newbie with a lot of questions

fdhere

i woke up one morning face swollen up. thought i had an allergy of some kind or allergic reaction to something.boy was i wrong! cat scan showed cancer 3 centimeters around my main arteries from heart to brain.inoperablebecause of location. lungs were clear nothing showed up there. doctor is calling it lung cancer.he says probably came from lungs.this thing is restricting blood flow. they started me on chemo and radiation.ive had 2 weeks of radiation and chemo once a week. two chemo treatments so far. they say they are starting me out on baby dose of chemo because i am doing radiation.when radiation is over they will give me stronger dose.got to go to radiation for at least 7 weeks.they gave me pills for my stomach to help feeling sick. folks l feel weak as water.its like chemo is eating all the nutrients out of food i eat and my body is getting none.not saying this is true but thats how i feel.skin is starting to burn at the bottom of my neck and my throat is starting to get sore. what can i do on my own to help myself?what can i do to make myself feel better

Plymouthean

Hi Newbie, I'm a lung cancer survivor. We all have the questions (and the fears)when we are diagnosed. Ask a lot of questions of your oncologist, nurses, radiation oncologist and anyone else who treats you. Do your own research also. This website, and others, can give you much information about this illness. Your symptoms and reactions to treatment are common. They will probably adjust the dose of radiation to minimize the effects on your skin. The chemo can make you very tired/weak. That is probably why you feel that the chemo is eating up all the nutrients in your food. Try to eat many small meals each day, instead of three large meals. That may be more satisfying. And don't worry about healthy foods. Eat everything in sight that appeals to you. Some weight loss will occur, and you have to eat as much as possible to try to offset the loss. Brush your teeth often, and rinse your mouth often to prevent sores from developing. The chemo and radiation will end, and the side effects will go away. Keep a positive attitude. Stay in touch with us. My prayers are with you.