(First of the Chemo)Husband with SCC and constipation from pain meds

Misty35
Misty35 Member Posts: 24
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Hello everyone,
I am thankful to have found this website. My 40 yr.old husband was diagnosed with stage 4 SCC with unknown primary about 5 weeks ago, he underwent lots of testing and a tonsilectomy with other biopsies. His right lymphnode seems to be the place of action right now measuring in at 61/2 centimeters. He had the first chemo treatment 3 days ago. He has 9 weeks of this and then chemo/rad for 7 weeks. He has been in a daze all day today, sleeping alot, but is complaining alot with cramping in lower extremities and soreness as well pretty much all over, he says this is normal from what the nurse said when he got his neulasta injection yesterday. I am reading up on all kinds of information, alot of scary information. I am most fearful of what is coming with his diet when radiation starts. We have a 5yr old daughter and I am scared of how we will cope.
He is trying his best not to take pain meds this early in treatment, I am trying to get him to take the meds...lol, he seems very fatigued and sore already. He is really concerned with constipation because after the tonsilectomy and biopsies it was hard and now it is happening again with lil pain medicine. He has percocet right now and has only been taking one a day and he cannot have a bowel movement, he is also chewing fiber tablets daily. Is there any over the counter medicines you all would recommend?

Comments

  • Dav1965
    Dav1965 Member Posts: 132
    #2
    Talk to your doctor
    I would talk to your doctor and find some relief that way. Another thing you could do is ask a pharmacist they are pretty helpful i know mine is. I would strongly urge your husband to take the pain meds. There is no need to hurt and yor body heals better if you are not in pain. Thats what they always told me. I had stage 4 cancer also and i am 6 months out of chemo and radiation. I have no symptoms of cancer now so remember there is hope. It is a long road but it is winnable. Believe it or not your job is going to be harder than his. I know my wife had it harder than me. God bless. David
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #3
    Very Similar - Hang in There
    His Dx and Rx sounds very similar to me....nearly two years ago.

    First welcome to the forum....

    I was Dx with STG III SCC HPV+ Tonsil (primary) Cancer and a lymphnode (secondary), both right side. This was back in January 2009

    They took the tonsils out, chose to start me with nine weeks (three week cycles) of Cisplatin, Taxotere and 5FU. The 5FU was pumped over five days through the port. That was on a Monday, that Friday the pump would come off and I'd get hydration. That next Monday,I'd get an injection of Neulasta...2-3 days later all of the major bones would ache a lot, like a bad flu coming on...this would usually only last a few days. Also, the first time was the worst, the next two were much lighter pain wise.

    After that nine weeks, my affected lymphnode actually dissolved away. Then I started the seven week concurent,Carboplatin every Monday, Amifostine Injections and Rads everyday (M-F) for 35 days.

    Anyways, it's a rough road, but very doable....

    I'm nearly two years post,all blood counts are back in normal ranges. I'm on klnow meds, all scans and scopes have remained clean...

    I lost most taste and saliva forseveral months, but both are back to 90-95% as before. Which I attribute to the Amifostine. I also never got the thick ropey phlegm as I've read some have.

    Main thing is to communicate with your MD's anything going on, they can prescribe something....my Chemo MD always said,let me know what's going on,I have something for it and she did....

    Emend is great for nausea during the first three days of those nine week cycles day of chemo and next two.

    *****Stay Hydrated**** that's a biggy

    My wife would pinch the backs of my hands lightly. If the skin "tented" up and stayed I needed fluids. If it went back to it's original shape fast,I was usually OK for fluids.

    Use the meds as you need them,that's what there for...no need to deal with pain or discomfort...it's going to get worse.

    I went through a lot of Percocet, both liguid and pill Oxicotin, Hydrocodone, even liquid Morphine...and various throat numbing solutions....

    I know this is a lot of info, there will be more as the time comes that you ask questions....

    We've been there done that...and survived, you guys will as well.

    Thoughts and Prayers,
    John
  • buzz99
    buzz99 Member Posts: 404
    #4
    Misty
    We have a beautiful pure white cat called Misty! Anyway, for consitipation caused by the pain pills, Buzz took a stool softener (over the counter) or Miralax (also OTC). The Miralax worked better. It dissolves completely in water and is tasteless. It can even go down a PEG with a water rinse afterward. Hope this info helps! Karen
  • ratface
    ratface Member Posts: 1,337 Member
    #5
    buzz99 said:

    Misty
    We have a beautiful pure white cat called Misty! Anyway, for consitipation caused by the pain pills, Buzz took a stool softener (over the counter) or Miralax (also OTC). The Miralax worked better. It dissolves completely in water and is tasteless. It can even go down a PEG with a water rinse afterward. Hope this info helps! Karen

    Catch 22 for sure
    The pain meds slow everything down in the bowels. The antibiotics kill any good intestinal bacteria. You are so limited in what you can eat to help things along. Constipation is one of the great curses of life and with this treatment mode it often becomes somewhat a constant for months at a time. The trick is to not slow things down tooooooooooo much while not speeding them out of control. A regular OTC stool softner is the perfect accompaning response. Takes a little tweaking. Absolutely consult with your doctor but once you rule out an obstuction it becomes a management issue. Suppositories work wonders.
  • MarineE5
    MarineE5 Member Posts: 1,034 Member
    #6
    Hydration and Stool softeners
    Misty,

    As Stiffin and Buzz mentioned, Hydration and Stool softeners will make this road a bit less uncomfortable for your Husband and even for you as you are the Caregiver.

    I used the pinch test that Stiffin mentioned. The Nurses at Radiation preached to me that I needed to take in 64 ounces of water daily to stay hydrated. I couldn't eat orally for some time and used the PEG Tube for my nutrition. I counted the amount of the nutrition as part of my fluid intake, but made sure I drank several glasses of water daily as we can't afford to lose the swallow motion either while doing our treatments.

    I was told to use a stool softener called " Colace " and it can be found at most Drug Stores on the shelf. It comes in liquid form and I used it through the Tube. The pain medications will cause constipation, I found that the Colace worked good for me by using it once every other day.

    My Best to Both of You and Everyone Here
  • adventurebob
    adventurebob Member Posts: 691
    #7
    surefire
    Welcome to the board Misty. Sorry to read about your husband's cancer and discomfort. Glad you found our family. Lots of info for everything you and your husband are going through. For constipation I would highly recommend coffee enemas. Works every time, also detoxes the liver. There are many sources on the internet for how to do it. Make sure to use organic coffee. If you read any of the Gerson literature you will find that they call for 1-4 coffee enemas daily for an alternative cancer treatment. Make sure to drink plenty of water as coffee is a diuretic. Coffee enemas also reduce pain and produce a lightness and energy different from drinking coffee. I took no laxatives or stool softeners all through treatment and had no issues with constipation. Let us know how we can help as you go through this.

    Bob
  • DrMary
    DrMary Member Posts: 531 Member
    #8
    adventurebob said:

    surefire
    Welcome to the board Misty. Sorry to read about your husband's cancer and discomfort. Glad you found our family. Lots of info for everything you and your husband are going through. For constipation I would highly recommend coffee enemas. Works every time, also detoxes the liver. There are many sources on the internet for how to do it. Make sure to use organic coffee. If you read any of the Gerson literature you will find that they call for 1-4 coffee enemas daily for an alternative cancer treatment. Make sure to drink plenty of water as coffee is a diuretic. Coffee enemas also reduce pain and produce a lightness and energy different from drinking coffee. I took no laxatives or stool softeners all through treatment and had no issues with constipation. Let us know how we can help as you go through this.

    Bob

    If it goes beyond 4 days
    your doctor might want to oversee the next step (enemas or manual disimpaction). These can be done at home, and I'm sure many on the list are familiar with these. I'm concerned about his abdominal tenderness, however - I'd be cautious about doing much more than the stool softeners without getting that checked out.

    Miralax and colace (both available in generic) will help, but if you have a severe impaction problem in the rectum, you won't get anywhere, so I wouldn't wait past 4 days. Doug's doctor told us of someone who went weeks (he had to be hospitalized) - amazing!
  • scottied
    scottied Member Posts: 36 Member
    #9
    milk of magnesia
    I was told by the doctors to take milk of magnesia everyday weither i thought i needed it or not because of the constipation caused by the pain medicine.
  • sweetblood22
    sweetblood22 Member Posts: 3,228
    #10
    scottied said:

    milk of magnesia
    I was told by the doctors to take milk of magnesia everyday weither i thought i needed it or not because of the constipation caused by the pain medicine.

    I took the stool softener
    I took the stool softener and I also put luke warm prune juice and Activia yogurt and sweet potato or squash baby food thru my Peg Tube every day and that worked great. If I forgot to do that, then I would have a problem.

    There was no way I could have gone with out pain meds.

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