Drinking occasionally after treatment

First off I am not a drinker never have been. But if I’m away I do like to have a few...I am going to Jamaica the end of October and was wondering if I could have a few drinks. My radiologists said maybe a drink a day but he didn’t look to be to happy when he said it. I am fine not drinking if that’s how it has to be just would like to know what your take on it is? I’m 3 months post trestment, completely healed and PET scan and scopes proved that cancer is gone. Again never was a big drinker and never smoked my cancer was caused by HPV.

Comments

  • debbiel0
    debbiel0 Member Posts: 134 Member
    Everything in moderation. I

    Everything in moderation. I know some will jump all over this and say don't drink. I say, after what you have been through, if you want to sit poolside in the sunshine in the middle of winter and sip on a tropical drink Go For It!  My oncologist did not promote drinking but did tell me not to beat myself up about it if I wanted a glass of wine with dinner, he was fine with that. 

    My experience with "resort drinks" is that most have very little alchohol in them anyway, so it shouldnt be an issue.

    Go, get away from the sickness,  leave your "C" at home! Relax and enjoy! I am sure the benefits of sunshine will outweigh any negatives from a couple of drinks!

  • Charmit
    Charmit Member Posts: 87
    debbiel0 said:

    Everything in moderation. I

    Everything in moderation. I know some will jump all over this and say don't drink. I say, after what you have been through, if you want to sit poolside in the sunshine in the middle of winter and sip on a tropical drink Go For It!  My oncologist did not promote drinking but did tell me not to beat myself up about it if I wanted a glass of wine with dinner, he was fine with that. 

    My experience with "resort drinks" is that most have very little alchohol in them anyway, so it shouldnt be an issue.

    Go, get away from the sickness,  leave your "C" at home! Relax and enjoy! I am sure the benefits of sunshine will outweigh any negatives from a couple of drinks!

    Thank you so much and that

    Thank you so much and that was my thoughts exactly after the months of hell we all have gone through we need to let go and enjoy life! In moderation of course but I want to know I can have a pina colada and not fear anything. Thanks Debbie 

  • Sprint Car Dude
    Sprint Car Dude Member Posts: 181
    Drink up.

    I am 2 years out of treatment. Have the drinks you want, you earned them. I can only do wimpy stuff now. Malibu Rum and Tropical Splash is my go too.  Have a great time. Liquors and beer give me a burning sensation in my mouth. So, I have adapted.  LoL...

  • Charmit
    Charmit Member Posts: 87

    Drink up.

    I am 2 years out of treatment. Have the drinks you want, you earned them. I can only do wimpy stuff now. Malibu Rum and Tropical Splash is my go too.  Have a great time. Liquors and beer give me a burning sensation in my mouth. So, I have adapted.  LoL...

    I’m glad your two years out

    I’m glad your two years out and healthy!! And your go too drink sounds delish, I personally can’t drink beer, when I was younger loved it. Old age took that taste away lol and thank you for replying. I’m going to enjoy a few for sure!!

  • debbiel0
    debbiel0 Member Posts: 134 Member
    Word of warning...pineapple

    Word of warning...pineapple juice  may be a too acidic and may hurt your throat. Try a bit b4 you go...dont want to put a damper on your vacation!

  • stevenpepe
    stevenpepe Member Posts: 234
    Everything in moderation?

    That's how I lived and somehow I still got tongue and neck cancer. Since alcohol is a major carcinogen, why would you take that chance? There's a reason your doctor gave you that look.

  • Charmit
    Charmit Member Posts: 87

    Everything in moderation?

    That's how I lived and somehow I still got tongue and neck cancer. Since alcohol is a major carcinogen, why would you take that chance? There's a reason your doctor gave you that look.

    Steve I’m not talking drink

    Steve I’m not talking drink seven days a week 365 days, I’m talking a few drinks on a trip. I understand the risk of heavily drinking but I don’t fall into that catergory and would never abuse after what I have been through. But thank you for your reply.

  • johnsonbl
    johnsonbl Member Posts: 266 Member
    edited September 2018 #9
    Your cancer was caused by HPV...

    Drink up if you can tolerate it.  I can't remember exactly how long it took for my tumor bed to really completely heal...I think at my 3 month appt I still had a small angry spot where the radiation had really zapped me and made eating and drinking spicy things a little uncomfortable.  If your tissues are looking good and healed up you should be good to go.

    Interestingly, I drank mostly light beers before my treatments...I now drink Budweiser and other full bodied beers as light beer tastes like crap.  IPA's are the WORST now...  Funny how the palate changes!

    Enjoy Jamaica...I could use some Jamaica right about now.  The local crops are fantastic!  lol...

     

    Brandon

     

  • Charmit
    Charmit Member Posts: 87
    johnsonbl said:

    Your cancer was caused by HPV...

    Drink up if you can tolerate it.  I can't remember exactly how long it took for my tumor bed to really completely heal...I think at my 3 month appt I still had a small angry spot where the radiation had really zapped me and made eating and drinking spicy things a little uncomfortable.  If your tissues are looking good and healed up you should be good to go.

    Interestingly, I drank mostly light beers before my treatments...I now drink Budweiser and other full bodied beers as light beer tastes like crap.  IPA's are the WORST now...  Funny how the palate changes!

    Enjoy Jamaica...I could use some Jamaica right about now.  The local crops are fantastic!  lol...

     

    Brandon

     

    Thanks Brandon for your

    Thanks Brandon for your response....I agree about the few drinks. I think we all deserve some after our journey. My scope came back clear as did the PET scan and I’m eating like I was before treatment, only thing is I can’t do soda, can’t acquire the taste for it anymore. Haven’t had a drink but as in my earlier post a pina colada I’m thinking will hit the spot. Just a few after all I have never been outside the USA and I want to celebrate my NED!!

  • AnotherSurvivor
    AnotherSurvivor Member Posts: 384 Member
    Both my oncs, chemo and rad,

    Both my oncs, chemo and rad, say alcohol in moderation is fine. Brandy has been used for centuries to purify water, and has repeatedly been demonstrated to reduce cholesterol problems.  If you're looking for causality links, the biggest predictor of cancer is living past 50, to avoid that die young.  I watched my single malt stash get pillaged by my son's wandering band of ER doc Visagoths last ski season, so at least part of the medical community is untroubled by the potential.

    I have +50 year experience with whiskey of many forms, not sure a single beer is even alcohol.  But I think taste will probably be a bigger factor than booze.  Even at two years post single malt scotch is now far too rough, and pretty much anything else except wine/beer is probably 90% soda water.  Even heavy wines with strong tannins like Cabs are tough now, which is tragic since some of the really great reds are defined by their tannins.  Even great whites like Graves need tannins to mature, and tannins have repeatedly been shown to reduce risk of heart disease.

    Go easy, go slow, don't sweat it. 

  • swopoe
    swopoe Member Posts: 492
    debbiel0 said:

    Word of warning...pineapple

    Word of warning...pineapple juice  may be a too acidic and may hurt your throat. Try a bit b4 you go...dont want to put a damper on your vacation!

    Yes! Pineapple is the one

    Yes! Pineapple is the one thing my husband absolutely cannot have! It hurts him too much.

    As for drinking, pre cancer, my husband was maybe a 5 beers a year kind of guy. Now he won’t touch the stuff at all.

  • donfoo
    donfoo Member Posts: 1,773 Member
    edited September 2018 #13
    You gotta live - hoist a few

    Everyone has to take input, stir it all up, and make their own decision. I'm 5 years out and drink lightly. My rationale is I've never been a hard or long-term drinker and my HNC was HPV so it seems to me my own DNA is not particularly susceptible to cancer by alcohol. So I hoist a few and live life with no worries.

    There are plenty of life-altering events just lurking out there so I'm just not that worried about it now. The first couple years the topic did roll around in the back of mind but as time went on it just faded away. Mind you, recurrence of this type of cancer is almost always going to turn up in the first couple years so that was a major factor in the discomfort.

    Just two weeks ago I nearly was crushed by a 35,000 pound bus and came away rather unscathed from a tumble down a 40 foot cliff.  Unfortunately, my wife was not so lucky and has a broken neck, broken ribs, sprained finger, major head wound but she'll recover fine over time. I'm more convinced than ever to not sweat the small stuff and enjoy life each day to the fullest.

  • johnsonbl
    johnsonbl Member Posts: 266 Member
    Charmit said:

    Thanks Brandon for your

    Thanks Brandon for your response....I agree about the few drinks. I think we all deserve some after our journey. My scope came back clear as did the PET scan and I’m eating like I was before treatment, only thing is I can’t do soda, can’t acquire the taste for it anymore. Haven’t had a drink but as in my earlier post a pina colada I’m thinking will hit the spot. Just a few after all I have never been outside the USA and I want to celebrate my NED!!

    OMG yes girl...get out there and have a great time.

    You deserve it!  Sunscreen though!!!!!  lol.

    Brandon

  • johnsonbl
    johnsonbl Member Posts: 266 Member
    donfoo said:

    You gotta live - hoist a few

    Everyone has to take input, stir it all up, and make their own decision. I'm 5 years out and drink lightly. My rationale is I've never been a hard or long-term drinker and my HNC was HPV so it seems to me my own DNA is not particularly susceptible to cancer by alcohol. So I hoist a few and live life with no worries.

    There are plenty of life-altering events just lurking out there so I'm just not that worried about it now. The first couple years the topic did roll around in the back of mind but as time went on it just faded away. Mind you, recurrence of this type of cancer is almost always going to turn up in the first couple years so that was a major factor in the discomfort.

    Just two weeks ago I nearly was crushed by a 35,000 pound bus and came away rather unscathed from a tumble down a 40 foot cliff.  Unfortunately, my wife was not so lucky and has a broken neck, broken ribs, sprained finger, major head wound but she'll recover fine over time. I'm more convinced than ever to not sweat the small stuff and enjoy life each day to the fullest.

    Yikes!!!

    Best wishes to your wife!

    In the words from Red from Shawshank Redemption...  "Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'"...  

  • wbcgaruss
    wbcgaruss Member Posts: 2,484 Member
    donfoo my oh my

    You are very lucky and very blessed to have come out unscathed but "My oh My So Sorry to hear" your wife has a list of injuries that sound pretty doggone serious. Please take care of her well and tell her to take it easy and don't rush anything let the body heal. Prayers your way for her quick recovery and your continued ability to dodge buses and other dangerous things-God Bless-Good Luck-Russ

  • patricke
    patricke Member Posts: 570 Member
    CHEERS!

    Hey Charmit, I have, for many years before my battles with the beast, and after my recoverys, been a daily imbiber of a cocktail, a beer, or a glass wine with dinner, and at social gatherings. Even when I had a feeding tube for 12 years, my motto was:  If it flows, it goes.  I loved pouring a cold one down my tube; it was a hoot.  I believe in moderation and balance, thus one drink is par for my course, but if I am really feeling like getting wild and crazy, I have been known to have two drinks during the course of a dinner or party.  So, since you are all clear, and have your doc's blessing,  Don't Worry, Be Happy while having spirited beverages in Jamaica, because it will be:  No Problem Mon. Here's wishing you a ton of island fun, and Cheers!

    Patrick