The truck finally stopped backing up over me!

Laralyn
Laralyn Member Posts: 532
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
Sorry I've been absent for a couple days. I ended up being hospitalized Sunday evening, and just got out yesterday. I went in when I threw up on Sunday and it was mostly blood. They kept me for four nights to try to stop the nausea and get some control over the pain.

It seems like my body decided to hold all of the side effects until right at the end, then have them all at once. Within the last few days, I started having red burns on my neck, the pain level dramatically increased, I started having some mucus in my throat, I have sores in my mouth and throat (because I didn't use Mugard reliably in the hospital), and my white blood cell counts and platelet counts both dropped well below normal. All of these are expected to happen... they just usually happen gradually, starting week 3, and not all at once on week 5.

The doctors said I should try to get in 6 cans of liquid nutrition a day, which is well under my calorie needs but we're at a point where weight loss won't affect radiation (we only have a week left, and my mask still fits fine).

I started on a pain patch last night, which takes 24 hours to take effect. I can tell it's started to work, though, because the unpleasant period when my pain medication has worn off but I can't take more medicine diminished just a little last night. I think pain may be a lot of what was causing my nausea. If I'm still taking a Norco every four hours when this patch is done (Sunday), they told me to move up to two patches until they can raise the prescription on Tuesday.

I missed one day of radiation because I had just been hospitalized, but they took me to radiation in an ambulance for the other days. I also missed my weekly chemo, which they decided to hold because of my blood work results. They're going to evaluate next week whether to do the last chemo or skip it. I have to make up the radiation I missed.

That's a long list of complaints and it sounds like I'm miserable, but I'm actually feeling OK emotionally. I'm looking ahead at the last 5 days of treatment (Tuesday through the following Monday) so I'm almost to the end. I know there's the "cooking" time at the end, and that some people feel their absolute worst two weeks after the last radiation treatment... but I won't know what will happen for me until I get there. Whatever happens, I'll be looking ahead at starting the healing process.

Comments

  • Greend
    Greend Member Posts: 678
    #2
    Doesn't seem fair
    Look at it this way....you made it almost through before the gremlins jumped in. I know how you feel...my after effects are a pain however they normally show up at the seven year point; I made it thirteen. I hate to complain because I feel like I had six "free" years. Hang in there...not much longer to go before you stop cooking and start to heal.

    Denny
  • Mikemetz
    Mikemetz Member Posts: 465 Member
    #3
    There's no crying in baseballl...
    ...and no "complaining" in cancer treatments. Your "complaints" are legitimate descriptions about how hard this can be--whether side effects happen gradually, on schedule, or all at once likes yours did. The way I read it, you are doing great--especially emotionally. Keep hanging in there.

    mike
  • Mrs. Sarge
    Mrs. Sarge Member Posts: 206 Member
    #4
    Mikemetz said:

    There's no crying in baseballl...
    ...and no "complaining" in cancer treatments. Your "complaints" are legitimate descriptions about how hard this can be--whether side effects happen gradually, on schedule, or all at once likes yours did. The way I read it, you are doing great--especially emotionally. Keep hanging in there.

    mike

    Hang on
    Laralyn, you've done so well, hate you had this bump but hopefully that's about it for you!!
  • Ingrid K
    Ingrid K Member Posts: 813
    #5
    Mrs. Sarge said:

    Hang on
    Laralyn, you've done so well, hate you had this bump but hopefully that's about it for you!!

    Ditto what Mrs. Sarge says
    Laralynn, sorry you got hit all at once - that really sucks. But, hopefully the side effects will also go as quickly as they came. The pain patch should help a lot. I wish you continued progress toward completing treatment and starting recovery. keep it up!
  • tommyodavey
    tommyodavey Member Posts: 728 Member
    #6
    Ingrid K said:

    Ditto what Mrs. Sarge says
    Laralynn, sorry you got hit all at once - that really sucks. But, hopefully the side effects will also go as quickly as they came. The pain patch should help a lot. I wish you continued progress toward completing treatment and starting recovery. keep it up!

    What a Trooper!
    I can't believe how well you are taking this abuse Laralyn. After all the problems you are still talking positive and that will help with the healing.

    Don't think too much about the weeks after and whether or not you'll cook. Mine was minor and not as bad as the end of radiation. And nothing like you've been through. I take my hat off to your attitude.

    Tommy
  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #7
    Mrs. Sarge said:

    Hang on
    Laralyn, you've done so well, hate you had this bump but hopefully that's about it for you!!

    Holy Mack Truck.............
    I knew something was going on, since we hadn't heard from you since Sunday. Oh honey, you'll get sympathy from me....what a lot to hit at one time!! Tho, you sound like you're staying positive....still....a bulldozer of a week.

    I am sending you a hug, and a hand hold, my little bus mate...and warm thoughts and a prayer.

    p
  • Sam999
    Sam999 Member Posts: 319 Member
    #8
    phrannie51 said:

    Holy Mack Truck.............
    I knew something was going on, since we hadn't heard from you since Sunday. Oh honey, you'll get sympathy from me....what a lot to hit at one time!! Tho, you sound like you're staying positive....still....a bulldozer of a week.

    I am sending you a hug, and a hand hold, my little bus mate...and warm thoughts and a prayer.

    p

    Hi Laralyn,
    Looks like you
    Hi Laralyn,

    Looks like you scared off the truck so it backed off:)
    Happy to hear you are doing good after facing the complications. Just imagine no more going to rads in 5 more days!

    Sam
  • Tim6003
    Tim6003 Member Posts: 1,514 Member
    #9
    Sam999 said:

    Hi Laralyn,
    Looks like you
    Hi Laralyn,

    Looks like you scared off the truck so it backed off:)
    Happy to hear you are doing good after facing the complications. Just imagine no more going to rads in 5 more days!

    Sam

    hang in there Laralyn....
    I think you are doing great ...but I was wondering where you were at but suspected you might be feeling the affects ...sorry you are.

    I wore two fentynol patcher at a time 25mcg and 12mcg and took about 5 Narco a day along with 4 advil every 5-6 hours ...so use the pain meds if you need them...

    Personally I think your attitude is wonderful....you truly are an inspiration ...so hang on .....you are doing good I think...

    Prayers every night for you still.... :)

    Tim

    by the way take a look at the picture on my expressions to see my neck ...not to brag ...just so you know it is normal ....mine was burned up pretty bad and I had to delay treatments for a week and then again for a few days ....it can happen.
  • Kent Cass
    Kent Cass Member Posts: 1,898 Member
    #10
    Laralyn
    For me- try the end of week #1 for the mouth becoming a trainwreck, which began just about the worst weekend of my life. And, resulted in my starting on Morphine with the start of week #2. I was never on a patch, though that woulda been overkill with the Morph.

    Don't be overly concerned about missing parts of the treatment with being in the hospital. I had no rads in weeks #5 or #6- spending four nights in the hospital at the start of #6. My chemo delivery was different, and my condition got maxed with the second chemo session. The best part of it all, Laralyn, was that I turned it all around the last couple days in the hospital, and those last rads which followed were the easiest for me- as I hope they are for you, too. Number of others over the years have also spent time in the hospital towards the end of treatment, typically for an infection and being sick, and/or PEG installation, so it does happen.

    I did not get worse after tx ended, though it took awhile to be feeling significantly better. Have always wondered if those two weeks I was too sick for the rads made a difference in the post-tx symptoms I had, as my recovery seemed to be better than many had. Keep moving forward, Laralyn- on the last lap, now.

    kcass
  • ooo
    ooo Member Posts: 105
    #11
    Laralyn,
    you'll bend but you
    Laralyn,

    you'll bend but you won't break.

    You're a couple of weeks ahead of me and such an inspiration!

    Dre.
  • patricke
    patricke Member Posts: 570 Member
    #12
    Hey Laralyn, it sounds like
    Hey Laralyn, it sounds like you've been hammered during the last week, but it also sounds like you are handling it like a champ, which is quite a feat. I'm glad that you are staying in the positive zone and looking forward, that's the best way to handle the treatment challenges, and the healing process. So, keep HITTING, i.e., Hanging In There.

    PATRICK
  • nick770
    nick770 Member Posts: 195
    #13
    patricke said:

    Hey Laralyn, it sounds like
    Hey Laralyn, it sounds like you've been hammered during the last week, but it also sounds like you are handling it like a champ, which is quite a feat. I'm glad that you are staying in the positive zone and looking forward, that's the best way to handle the treatment challenges, and the healing process. So, keep HITTING, i.e., Hanging In There.

    PATRICK

    hang in there Laralyn!!!

    hang in there Laralyn!!!
  • Laralyn
    Laralyn Member Posts: 532
    #14
    nick770 said:

    hang in there Laralyn!!!

    hang in there Laralyn!!!

    Thanks for all the encouragement!
    It really does help a lot!

    I remember a couple weeks ago, I was talking to Charlie (my SO and caregiver) and I started crying. He asked what was wrong, and I said, "I'm getting sicker. I can tell. And I don't want to get sicker." Now that I'm at that point I was dreading so much... it's really not that bad. I mean, it sucks and I'm eager to get past it, but it's not the end of the world. Aggressive cancer invading my soft palate, so close to my brain: THAT would have been the end of the world for me. This is a small price to pay in exchange for the rest of my life.

    Then this morning I found myself having that feeling again, worrying about the "cooking time" and feeling like it was going to take a long time to feel any better. A thought popped in my head: "Or what?" It's not like a have a choice here. I'm finishing my treatments. I'm taking care of myself as best I can to mitigate the side effects. And that's all I can do. This is a situation where the answer really IS to just wait it out.

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