dad so quiet

positive

My dad is so quiet I don't know if he is depressed or mad about his HD. He's fustrated because he is limited to activities, which he is not used to. Does the fatigue pattern remain the same throughout the chemo or will it get worse. I get so nervous I just want my dad to get thru this and be cancer free it can't come fast enough. What can my family and I do to help with his fatigue?

tsivels

When I was receiving my chemo I met another woman who had HD and she was in her 40's. She said she would always have protein shakes and smoothies with energy boosters within the drink the weeks following her chemo and she found it to be a world of a difference. There are so many different kinds of protein and energy drinks/milkshakes out now--why not try if you already haven't.

CindyJF

Hi there, I saw your post on the board I started about my Mom's Hodgkins. She was 69 and going through what your Dad is. My Mom too was also very active and spry before her chemo. She coped with it the best she could and took advantage of "good" days and did what she could. You Dad should not get any worse than he is feeling now, after about 3-4 shots it stays about the same I think? Some of the actual cancer people here might be able to answer that better than I. She was a stage 3, not sure if it was A or B? She did not have any fevers or very noticable nodes, just the ones in her stomach and chest area. She was a real trooper maybe it was because of her age, or just her will to get better and live into her 90's. She is doing fine now and is slowly regaining her strength. She had 6 months, plus another 2 extra months of Chemo. How much is your Dad getting?

Your Dad will be very tired probably the whole time he is getting the Chemo, he will perk up more about 4 days after each shot, and gradually get a little better before the next shot, then down again...Mom had to take Neupegin (sp?) for her white blood cell count, it was pretty low, she also had blood transfusions once in a while as her red cells were also on the low end, you Dad's Doc will monitor this and decide if he need this or not. Everyone is different. Mom did not get sick, only threw up once, she always said that she had a "yuck" feeling in her tummy all the time.

The best thing you can do is keep close contact with your Dad and support him, my sisters and I called our Mom at least once or twice a week, 2 of us live out of town, luckily 2 of my sisters lived very nearby. I think the phonecalls and the contact from her friends and family helped her out tremendously especially when she felt here worst. Your Dad sounds like a strong man, I am sure he will be just fine, like my Mom.

best of luck to you and your Dad. Keep me posted!

Cindy

dpomroy

No matter what he does, there will be good days and bad days. However, he should be talking to his doctor about how he feels. There are some medications that can help, like Procrit shots for example to help with the fatigue, and many cancer patients that I know wind up on some kind of anti-depressant as well. Wellbutrin gave me back my focus and motivation, which in turn made me want to get whatever exercise I could, which in turn made me feel more like my old self.