No longer lurking

Loves2read
Loves2read Member Posts: 33
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Hi everyone, Happy New Year! 

Thanks to all of you who've posted about your journeys. I've gotten a lot of encouragement and ideas over the last couple of weeks here. My husband just started treatment for tonsil cancer yesterday. So I figured it's time to stop lurking and just introduce myself!

We have a lot to learn!

Elizabeth

 

Comments

  • thennies61
    thennies61 Member Posts: 285
    #2
    Welcome as they say to site

    Welcome as they say to site you don't want to be at.But since you be sure to ask anything that comes to mind.If one person doesn't know or hasn't gone though on this jouney there is someone who has.

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #3
    Hello and welcome Elizabeth!

    So glad you've introduced yourself.  This forum is the best of the best when it comes to information and positive feedback.  You'll also gain many good friends.  Your hubby has a tough road ahead, but as you've found out from lurking.....there is light at the end of the tunnel.

    p

  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,724 Member
    #4
    welcome fellow lurker

     Elizabeth,

    Welcome to the H&N forum, so sorry that you find yourself here.

    My last of the year wisdom is to keep hydrated and swallow, swallow, swallow.

    Have a better new year!

    Matt

  • Loves2read
    Loves2read Member Posts: 33
    #5
    Nauseated

    Thank you for the warm welcome. We thought we were being proactive by taking zofran before chemo yesterday, but Day 2 sure has been a doozy! He has not been able to keep down much of anything all day, and the next step might be hospital admittance for IV fluids. We are home now- just praying for the nausea to subside. Wasn't expecting him to feel crummy this quickly... Drink a toast to 2015 for us, No champagne for us tonight! 

  • phrannie51
    phrannie51 Member Posts: 4,716
    #6
    Loves2read said:

    Nauseated

    Thank you for the warm welcome. We thought we were being proactive by taking zofran before chemo yesterday, but Day 2 sure has been a doozy! He has not been able to keep down much of anything all day, and the next step might be hospital admittance for IV fluids. We are home now- just praying for the nausea to subside. Wasn't expecting him to feel crummy this quickly... Drink a toast to 2015 for us, No champagne for us tonight! 

    I had Zophran, as well

    as Compazine and Ativan (Lorazipam) for nausea.  However, the first three days after chemo, they gave me three Emend.  This is a big gun for nausea.  If they haven't offered it, ask them....tell them!  One thing I found out as treatment progressed, was that many of my good ideas came from this board....all I had to do was ask, and I received, even tho they weren't the ones who thought it up.

    Be sure that he's taking something for his bowels.....Zophran can really plug a person up.....and as Matt said.....water, water water.....as much as he can take in.  It will help constipation, but it also flushes the kidneys and the rest of the body to get the chemo out.

    p

  • wmc
    wmc Member Posts: 1,804
    #7
    Welcome to the H&N Group

    Welcome to the H&N group, and sorry you need to be here. You have found what I think is the best group there is. It's open 24/7 and now you know you and your husband are not alone in this fight. It is very hard on the caregiver as you feel his pain but can't really do anything. So you need to stay positive and get the rest you need. I think it might have been harder on my wife then it was on me. But I don't think I would have do so well with out her. If you have questions for his doctors, write them down and hand them to them. If not they will say something and all your questions are lost in thought. My Dr took the paper and wrote the answers on it for me. Never be afaid to ask questions, if you don't know or fully understand ask. Also you can always ask here. Someone has seen or done it already, but everyone is differant on how they react to treatment. It is a bumppy road to go down, but you both can get through it. Never give up and just take one day at a time, and only today matters. Later when the treatment is over is when all the tomorrows matter.

    I'll add you both to my prayer list. May your tomorrow's be better than today.

    Bill

  • Loves2read
    Loves2read Member Posts: 33
    #8
    phrannie51 said:

    I had Zophran, as well

    as Compazine and Ativan (Lorazipam) for nausea.  However, the first three days after chemo, they gave me three Emend.  This is a big gun for nausea.  If they haven't offered it, ask them....tell them!  One thing I found out as treatment progressed, was that many of my good ideas came from this board....all I had to do was ask, and I received, even tho they weren't the ones who thought it up.

    Be sure that he's taking something for his bowels.....Zophran can really plug a person up.....and as Matt said.....water, water water.....as much as he can take in.  It will help constipation, but it also flushes the kidneys and the rest of the body to get the chemo out.

    p

    Thank you, I will ask for

    Thank you, I will ask for Emend. We are in ER isolation room now waiting to be checked on. He is feeling rough and really hasn't had any water to speak of today that didn't come back up. thanks for the tip, you guys are going to be a lifeline, I can tell.

  • MrsBD
    MrsBD Member Posts: 617 Member
    #9
    Welcome

    Welcome! This site is going to be a big help to you and your husband. Chances are, no matter what comes up, someone with experience will be able to offer good advice. Zofran helped me just a little, but there are several other drugs that might work. If you want a non-drug approach, acupuncture totally took away my nausea for two days. I was really skeptical it would work, but it did. As the caregiver, I think you have it harder than we patients. Take care of yourself, too. There are lots of prayers and support for you here.

  • sonyk728
    sonyk728 Member Posts: 124
    #10
    Praying for you

    That's pretty swift side effects from a first treatment. I lucked out by not having much chemo side effects but radiation took my taste for 6 weeks and it was awful. I'm sure it's super scary. Hang in there. Praying for you!

  • Loves2read
    Loves2read Member Posts: 33
    #11
    Doing better today

    Thanks everyone for your comments and prayers. It was a long day, and he got lots of IV fluids and anti-nausea drugs in his system. We stayed overnight up on the cancer floor, which was a blessing because it gave me time with an oncology nurse who patiently explained this pharmacy we are now managing!

    hubby is feeling less nausea, so they are taking him off IV for a few hours to see how he handles the "home regimine" here at the hospital before they let us go. But he is so sleepy I hate to wake him to eat, swish etc but I'm going to have to.

    We definitely weren't prepared for the side effects to hit so quickly. 

    Elizabeth

     

  • debbiejeanne
    debbiejeanne Member Posts: 3,102 Member
    #12
    welcome to our family

    welcome to our family Elizabeth but i wish you didnt' need to be here.  i hope the tx gets easier for your hubby and he isn't so sick.  there are several meds to fight against that.  i hope the find the right one for him.  keepin you and your hubby in my prayers.  you will get through this and we are here to help you.

    God bless you,

    dj

  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    #13
    debbiejeanne said:

    welcome to our family

    welcome to our family Elizabeth but i wish you didnt' need to be here.  i hope the tx gets easier for your hubby and he isn't so sick.  there are several meds to fight against that.  i hope the find the right one for him.  keepin you and your hubby in my prayers.  you will get through this and we are here to help you.

    God bless you,

    dj

    Elizabeth

    Happy you found this site but sorry you had the need. Like others have said, there are many meds for nausea, just need to find the particular one that works for your husband. Sounds like he is where he needs to be because hydration and nutrition are key. I was given 3 meds for nausea at the get-go of my tx and fortunately never dealt with nausea. I did get dehydrated following my first chemo tx and had to go daily for IV fluids for a week. I was on Cisplatin, they ended up cutting the dose and increased frequency, that worked for me. Hoping the remainder of your husband's tx goes easier for him. Best you can do is to take it as it comes and deal with it. 

  • Hondo
    Hondo Member Posts: 6,636 Member
    #14
    Hello Elizabeth

     

    Sorry to hear about your husband but I am very glad to see you posting her on CSN. Welcome aboard and hope you get all the answers to your many questions.

     

    Tim Hondo

     

  • Loves2read
    Loves2read Member Posts: 33
    #15
    phrannie51 said:

    I had Zophran, as well

    as Compazine and Ativan (Lorazipam) for nausea.  However, the first three days after chemo, they gave me three Emend.  This is a big gun for nausea.  If they haven't offered it, ask them....tell them!  One thing I found out as treatment progressed, was that many of my good ideas came from this board....all I had to do was ask, and I received, even tho they weren't the ones who thought it up.

    Be sure that he's taking something for his bowels.....Zophran can really plug a person up.....and as Matt said.....water, water water.....as much as he can take in.  It will help constipation, but it also flushes the kidneys and the rest of the body to get the chemo out.

    p

    Emend

    Phrannie, thanks for the advice on Emend. When I looked back at the list of IV meds DH got in his first treatment day, Emend was at the top. However, we did not get it to continue at home. We had Zofran and Compazine. So while in the ER for fluids and nausea meds, I asked for Emend but the ER nurse had not heard of it. They gave him Phenergan. When the Onc doc finally came in, she said that for the next round of chemo we should make sure to extend the Emend and dexamethasone. Live and learn, rookie mistakes. Hopefully we will be better prepared for round 2. Thanks again for your advice!

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,773 Member
    #16
    Loves2read said:

    Emend

    Phrannie, thanks for the advice on Emend. When I looked back at the list of IV meds DH got in his first treatment day, Emend was at the top. However, we did not get it to continue at home. We had Zofran and Compazine. So while in the ER for fluids and nausea meds, I asked for Emend but the ER nurse had not heard of it. They gave him Phenergan. When the Onc doc finally came in, she said that for the next round of chemo we should make sure to extend the Emend and dexamethasone. Live and learn, rookie mistakes. Hopefully we will be better prepared for round 2. Thanks again for your advice!

    sall the buzzwords

    I was prescribed all that you mention. Some were IV some were pills -Zofran, Compazine, Emend, and Dexamethasone. Fortunately, with the advice here and the onc meds, I never had nausea or vomit. Maybe once or twice I felt pretty quezy but that could be a whole lot of things. Good luck.

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