My husband has been diagnosed with 4A Throat cancer.

Throat cancer
What type of cancer and where in throat?

Tom and Jerry
Welcome to the forum...

My experience started with STG III SCC Tonsil Cancer, and a lymphnode HPV+.

This was January 2009, tonsils were removed and port installed. Nine weeks of chemo in three cycles (Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5FU). This followed by seven weeks of weekly chemo (Carboplatin) and daily rads with Amifostine injections given each day just before the rads.

No PEG, but some swear by it..a lot depends on weight and health going in...

Probably the worst for me was around week four or the rads and the next few weeks post rads (seven weeks total). During that time I mainly survived on Ensure Plus and water... I had a routine, grind a percocet in a 1/4 glass of water, set aside. A swig of liquid exaction, glass of water, one or two cans of Ensure Plus, a few Delmont sliced peaches (to keep the throat muscles working), another glass of water, and then the percocet in water...all followed by a nice warm shower...not sure, but it helped relive the pain.

Treatment ended in June 2009, all follow-ups have been clean. I saw my NET, and Chemo MD every three months the first year and the rads MD every six months.

It took until March 2010 for all blood work to come back into normal levels...everything, still no meds, I'm 57.

I lost all taste and saliva for about 3 - 6 months, but now after nearly two years post treatment, I have regained nearly 90 - 95% of both back.

Cisplatin can have a lot of side effectts, it's something that should be monitored and communicate anything going on with your MD's.

There a lot of good people here and tons of experience and personal knowledge, glad you found your way here.

Best,
John

Allot of questions ?
Arndog64,

You probably have more questions then what has been answered by your Doctors. I'm sure they have given you a good bit of information, but you are at the right site for answers. There are allot of knowledgeable people here that have walked the path that your husband is about to take.

He starts on Monday, so you only have a few days to try and get a little head start on some of the things that may help him and you get through all this. One thing that I will suggest to you as the Caregiver is to make sure you take care of yourself as well. He will lean on you and you have to be healthy as well as strong.

As he goes through the radiation and Chemo, he will develope sores in his mouth. A solution I used was the Baking Soda and Salt solution, I used it as often as I needed to take the edge off of the discomfort in my mouth and throat. Some people here have used a perscription from the Doctors called " Magic Mouthwash ", it too is suppose to take the edge off of the mouth discomfort.

His neck will slowly start to turn red and dry out from the Radiation. I was told to use a lotion and they suggested " Keri Lotion " it worked well for me. Just make sure he uses it often so he doesn't blister. They will stop the treatments if he does.

Again, ask as many questions as you need to and also visit the Head and Neck Super thread that SweetBlood22 put together ( http://csn.cancer.org/node/214222 ) it is just below on this page but may move as people post new threads. It has a collection of helpful hints and information.

My Best to Both of You and Everyone Here

MarineE5 said:

Allot of questions ?
Arndog64,

You probably have more questions then what has been answered by your Doctors. I'm sure they have given you a good bit of information, but you are at the right site for answers. There are allot of knowledgeable people here that have walked the path that your husband is about to take.

He starts on Monday, so you only have a few days to try and get a little head start on some of the things that may help him and you get through all this. One thing that I will suggest to you as the Caregiver is to make sure you take care of yourself as well. He will lean on you and you have to be healthy as well as strong.

As he goes through the radiation and Chemo, he will develope sores in his mouth. A solution I used was the Baking Soda and Salt solution, I used it as often as I needed to take the edge off of the discomfort in my mouth and throat. Some people here have used a perscription from the Doctors called " Magic Mouthwash ", it too is suppose to take the edge off of the mouth discomfort.

His neck will slowly start to turn red and dry out from the Radiation. I was told to use a lotion and they suggested " Keri Lotion " it worked well for me. Just make sure he uses it often so he doesn't blister. They will stop the treatments if he does.

Again, ask as many questions as you need to and also visit the Head and Neck Super thread that SweetBlood22 put together ( http://csn.cancer.org/node/214222 ) it is just below on this page but may move as people post new threads. It has a collection of helpful hints and information.

My Best to Both of You and Everyone Here

Howdy
Just want to say that this site will give you as many answers as your doctors going forward.
The dr's know how to kill the cancer and they go about it very methodically. In the meantime, the patient gets burned, inside and out, has no energy, some pain, and a lot of other issues. But as you can tell, the dr's do their jobs by all the survivors on this site.
I thought I was tough, 6'2" and 210 lbs, but I needed the PEG tube and was glad to have it. I lost about 25 lbs, but it would have been 50 without the PEG. So I vote to get the PEG before starting. It's an easy insert, outpatient.
In addition, you'll need tough nerves and strength to get through this, both of you. My wife was a godsend for me and I'm sure you'll be for your husband. I'm 1 year post treatment as of today and doing quite well. There are always some issues, but all in all, I can't complain.
Keep posting, it will help you alot.....
all the best and be strong,
Steve

welcome
As a caregiver (husband had stage 4b laryngeal) make sure you take care of YOU. It's going to be a rough road for you and him both, and he will lean on you a lot.

Take lots of notes, ask lots of questions, get a large 3 ring binder together and keep all his paperwork in the same place. Also keep his financial medical (insurance stuff) together in a binder. I did this and it's helped me a lot as I became the unwilling CEO of this icky company. Even if you think it's not important papers, keep it. Never know when it will come in handy.

Every one on this board will help out with anything you may need, just ask.

Also, get a support network together: see if a nutritionist, social worker, therapist are available, as well as family and friends. Don't be afraid to ask for what you need, and accept help whenever it's offered.

And for you, set aside time each day and a big block of time each week JUST FOR YOU. It seems frivolous, but as time goes on you will need to recharge your batteries. Stop by the caregiver board and let it all out.

Faith, Peace, Love, and Hugs,
April

arndog64 said:

Thank you everyone for your
Thank you everyone for your input. I will post updates and ask questions daily. We are going out to dinner Saturday night. Looking forward to getting out.. I guess after Monday we will be home bound for several weeks. During chemo they say, stay away from large groups of people. But, he will need to get out, should he wear a surgical mask when in public?

Welcome to the dubious "club"
We were once where you are now. In August of 2010, Buzz was diagnosed with Stage IV base of tongue cancer with 1 lymph node involved. I can give you some information based on our experience. While getting chemo, take the antinausea meds preventatively. Do not wait until you have the nausea. The PEG (feeding tube) is a life saver. Buzz actually lost very little weight and we used the feeding tube from the beginning, even before radiation. Call your doctor if you have any concerns. During radiation, you will need pain medicine. Ask for it! I did not call the first weekend after chemo and I should have. Buzz had to go to the hospital that Monday. No mask is necessary unless your are neutropenic (have low white blood cell count). You should avoid crowds and sick people even if not truly neutropenic. No need to be homebound but you probably won't feel like going out while feeling the effects of the chemo. Any help you need is freely given on this site. Having received so much support myself (as wife and caregiver), I now am able to give support to others like you. BTW, Buzz just had his first PET scan post treatment and the tumor is gone! You will get there too. Karen

mswijiknyc said:

welcome
As a caregiver (husband had stage 4b laryngeal) make sure you take care of YOU. It's going to be a rough road for you and him both, and he will lean on you a lot.

Take lots of notes, ask lots of questions, get a large 3 ring binder together and keep all his paperwork in the same place. Also keep his financial medical (insurance stuff) together in a binder. I did this and it's helped me a lot as I became the unwilling CEO of this icky company. Even if you think it's not important papers, keep it. Never know when it will come in handy.

Every one on this board will help out with anything you may need, just ask.

Also, get a support network together: see if a nutritionist, social worker, therapist are available, as well as family and friends. Don't be afraid to ask for what you need, and accept help whenever it's offered.

And for you, set aside time each day and a big block of time each week JUST FOR YOU. It seems frivolous, but as time goes on you will need to recharge your batteries. Stop by the caregiver board and let it all out.

Faith, Peace, Love, and Hugs,
April

THANK YOU FOR STILL POSTING APRIL
April, I continue to be "recharged" when you post. You are one of the strongest and well spoken induviduals I have had the pleasure to communicate with.

I hope you are well

BEST!!

Mike

arndog64 said:

Thank you everyone for your
Thank you everyone for your input. I will post updates and ask questions daily. We are going out to dinner Saturday night. Looking forward to getting out.. I guess after Monday we will be home bound for several weeks. During chemo they say, stay away from large groups of people. But, he will need to get out, should he wear a surgical mask when in public?

Prayers for you
I'll add you both to my prayer list. The surgical masks keep the person wearing it from infecting others but don't do much to stop germs coming in. Lots of hand washing helps and take care around kids and large groups like movie theaters and busy restaurants and such. My girlfriend helped take care of me when I was low in treatment and she wouldn't let me open any doors or touch elevator buttons or really touch anything. If I did she was right there with hand sanitizer spraying me down. You guys will get through this. Stay strong and keep the calories rolling in almost constantly.

Bob

arndog64 said:

Thank you everyone for your
Thank you everyone for your input. I will post updates and ask questions daily. We are going out to dinner Saturday night. Looking forward to getting out.. I guess after Monday we will be home bound for several weeks. During chemo they say, stay away from large groups of people. But, he will need to get out, should he wear a surgical mask when in public?

Public Contact
I did try to limit my public contact and large crowds, but didn't wear a mask.

In reality, it's kind of amusing in away...you try to stay away from crowds and potential contact of germs and such.

Yet the places that I had treatment or follow-ups were loaded with nothing but sick people....

Anyways, they suggest that you limit exposure to places like open buffet style eateries, large crowds, etc....

Best,
John

A few suggestions
Hello Arndog64, Well the first suggestion is go out to a nice restaurant before treatment and have a nice dinner as my wife Connie & I have not been to a restaurant since treatment started Nov. 26, 2010. Also during Connie's first chemo treatment we were discussing the peg tube and trying to plan ahead as much as possible and we asked the chemo nurse administering the treatment about some of our questions and she gave us the best advice she could give us. She just said take it "one day at a time" and everything would work out. Connie had two lymph nodes that were badly swollen and trying to break through the skin before she started chemo and after that 1st treatment they were back to normal size within the 1st week. Her chemo doctor said she had a dramatic response after her 1st treatment, we were overjoyed. After her 2nd chemo treatment she had another dramatic response, she ended up in the hospital for the next 34 days with C-diff and Colenitus. I remember leaving her room a few days before Christmas and a small choir were singing Silent Night in the lobby and I began to cry, I didn't know actually why but I could not control my emotions at the time. If someone had asked me why I was crying I could not have told them exactly why except sometimes the cancer treatments send you on a roller coaster of emotions. Well Connie never did her 3rd chemo treatment and started radiation soon after she got out of the hospital. Since then radiation has been pretty much what the doctors and my friends on CSN have said it would be and she finished her radiation treatments March 17, 2011. We are cautiously optimistic right now since she had a ct scan after chemo that did not detect the tumors and she will have another one May 5th, 2011. The process has been the experience of a lifetime and I am proud of my wife as she has taken everything in stride and I can truly say I love her more today than ever before. I wish your husband well and you just try to be prepared for all the ups & downs and stay strong for him. Wishing you both well, Homer & Connie