How's Letumwork doing?

HelenBack
HelenBack Member Posts: 87 Member

Just thinking about you. Hope you're doing well. Halfway?

We are still right behind you.

Helen

Comments

  • letumwork
    letumwork Member Posts: 23
    Hanging in there
    Thanks for the concern and support- I had my second dose of Chemo last Wednesday and it hit me hard on Friday. Fought the Nausea all weekend and part of Monday and Tuesday. I feel a little better now but it's tough to get in the calories when everything that hits the stomach triggers the blah feeling. So far I've had 21 of 35 radiation treatments and 2 out of 3 of the concurrent Cisplatin treatments. The symptoms vary day by day and I would be happy to answer any specific questions related to my treatment if it would be helpful to others .Some good news is the Tumor in my Nasopharynx has shrunk substantially and my swollen neck nodes can no longer be felt so the treatment is working. They are adjusting the radiation plan to account for the smaller tumor. Right now I'm taking it one day at a time and am thankful that I've been able to tough it out so far and am thankful for all of the support I'm getting from Family, friends and people I don't even know on this excellent website. I'm sure I will be back here for advice as the battle continues and grows more difficult.

    Letumwork
  • longtermsurvivor
    longtermsurvivor Member Posts: 1,842 Member
    letumwork said:

    Hanging in there
    Thanks for the concern and support- I had my second dose of Chemo last Wednesday and it hit me hard on Friday. Fought the Nausea all weekend and part of Monday and Tuesday. I feel a little better now but it's tough to get in the calories when everything that hits the stomach triggers the blah feeling. So far I've had 21 of 35 radiation treatments and 2 out of 3 of the concurrent Cisplatin treatments. The symptoms vary day by day and I would be happy to answer any specific questions related to my treatment if it would be helpful to others .Some good news is the Tumor in my Nasopharynx has shrunk substantially and my swollen neck nodes can no longer be felt so the treatment is working. They are adjusting the radiation plan to account for the smaller tumor. Right now I'm taking it one day at a time and am thankful that I've been able to tough it out so far and am thankful for all of the support I'm getting from Family, friends and people I don't even know on this excellent website. I'm sure I will be back here for advice as the battle continues and grows more difficult.

    Letumwork

    push the calories when you can

    Your respose to chemo is about what mine was.  For awhile, I couldn't really eat at all.  When I got over the nausea I pushed calories as hard as I could.  I actually ate a cheescake per day for a period of about six weeks, thereby gaining ten lbs before I got into radiation.  It came in pretty helpful later.  The tumor response is very positive.  It goes a long way to predict the ultimate success of your treatment.

     

    Pat

  • debbiejeanne
    debbiejeanne Member Posts: 3,102 Member
    letumwork said:

    Hanging in there
    Thanks for the concern and support- I had my second dose of Chemo last Wednesday and it hit me hard on Friday. Fought the Nausea all weekend and part of Monday and Tuesday. I feel a little better now but it's tough to get in the calories when everything that hits the stomach triggers the blah feeling. So far I've had 21 of 35 radiation treatments and 2 out of 3 of the concurrent Cisplatin treatments. The symptoms vary day by day and I would be happy to answer any specific questions related to my treatment if it would be helpful to others .Some good news is the Tumor in my Nasopharynx has shrunk substantially and my swollen neck nodes can no longer be felt so the treatment is working. They are adjusting the radiation plan to account for the smaller tumor. Right now I'm taking it one day at a time and am thankful that I've been able to tough it out so far and am thankful for all of the support I'm getting from Family, friends and people I don't even know on this excellent website. I'm sure I will be back here for advice as the battle continues and grows more difficult.

    Letumwork

    letumwork, sorry to hear tx

    letumwork, sorry to hear tx is making u so sick, but very glad to hear the tumor is shrinking!!  Laughing  ur more than half way thru the radiation which is another big step.  continue 2 take it 1 day at a time and u'll be done b4 u know it.  keep up the good work.

    God bless,

    dj

  • firemansflame
    firemansflame Member Posts: 5
    letumwork

    THANK YOU, Helen, for asking about letumwork!  I've been ITCHING to post but wanted to wait until his next one, and here it is today!  I'm the "caregiver", and have gained so much from everyone posting on this site - alternately exhilarating and terrifying me with all the information!  As the not so computer literate one in the family, I haven't been able to find the caregivers site for Head and Neck Cancer, but I've gotten an awful lot to help me from this site, and I pray for each one of you every single day.  Phrannie, you are my hero, I want letumwork to come through as strongly as you have - you are who I want to be when I grow up!  Okay, I've said my piece, see, sweetie, I didn't talk too much, just like I promised!  Everyone have a blessed day, praying for clean scans, NED, and slick saliva for all of you!

  • HelenBack
    HelenBack Member Posts: 87 Member

    letumwork

    THANK YOU, Helen, for asking about letumwork!  I've been ITCHING to post but wanted to wait until his next one, and here it is today!  I'm the "caregiver", and have gained so much from everyone posting on this site - alternately exhilarating and terrifying me with all the information!  As the not so computer literate one in the family, I haven't been able to find the caregivers site for Head and Neck Cancer, but I've gotten an awful lot to help me from this site, and I pray for each one of you every single day.  Phrannie, you are my hero, I want letumwork to come through as strongly as you have - you are who I want to be when I grow up!  Okay, I've said my piece, see, sweetie, I didn't talk too much, just like I promised!  Everyone have a blessed day, praying for clean scans, NED, and slick saliva for all of you!

    Caregivers are here!

    As far as I know, this is the caregivers site! It seems that there are almost as many caregivers here as care-receivers, myself included. Glad to hear Letumwork is doing pretty darned well. 

    My husband has had his 11th radiation today--1/3 done.Yay!--and is doing very well. Losing some tase, getting some mouth sores but otherwise fine. I know round 2 of Cisplatin will likely bring a wave of yuk with it. I'm stuffing him with all kinds of high calorie, high protein foods to prepare.

    And I wholeheartedly agree that Phrannie is an amazing woman. Really, really. All these wonderful people inspire me so much!

    Carry on,

    Helen

  • firemansflame
    firemansflame Member Posts: 5
    HelenBack said:

    Caregivers are here!

    As far as I know, this is the caregivers site! It seems that there are almost as many caregivers here as care-receivers, myself included. Glad to hear Letumwork is doing pretty darned well. 

    My husband has had his 11th radiation today--1/3 done.Yay!--and is doing very well. Losing some tase, getting some mouth sores but otherwise fine. I know round 2 of Cisplatin will likely bring a wave of yuk with it. I'm stuffing him with all kinds of high calorie, high protein foods to prepare.

    And I wholeheartedly agree that Phrannie is an amazing woman. Really, really. All these wonderful people inspire me so much!

    Carry on,

    Helen

    letumwork

    I knew there were caregivers here, but most of the posts seem like they're from the warriors, the caregiver posts aren't as specific...your husbands symptoms sound very familiar, and I scramble to try to find things that John will be able to swallow down...lots of good information here for that, though.  Muscle milk has lots of protein, and I was told that men seem to prefer it over women preferring it, not sure why?  Also today I bought some EAS Myoplex for him to try, which has 42 grams of protein, 300 calories, in a 17 oz size container, I'm hoping he'll like either one of those.  Prayers for your husband's continued success with his treatments, and minimal nausea with his second chemo round, too.

  • HelenBack
    HelenBack Member Posts: 87 Member

    letumwork

    I knew there were caregivers here, but most of the posts seem like they're from the warriors, the caregiver posts aren't as specific...your husbands symptoms sound very familiar, and I scramble to try to find things that John will be able to swallow down...lots of good information here for that, though.  Muscle milk has lots of protein, and I was told that men seem to prefer it over women preferring it, not sure why?  Also today I bought some EAS Myoplex for him to try, which has 42 grams of protein, 300 calories, in a 17 oz size container, I'm hoping he'll like either one of those.  Prayers for your husband's continued success with his treatments, and minimal nausea with his second chemo round, too.

    high calorie smoothie

    Just want to tell you about a smoothie that I make for my husband. It packs a whopping 1350 calories and so far he enjoys it. Today he seems to need magic mouthwash to get it down because the greenish bananas I had on hand this morning stung a little. It's best to use very ripe bananas.

    It's kind of huge but even divided in half it packs a nutrtional punch!

    2 small or 1 1/2 larger bananas (ripe is better, sweeter, thinner when blended)

    1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

    3 scoops protein powder (i use organic grass-fed whey, unflavored)

    2 tablespoons flax meal

    1 1/2 cups whole milk

    1 1/2 cups ice

    1350 calories, 80 grams protein

    it makes a quart, which is quite large but for some reason he is able to get it down. today he used the miracle mouthwash for the first time to numb his throat a little. But it is a huge releif when he gets that thing down in the morning, takes some pressure off. Jon doesn't have a feeding tube or any weight to lose so I feel desperate about keeping his weight up.

     

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    letumwork said:

    Hanging in there
    Thanks for the concern and support- I had my second dose of Chemo last Wednesday and it hit me hard on Friday. Fought the Nausea all weekend and part of Monday and Tuesday. I feel a little better now but it's tough to get in the calories when everything that hits the stomach triggers the blah feeling. So far I've had 21 of 35 radiation treatments and 2 out of 3 of the concurrent Cisplatin treatments. The symptoms vary day by day and I would be happy to answer any specific questions related to my treatment if it would be helpful to others .Some good news is the Tumor in my Nasopharynx has shrunk substantially and my swollen neck nodes can no longer be felt so the treatment is working. They are adjusting the radiation plan to account for the smaller tumor. Right now I'm taking it one day at a time and am thankful that I've been able to tough it out so far and am thankful for all of the support I'm getting from Family, friends and people I don't even know on this excellent website. I'm sure I will be back here for advice as the battle continues and grows more difficult.

    Letumwork

    Sounds to me like you are

    hanging tough, and doing pretty darn good.  Being nauseated for a few days after chemo is to be expected, and isn't it a relief when things turn around again, and you don't have to wonder which way things are going to go....up or down....for a couple of weeks. 

    I remember when I realized my nodes were gone from the rads....for me, that was such a great feeling...to have visable proof that treatment is working.  When they adjust the rad thing, it's called a "boost"....I don't know exactly what that means, exept that they start targeting the tumor hard.  I do remember it took less time.....maybe 3 or 4 minutes per session, which even that small amount was great to me!  You're almost at the single digit stage, and that means COUNT DOWN time!!!  Whoo hoo!

    Firemansflame, you make me blush Embarassed....but thank you for wanting to grow up like (if you only knew what you were saying....LOL)....This is just as much a caregiver's site as a patient's site.....Us patients have WAY much appreciation, graditude, and awe of the caregivers....and that's a fact.

    p

  • firemansflame
    firemansflame Member Posts: 5
    Smoothie recipe

    Hey, thanks, Helen, that sounds pretty darn good!  I'll have to pick up some of the whey powder and flax meal - I have an 8 year old daughter, so those items would NEVER have been in my kitchen before this!  Smile  The magic mouthwash is being put to good use at our house, and thank God for it!  I've been reading about the feeding tube decisions, and I'm torn about it, but I'm sure my husband will make his decision when and if it's necessary...

    Prayers for everyone to have a good day today! 

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,771 Member
    HelenBack said:

    high calorie smoothie

    Just want to tell you about a smoothie that I make for my husband. It packs a whopping 1350 calories and so far he enjoys it. Today he seems to need magic mouthwash to get it down because the greenish bananas I had on hand this morning stung a little. It's best to use very ripe bananas.

    It's kind of huge but even divided in half it packs a nutrtional punch!

    2 small or 1 1/2 larger bananas (ripe is better, sweeter, thinner when blended)

    1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

    3 scoops protein powder (i use organic grass-fed whey, unflavored)

    2 tablespoons flax meal

    1 1/2 cups whole milk

    1 1/2 cups ice

    1350 calories, 80 grams protein

    it makes a quart, which is quite large but for some reason he is able to get it down. today he used the miracle mouthwash for the first time to numb his throat a little. But it is a huge releif when he gets that thing down in the morning, takes some pressure off. Jon doesn't have a feeding tube or any weight to lose so I feel desperate about keeping his weight up.

     

    all in one

    When you want it all in one, give this a go.

    http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/serious-mass-p-241.html

  • firemansflame
    firemansflame Member Posts: 5
    All in one

    Wow, Don, that stuff isn't messing around, is it?  I'll have to check that out, too, I'm all about keeping it simple!  Thank you for the information.

  • robswife87
    robswife87 Member Posts: 209

    All in one

    Wow, Don, that stuff isn't messing around, is it?  I'll have to check that out, too, I'm all about keeping it simple!  Thank you for the information.

    knowing when nodes are shrinking

    How long til the nodes shrink? Robs neck is more swollen and hard since he started the rads.

    Sandy

  • letumwork
    letumwork Member Posts: 23

    knowing when nodes are shrinking

    How long til the nodes shrink? Robs neck is more swollen and hard since he started the rads.

    Sandy

    Nodes shrinking

    Sandy- I had one node on my right side that was very noticible. I could feel it and the Doctors measured it at 4.3cm by 2.8cm at the start of treatment. I could palpate the whole node and to me it felt like an oblong walnut. After the first Chemo treatment and by the end of the second week of radiation I could no longer feel the node. 2 other nodes that were suspicious, I could never feel but the Doctors could also shrank about the same time but they were very small to start. Hope this answers your question.

     

    John