Plan A for Hatshepsut's Husband: An update

GOOFYLADIE

Hatsheput
Good morning and Happy Easter if you celibrate! I had a cocktail 12 years ago. I have to say my records are somewhere in storage which we have moved 3 times since my chemotherapy days. I do not remember the exact coctail but I do remember that the routine saved us considerably. We had to drive an hour and 45 minutes to the town where my chemo was to take place and I had to have something in my stomach so I would not get sick and for some reason by trial and error and whopper Jr. from Burger King was just the right size and still tasted good to me. I always asked for extra lettuce tomatoe and pickles with extra mustard. It then followed with the long chemo session and I did seem to nap during my chemo treatments and at times get chilled we took small throws but the chemo office had blankets but you might get chilled. My mom and husband or both would take me for treatments. My girlfriend would take me sometimes just to give me and my mom and husband a break. I always felt I had to be best patient for mom and husband sometimes I needed to cut loose and **** or just be with friends.
They always took me for hottest, spicest mexican food right after chemo, it kept me from being sick after chemo. So I am not sure why they say he couldn't tolerate spicy food. I guess alot of people can't. But for me. It was spicy food all the way. It was a real life saver for me. So you might give a second question to the doctor to see if it is ok if he tolerates it. Start out easy maybe no jalepenos right of the bat. Just some spice for flavor or some thing no super hard chilis. I just thought I would share that with you. I had to have spicy food every day. It helped me actually gain weight because I lost huge amounts of weight down to 118 on a 6 foot tall frame. And end up at 164 when chemo ended in a year. A first for my doctor to have a patient actually gain weight on chemo. Please check into it. Maybe we can actually have someone else smiling while on the rode to recovery with a tummy full of great food!
Huge hugs and hope your way.
Goofylady (Cass)

AnneCan

Hatshepsut said:

More questions.
Thank you for your replies. I know I am a caregiver rather than a patient, but this colon-cancer specific board is a lifeline for me. Thank you for helping me cope and for helping my husband heal.

My husband's facial redness seems to be resolved. And, he is also once again having bowel movements. In fact, he is having a number of bowel movements (four or five a day) after several days with none. The movements seem normal and definitely are not diarrhea. I don't think I should worry about the frequency of normal-looking bowel movements, should I?

Appetite and weight, however, are on the decline. I'm pushing Ensure and small tastes of other foods. He told me he wasn't sure whether he was nauseated this morning but he didn't want to finish his normal cup of hot chocolate soy milk and he didn't want breakfast. I gave him one of the anti-nausea pills we were given by the oncologist and things seem to have calmed down. Does chemotherapy nausea come and go (his treatment was on Wednesday)?

It seems that we are quickly being trust into the maelstrom of chemotherapy side effects and challenges.

This morning my husband was pretty "down." He told me he doesn't know whether he can beat this and whether it is worth putting me through the myriad struggles involved in caring for him. While my husband has Xanax for anxiety, it occurs to me that it may be time for an anti-depressant. I have absolutely no experience with people taking anti-depressants. Do they work? Do they interfere with the chemotherapy drugs? Do you get them from the oncologist or from another type of doctor?

I am, of course, at his side forever and always. (We've been married for forty-one years.) This morning's conversation breaks my heart, though. I know the fight is going to be tough. I know the oncologist gave us a 50/50 chance of this working. I also know that we have a chance and, short of debilitating side effects, I think the fight is worth more years together. I also know that we have the option of addressing his cancer in more non-traditional ways. The fact that his tumor is actively growing, however, has caused us to opt for chemotherapy to stop/arrest the growth of the tumor with traditional chemotherapy at this time.

Forgive me for going on and on. It has been a hard morning.

Hatshepsut

Hi Hatshepsut,
I am sorry
Hi Hatshepsut,

I am sorry you have had such a hard day so far. I can't answer all your questions, but I hope I can at least help with a couple.

I do find that sometimes I get nausea several days after chemo. I sometimes have a funny feeling + need to remind myself that is what the anti-nausea pills are for. Sometimes it takes me a little while to realize I actually have nausea. Chemo definitely has its challenges + there are days I feel very crummy. I think that while in the first round too, when I hit the "bottom" I wondered if I could come "up" again. Well I did + I continue to through each round. Now on the days when I feel so crummy I know it it just part of the cycle + I know better days are ahead.

I do get the facial redness, it doesn't seem to last long + it disappears on its own.

BTW, Congratulations on 41 years of marriage! Take good care! I hope tomorrow is a better day for both of you!