If you knew then what you know now...

Machine Breaks
When he misses a radiation treatment because of a machine break or malfunction don't waste any time stressing over it as it will not diminish the end result. My best wishes for you both.

number one
the biggest for me would be

ask, demand IV fluids. seems to me after listening to almost everyone in our local group that getting IV fluids every other day, fridays for sure, and some got them every day. the results were a huge benefit in many ways.

no way can we drink enough to match what iv fluids can do

john

I was lucky....I joined this
forum before I started treatment, so had many things on hand. Aquafor, Calendula cream, Aloe99 for my skin were already in my cupboard.

I got the Mugard by the 3rd day of rads...for my mouth. I had a quart of soda/salt and water mixed and sitting on the counter...also for my mouth.

I didn't have much pain eating during rads, but did have dry mouth...on hand I had Ensure, and Instant Breakfast VHC in order to get nutrition down quickly and efficiently. Tho I ate food mostly until the after the third week of radiation.

LOTS of water...I had to go get hydrated only once during treatment (but that was after radiation was over, and I was still doing chemo). I got hydrated everyday before radiation due to the fact that I was getting Amifostine, so that probably saved me from dehydration during those 7 weeks.

p

CivilMatt said:

weekday mornings at 9:20 am..zaparoo
Vee 1,

Welcome to the group of H&N veterans. All good answers up to here, clothing , music, hydration.

Don’t be afraid to ask to take off the mask for a refit, it can help a lot. Wiggle your face and face muscles around to make the mask fit snug and comfortable. Toward the end of treatments when my throat was terrible I raised my hands just prior to the first zap, took the mask off, got up got multiple drinks of water, swished out my mouth and started over again. The techs did not mind (they loved me).

I had a helper named MS Lorazapam, 1 tablet and I was more relaxed.

For me it was a whole procedure, take 1 Lorazapam 30 minutes (precisely) prior, park in the lot, take a swig of magic mouth wash, use the rest room, rinse my mouth, walk to rad room, rinse, swish and spit (one last time), lay down, fit the mask and zap away. The zap away is a whole other procedure.

You‘ll get use to it, it is not fun, but I can look back now as some interesting parts.

Best,

Matt

I had a regular ritual, too....Matt
I got the Lorazipam at the Onc's office during the Amifostine treatment...before I left the Onc's office, I'd pee...then once in the car on the way to rads, I'd spray some Stoppers 4 into my mouth. In the parking lot, I'd do some deep breathing to relax even more...I used to get all stressed out at the Onc's office because they HAD to give the Amifostine exactly 30 minutes before I left, and sometimes they were running late...wore me out...also the bathroom at the Onc's office is a very busy place because of the other folks getting hydration and chemo ...sometimes it was race to get in there and still be on time at rads.

Your radiation people were nicer than ours...here they didn't like it when the schedule might get tinkered with....such as getting up to get a drink, going to the bathroom....or being late because the Onc's office was behind.

p

radiation is a marathon
the effects build up slowly, and they cook for a long time. ain't no hurrying recovery from radiation.

didn't have much trouble with actual radiation sessions, except that I had two sessions every friday, with six hrs. of hanging around in between--meh. found a place where I could nap and read longmire murder mysteries.
my technicians were terrific--one was a breast cancer survivor who'd been there. she still wore her wig.

the worst for me was nights during the last week or 10 days of radiation: was vomiting mucous 2-3 times a night. tried a few prescriptions, but nothing really worked except to finish radiation. ativan did help me sleep. and the constant spitting of mucous all day long--get a bucket or set up camp in the bathroom.
the second-degree burn on my neck didn't show up until two weeks after rads ended. docs gave me silver sulfadiazine for the burn.

magic mouthwash (lidocain) for mouth pain. xylimelts help with dry mouth. matt put me onto those, and I still use them.
that's about it. wouldn't plan too far ahead. your Dad may not have all the same issues, and you can deal with them as they come up.

best wishes, douglas

Sparky boy said:

Tips for starting out
Hi Vee I am in Australia things may vary but the basics are I was advised to have a Peg tube before start of treatment which is standard in Australia,keep well Hydrated,use 100%Sorbolene Creme twice a day 2 hours before treatmen[not sure if called same in USA,Google??]I found soup or broth and pure yogurt a help and cool showers for 15 minutes over treatment area,and Bi carbonite soda 1 tablespoon in glass warm water as many times a day as possible,most important positive outlook because although its cancer it's got one of the best cure rates,good luck cheers.

Rads
1/2 tab of Xanax around 30-minutes before the scheduled rad session did me a lotta good. I also found that holding my mouth so the teeth were in an overbite position, and breathing thru my mouth helped. Would NOT advise doing Morph before a rad- I did and it kinda freaked me out.

My rad technicians had a local rock station on most every day, but it was always background music to me. I got zapped in 20 places/session, and used to count them off one by one everytime the buzzing stopped and I heard the blaster move to another position. Oh- such fun!


Lot of us get burned at the base of the hairline in the back. I cut the collar off a couple shirts, and use Aquaphor. Phrannie and the more current bus people know of other lotions to use, and some may be better.

kcass