Radiation Hack #1 of 3 - Mitigating thick mucous

[P=L tonsil, S= 2 nodes in lymph.  TORS with MRND.  4 of 5 negative margins, + on deep margin.  This was followed up by 7 Cisplatin chemos and 33 bilateral rads 60/54g]

First and foremost:  I am NOT a medical professional!!  Prior to taking ANY medication other than what has been prescribed, whether OTC or not, verify with your chief oncologist FIRST!  I even checked with him before taking a Tums.  

In my case, my Oncologist has already told me to take Benadryl since I was having some sleep issues post chemo.  I was asking about sleep aids and he said to take 25-50mg of Benadryl ..and that did the trick!  Sleep came easily after that.

However ... about 3 weeks into rads, I was very tired and would come home from the appointment and just "lay there" and not fall asleep.  All I really wanted to do those last 3-4 weeks was "sleep it off", but I lay there, looking out the window, or lost in my prison of thoughts.  Then one day, during Week 5, I thought, "Hey, why not take a Benadryl to help me sleep?"  So I did.  Somewhere around the third day of this medicianlly-induced sleep, I came to realize that I was NOT experiencing that thick, irritating mucous that plagues us all.  After 5 days, it was clear that the Benadryl was not only helping me sleep, but also mitigating the mucous.  In my case, this mucous issue was a side effect; if you end up taking it for mucous, note that sleepiness will be your side effect.

Will it work for you?  I don't know..but if it does, or helps even some of you, SO LONG AS OK BY YOUR DOCTORS, then my friends, we have discovered a very useful hack.

Goof luck in all your treatments, and in case I did not mention it, make sure to verify taking this Benadryl is OK by your doctors.  

Don (Beagledad) 

Now on Day 5 of Recovery.