throat. They kept him in the hospital for 4 days and finished the Radiation. They gave him Antibiotics and sent him home. Since he has been home ( about 9 days) he is falling asleep at random. In situations that he wouldn't normally. He says he is sick all the time and seems to be worse off now then he was when he was doing the Rads and Chemo. It is important to note that he had his last Rad treatment 9 days ago. Can anyone tell me if it is normal to go from doing things you always did while getting treatment and then all the sudden lay around sick when the treatment is done. Seeming to be out of it a lot more than not??
THank you
Comments
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Welcome to the H&N group
Welcome to the group, and sorry you need to be here. I am one of the few that never had radiation but the outhers will chime in with answers to help. At this time I would recomend reading the Superthread [read only] at the top of the form. It will answer many questions as well as terms.
wmc
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i'm sorry to say but the
i'm sorry to say but the first couple weeks after tx is finished are usually the hardest. so, him feeling like crap and sleeping more may very well be normal. but it wouldn't hurt to call the doc to see what they say. i'm not sure about feeling sick all the time. i don't recall feeling like that. again, call the doc to see what he feels about all this. it may be his body just trying to heal but why not be safe rather than sorry and it would make you feel better too. please let us know if you call the doc and what his reply was. keeping your brother in my prayers.
God bless you,
dj
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I have a slightly different
I have a slightly different type of cancer, but treatment was relatively similar. I can confirm that the last week of radiation and the first, maybe second post radiation, were the worse.
Having said that, a few things need to be carefully watched:
- hydration; this is very , very important, it’s very easy to get dehydrated, and this in itself can explain why he is so lethargic;
- watch for fever; if it’s above ~101 F, this can be a very dangerous condition, called febrile neutropenia; hopefully there is no fever involved in this case; this problem is caused by the decreased white cell (due to chemo), especially dangerous considering that he already has an infection.
- maybe medication (for pain, etc),could somehow contribute to this.
Basically if you rule out dehydration and fever, most likely it’s just the condition (most of us) had to deal with, first couple of weeks post radiation .
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post radscorleone said:I have a slightly different
I have a slightly different type of cancer, but treatment was relatively similar. I can confirm that the last week of radiation and the first, maybe second post radiation, were the worse.
Having said that, a few things need to be carefully watched:
- hydration; this is very , very important, it’s very easy to get dehydrated, and this in itself can explain why he is so lethargic;
- watch for fever; if it’s above ~101 F, this can be a very dangerous condition, called febrile neutropenia; hopefully there is no fever involved in this case; this problem is caused by the decreased white cell (due to chemo), especially dangerous considering that he already has an infection.
- maybe medication (for pain, etc),could somehow contribute to this.
Basically if you rule out dehydration and fever, most likely it’s just the condition (most of us) had to deal with, first couple of weeks post radiation .
Post radiation is the worst time, the body keeps on cooking for quite a while after completion and things are definitely tougher for a few weeks after, the neck and head (chest) have taken a radical beating from rads. It does get better but as said by Corleone, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Make sure he gets lots of calories too.
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Rads
get him checked for thyroid damage. I went through 6 months of weakness, tired all the time and breathless, couldn't get up stairs or hills without stopping, it was all due to thyroid damage during rads. I had a blood test and it showed I wasn't making some hormones needed for metabolism. After a week on thyroid medication I started to recover now 8 weeks on I' m almost back to normal. I had back of tongue cancer and 3 nodes, the rads were from my collar bone to my ear. I've gone deaf in the right ear that the strongest rads touched.
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I was very, very sleepy for
I was very, very sleepy for those last two weeks and for about a month after radiotherapy, and I didn't have the added burden of chemo. My nurses told me I could continue to experience fatigue for some time to come. I finished radio in March and although I'm back at work now, I do need a nap after work sometimes. I also have a good, long lie in on mornings I'm not at work.
I go with it, and if I need to sleep, then I do sleep. A great deal of healing has to take place on the inside; you can be all healed on the outside, but the body needs a lot of time to heal all those damaged tissues hidden deep inside.
Rest if he needs, sleep if he needs. Concentrate on nutrition and hydration. We will heal eventually but it's not like flu, it does take a long time xxx x xxx
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Post IMRT
As others have posted the month or two after the final dose of radation was THE worst. I don't recall exactly how long but it was very bad. I guess there is good reason that the rad onc did not mention this to me. I did not have a feeding tube so I suffered the pain of feeling like I was swallowing crushed glass, even if I was only drinking water. I had little to no taste. My energy level was very low but I tried to stay active. However, it got better and once I turned the corner it got better very fast! Is it possible that more pain means a better outcome since the purpose of chemo is supposedly to make the cancer cells more receptive to RT? I had Erbitux and one of the signs that it was working was the dreaded (but welcome) rash and acne. Today, I have no lingering symtoms. No dry mouth even at night, my taste is back to normal and most importantly I have NED at almost 3 years out. You will definately get much better soon.
John
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Post Radiation
What everyone has said is true and hydration is probably the most important. I too had a feeding tube in stomach but it is very important to try and practice swallowing to keep the muscles in the throat working. After radiation, yes you are still "cooking" inside for the next 3-4 weeks and I had my toughest time during this period with nausea. I had issues with swallowing and still do after finishing rads and chemo at the end of Jan 2013. I did not get rid of feeding tube until Sept 2013 and swallowing has improved but I have to puree my food smooth as even small particles get stuck in my throat. It took me 4-5 months to feel half way normal especially after I stopped taking pain meds cold turkey
good luk
Jeff
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Post radiationJeff2159 said:Post Radiation
What everyone has said is true and hydration is probably the most important. I too had a feeding tube in stomach but it is very important to try and practice swallowing to keep the muscles in the throat working. After radiation, yes you are still "cooking" inside for the next 3-4 weeks and I had my toughest time during this period with nausea. I had issues with swallowing and still do after finishing rads and chemo at the end of Jan 2013. I did not get rid of feeding tube until Sept 2013 and swallowing has improved but I have to puree my food smooth as even small particles get stuck in my throat. It took me 4-5 months to feel half way normal especially after I stopped taking pain meds cold turkey
good luk
Jeff
I saw slow continual progress when tx finished but really did not feel like I turned the corner until week 5. By week 6, I had more energy than I did before it all began. Hydration and nutrition are key!
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Excercisehwt said:Post radiation
I saw slow continual progress when tx finished but really did not feel like I turned the corner until week 5. By week 6, I had more energy than I did before it all began. Hydration and nutrition are key!
Id recommend light excercise. It builds stamina. G.
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Thank you for the Welcome andwmc said:Welcome to the H&N group
Welcome to the group, and sorry you need to be here. I am one of the few that never had radiation but the outhers will chime in with answers to help. At this time I would recomend reading the Superthread [read only] at the top of the form. It will answer many questions as well as terms.
wmc
Thank you for the Welcome and thank you for the information.
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Thank you so much for yourdebbiejeanne said:i'm sorry to say but the
i'm sorry to say but the first couple weeks after tx is finished are usually the hardest. so, him feeling like crap and sleeping more may very well be normal. but it wouldn't hurt to call the doc to see what they say. i'm not sure about feeling sick all the time. i don't recall feeling like that. again, call the doc to see what he feels about all this. it may be his body just trying to heal but why not be safe rather than sorry and it would make you feel better too. please let us know if you call the doc and what his reply was. keeping your brother in my prayers.
God bless you,
dj
Thank you so much for your help. So far nothing from the Doctor. I am still working on that. He is back in the hospital with possible Pneumonia. He is seeing things that aren't there and saying he is doing things he is not doing. We are now very concerned that he may be in the final stages of life. Thank you for keeping him in your Prayes. Bless you
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Thank you so much for all ofcorleone said:I have a slightly different
I have a slightly different type of cancer, but treatment was relatively similar. I can confirm that the last week of radiation and the first, maybe second post radiation, were the worse.
Having said that, a few things need to be carefully watched:
- hydration; this is very , very important, it’s very easy to get dehydrated, and this in itself can explain why he is so lethargic;
- watch for fever; if it’s above ~101 F, this can be a very dangerous condition, called febrile neutropenia; hopefully there is no fever involved in this case; this problem is caused by the decreased white cell (due to chemo), especially dangerous considering that he already has an infection.
- maybe medication (for pain, etc),could somehow contribute to this.
Basically if you rule out dehydration and fever, most likely it’s just the condition (most of us) had to deal with, first couple of weeks post radiation .
Thank you so much for all of the helpful info.
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Sorry for your struggle.jackflash22 said:Rads
get him checked for thyroid damage. I went through 6 months of weakness, tired all the time and breathless, couldn't get up stairs or hills without stopping, it was all due to thyroid damage during rads. I had a blood test and it showed I wasn't making some hormones needed for metabolism. After a week on thyroid medication I started to recover now 8 weeks on I' m almost back to normal. I had back of tongue cancer and 3 nodes, the rads were from my collar bone to my ear. I've gone deaf in the right ear that the strongest rads touched.
Sorry for your struggle. Bless you for your strength and for sharing with others. Thank you so much for the information. I will call him and the Doctor and have this looked into.
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Thank you very much and goodEstelle_H said:I was very, very sleepy for
I was very, very sleepy for those last two weeks and for about a month after radiotherapy, and I didn't have the added burden of chemo. My nurses told me I could continue to experience fatigue for some time to come. I finished radio in March and although I'm back at work now, I do need a nap after work sometimes. I also have a good, long lie in on mornings I'm not at work.
I go with it, and if I need to sleep, then I do sleep. A great deal of healing has to take place on the inside; you can be all healed on the outside, but the body needs a lot of time to heal all those damaged tissues hidden deep inside.
Rest if he needs, sleep if he needs. Concentrate on nutrition and hydration. We will heal eventually but it's not like flu, it does take a long time xxx x xxx
Thank you very much and good luck to you in healing
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Sorry to hear of what youjtl said:Post IMRT
As others have posted the month or two after the final dose of radation was THE worst. I don't recall exactly how long but it was very bad. I guess there is good reason that the rad onc did not mention this to me. I did not have a feeding tube so I suffered the pain of feeling like I was swallowing crushed glass, even if I was only drinking water. I had little to no taste. My energy level was very low but I tried to stay active. However, it got better and once I turned the corner it got better very fast! Is it possible that more pain means a better outcome since the purpose of chemo is supposedly to make the cancer cells more receptive to RT? I had Erbitux and one of the signs that it was working was the dreaded (but welcome) rash and acne. Today, I have no lingering symtoms. No dry mouth even at night, my taste is back to normal and most importantly I have NED at almost 3 years out. You will definately get much better soon.
John
Sorry to hear of what you went through. Although you sound like a real trooper. Thank you for the info. God Bless
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Woo. He is in the earlyJeff2159 said:Post Radiation
What everyone has said is true and hydration is probably the most important. I too had a feeding tube in stomach but it is very important to try and practice swallowing to keep the muscles in the throat working. After radiation, yes you are still "cooking" inside for the next 3-4 weeks and I had my toughest time during this period with nausea. I had issues with swallowing and still do after finishing rads and chemo at the end of Jan 2013. I did not get rid of feeding tube until Sept 2013 and swallowing has improved but I have to puree my food smooth as even small particles get stuck in my throat. It took me 4-5 months to feel half way normal especially after I stopped taking pain meds cold turkey
good luk
Jeff
Woo. He is in the early stages of what you went threw from what I read. Thank you for the info. Good luck to you as well. God Bless
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Good to hear. Thank you forhwt said:Post radiation
I saw slow continual progress when tx finished but really did not feel like I turned the corner until week 5. By week 6, I had more energy than I did before it all began. Hydration and nutrition are key!
Good to hear. Thank you for the info. I will pass that along to him.
0
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